Questions about using templates
The BOM that I am currently working on uses templates. I believe it is 8 per block. The designer that put it together said that originally she just had the measurements listed, e.g., cut x amount of 2 inch squares, etc, but that she felt with all of the pieces people would be less confused if she just included the templates. I think it might have been easier and faster to cut without the templates but we'll see. These are professionally made acrylic templates, all are marked very clearly including grainline. All of the pieces have the corner tips cut off. The triangles, the main center square. There is one small square that has all of the points. Here are my questions:
1. I understand that cutting the dog ears off helps to match up the pieces. When I'm sewing two half triangles together I start at the edge the way I would sew any two triangles together. However, when I open it up the block isn't completely together. Am I supposed to start at the top of the notch and then pivot to sew the rest of the triangle? I'm not sure if this makes sense.
2. Can the templates be cut using a pinking blade? I would like to have an edge without the fraying but I"m not sure if the pinking blade will give enough room to cut acurrately. Has anyone tried this?
This is a pretty involved quilt and I want to make sure that I am doing everything correctly to start.