AlvaStitcher, I am so sorry to hear about your brother. Such a sudden loss! I agree, quilting, and other hand work, is very soothing to the soul.
Mom2boyz, I am using the strip method, center strip 1 7/8", the two outside strips 2 " and the point are coming out fine. I'm not sure where your trouble is. After I sew the strips together, I cut the first angle at 45 degrees. Then I used a paper rectangle template that was cut at 2.5 x 4.5. I laid that against the cut edge and it gave me something to put the angle ruler against for the next cut. Did that make sense?