Originally Posted by
Iceblossom
Exactly Tish, that's what I mean about "reinforcing" where I want to go. There are few things more tragic as well as a 1/4" miscut when you are dangerously near the end of your fabric.
Wanted to make another "use of tape" mention, I'll mark lines on my sewing machine bed. For example, I had a fabric with a selvedge that periodically erupted into a huge (more than an inch) trademark/brand thing, so I marked my seam line with tape. On my old vintage machine I actually used a brightly colored kid's bandaid as my 1/4" seam marker, the little pad of the bandage helped guide the fabric.
Working with these blocks the outer edges are on the bias and I'm having some problems with the points getting sucked into the machine. Happens I have a foot that is designed so I can use either side as my 1/4" (plus note that I pin way down and nowhere near the seam allowance) so I'm turning every other block and nesting them as they go through the feed dogs. If I didn't have the foot or the marking on my foot plate I could still use this technique with that wonderful helpful 1/4" tape!
I use a lot of tape too. In many of the same ways.
And, when I'm doing lots of triangles like yours, I keep a stack of 2" x 3" bits of tissue paper in a cup beside the machine so they are handy to put under the tips - very much as the paper you have in your picture. I sew right through them and pull the tissue off after I get them all together. I have to go back and cut the threads between blocks anyway, and the tissue comes off fast and easy....usually.