kellyer21

Churn Dash question. I'm making a churn dash quilt and have made all 120 hst, but the points are lost! I made them using the variant method where you sew two alternating fabrics together by stitching around the outside, then cut diagonally twice. I learned the method from Jenny Doan at Missouri Star Quilt Co. All of the pictures I see of various methods show the points being at the outside edge, inside the 1/4" seamline. Advice?
Thanks,
Kelly

Julienm1

First issue is to check your quarter inch seam. That measurement is SO important with this technique. There is bias edges. Did you spray with starch?

kellyer21

I knew there would be bias edges, I haven't used steam, I don't use scratch. The points haven't been lost due to stretching or seam allowance. It's the method itself that, when followed to the letter, puts the points inside the quarter inch line. :/ I'm hoping to find a method that gives a 1/4" seam allowance while retaining the points. But that will be for next time, these are already done.

JanieW

I’m confused when you say your HSTs don’t have points outside of the 1/4” seam line. Are you talking about this before or after you stitch your HST to another unit? Can you post a picture of the HST that you get when you use this method?

If yours look like the ones in figure 6 on this link then they are correct.

https://www.coralandco.com/blog/half...t-a-time-chart

QuiltE

ditto ...
Kelleyer21 ..... if it is as per JanieW's suggestions, your 1/4" seams when they are combined with the next unit(s), will keep the points.

Have you tried stitching it to the other pieces?

Otherwise, JanieW's suggested photo(s) will help us help you figure it out!

platyhiker

With any HST method, the goal is to end up with a square with a seam along its diagonal. It should look like this:


After you stitch your HST to other block components, the 1/4 " seams will visually "trim" your HST on two sides so that the the points of the HST have moved towards the center of the block. This drawing has gray lines showing where the seam lines are on two sides of the HST.


Once you have joined your block to either other blocks, sashing and/or borders, the other two sides will be "trimmed" by the seams and you should have the seam running exactly from one corner to the other. (So, it should look like the first image, above, just 1/2" smaller in width and height.)

Jennifer23

Could you post a picture of your block? The only way I can think of to lose the points (after the block is attached to sashings/ other blocks) is if the seam allowance joining the HSTs to the rail fence squares is too narrow. The method you use for the HSTs won't matter, as long as they are the same size as the other parts of the block and are pressed so that the seam is perfectly diagonal.

Is it just that the points look like they're missing because you're looking at a completed block that isn't yet attached to anything? If you lay a ruler so that you can see where the final 1/4" seam will finish the block, do the points end up where they're supposed to be? The points do look cut off in a completed block that still has its outer seam allowance showing.

​

Jordan

I agree with "Julienm1" that maybe your 1/4" seam is a little too much. I also have seen a block made by Donna Jordan from Jordan Fabrics that has points that never get caught up in the seam. If you go to her website, she has tons of videos and she gives so many tutorials with tips and tricks. She is very fun to watch and so informative.