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Here's a little explainer about HSTs and QSTs for beginners:
http://www.colormequilted.com/2014/0...he-difference/

Also, go get an Angler II to tape to your machine & you wont have to mark all those lines. Just hold the point on the line through the machine. I highly recommend it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UcmUnv3d4mM

I watched the video on the Angler II. I think I'm going to have to get one of those. II'm doing an hourglass quilt with over 300 3.5" blocks. Lots of diagonals.

i alwys make my HST a little bigger and trim them down. I bought the Bloc Loc ruler for HSTs last Saturday at the Grand Rapids quilt show. She only had the 6.5 inch one left but worked for the 2.5 blocks I was making. Very pricey though!

I LOVE my Angler II. It really really helps, especially for smaller HST's. If you are not 'experienced' cut the squares at 3 inches and trim down. Note how you are pressing them and how that MAY distort the triangle. Get into the habit of finger pressing the seam and then setting the iron on the block to press. Try very hard not to move the iron around.By the time you've done a hundred or so, you might want to try cutting the squares 2 7/8 to begin with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe'smom (Post 6864894)

Trimming is the one thing I hate among all quilting tasks, so I use the 2 7/8". However, I will look up these Deb Tucker rulers. If I had a way of trimming accurately, I wouldn't hate trimming so much!

I like accurate half square triangles but LOATHE trimming too. I use a ruler that let's you cut your triangles accurately. You only have dog ears on one corner. You add 1/2 inch to your desired finished size. You cut strips of each fabric for the triangles and layer them right sides together. You place your special ruler with a marked flat triangle against the top edge of the fabric and then line up the marking on the bottom of the fabric . Cut , then rotate the ruler to cut the next triangle, lining up the edge that you just cut. It takes a little practice,I started by cutting too generous and had to trim. LOL After practicing a bit, I can make pretty perfect blocks this way. It is way easier on my hand and wrist. The ruler is purchased at joann by Sharon Hultgren called Easy Angle. There is another one that also makes half square triangles as well as quarter squares for flying geese center. It is the Half and Quarter Ruler by Fons and Porter.
I believe that Bonnie Hunter uses and demos the EasyAngle on her website called Quiltville.com. It is amazing that there is absolutely no waste! You do need to be very accurate in your sewing and cutting.

I just made a bunch of those blocks and it had me cut a 4 7/8 block for a 4.5 unfinished block. Doesn't seem logical does it? If you use the Deb Tucker Tucker Trimmer ruler, she says to cut .5 larger than you need and then trim it to size after stitching together. As I tend to not stitch a straight line I think I'll use Deb's method the next time and to heck with wasting a little extra fabric.

I just finished a mystery quilt that called for over 400 half square triangles. I used a method whereby I doubled the size of the unfinished square (3.5x2) added 1 inch (7+1=8) cut 2 8" squares laid right sides together, used the Fons & Porter quarter ruler to mark corner to corner, sewed along each, cut on center, & and cut across at half way & up an down at half way. Opened them up, trimmed to 3.5" & had EIGHT perfect half square triangles & all 16 stars have perfect points. There is a tutorial on this somewhere, try YouTube, this method s GREAT for large quantities f half square triangles.

Another way to mark your sewing line is to simply fold the square on the diagonal and press.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [email protected] (Post 6864550)

Hello Everyone, I am doing a lot of cutting this weekend and need a little help. I don't know what the quilting term is for when you take 2 squares and draw a line corner to corner and then measure out 1/4" on each side and sew on those lines and then cut them apart and you have a 2 colored block all done. But my question is: All my solid color blocks are 2.5" the half inch is seam allowance. Now, how big do I cut those blocks that I need to make 2 colored so when I open them and press them, they are also 2.5"???? I was thinking 3"? I thought I read once to make them 2 7/8" but how would that make a 2.5" square if you are taking out 1/4" on each side of the middle line you draw? This is so confusing to me. Can anyone explain this to a newbie who is confused? Thank you so very much Rachel

And the Companion Angle Ruler.........these 3 are really GREAT!!

At a class I am taking, the instructor turned us on to the TRI REC rulers....could not believe it!! There is a line marked on the ruler for the finished size of your triangles ( half square triangles ) and you line up the ruler on a strip of fabric and cut - the end result is blunted corner for matching and perfect half square triangles with NO NEED to be trimmed......I am a lousy cutter, and mine have come out perfectly ( have made over 100 for this quilt I am working on )......