Help! Square (Diamond) in a Square
 

I need help! Just attempted to make 12 of these for a quilt and they turned out terrible! I actually ordered more fabric and am going to discard these. Could not get them to square up correctly so that I had 1/4" on each corner of the diamond. Then, of course, when I sewed the blocks together, none of my points matched. They look terrible. I read every tutorial I could find on the internet with no luck. Can anyone give me any tips on how to sew these correctly? My scant 1/4" seam is accurate. At wit's end. Thank you for any help!

I have not used it, but a friend uses the Deb Tucker ruler that does this - can't remember the name. But if you go go Studio180 or key in Deb Tucker rulers, you might be able to find it. She says it uses a little more fabric, then you trim the squares down to size, but she swears by them.....says they come out perfect! If nothing else, maybe you can view Deb Tucker videos for some hints.

Are you matching center points on both the inner square and added triangle section before sewing it? and Are you sewing opposite triangles first, then the other opposite triangles?

How are you measuring your quarter inch seam? You don't measure the seam, you measure the resulting patch. Here's how to check:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...ce-t89997.html

also, make sure you are not pressing a tiny fold into the seam. When making these blocks I usually over size the triangles, then cut down. This is also called an Economy Block. If you google this you will find more tutorials and maybe one of them will 'click.

I'm currently working on a quilt that has about 100 of them - what I've found, you must make sure your starting square is the correct size - right now I'm doing 48 that are 2.5" (finish at 2") and the start block is 1 7/8".

For your triangles, cut a square and then cut diagonal so that your finished edges are not on the bias.

Press so you have the center marked (I finger press) and sew apposing sides, making sure you have point of the triangle at the center - press and repeat for the other two sides.

When you go to trim, find teh center on your ruler and line up the inner block. Since mine will be 2.5", I find the 1.25" line and put it so that it lines up with the corners of the INNER block. Then adjust it up/down and sideways so that you get 1/4" allowance past those corners. I've found if the inner block is slightly larger or smaller (like less than 1/8") I can adjust the ruler so that I've got the 1/4" seam allowance, and it's still OK. More than that and I have problems.

When you square it up, ignore where the points of the outer triangles are - concentrate on keeping the inner block centered. If you lined up your points, there should be enough fabric for easy trimming. If there is not, then cut your squares for the triangle a bit larger.

My number one problems I had at the start was not being extra careful to get perfectly straight seams, and then my inner square would end up not being quite square. I had to slow down and pay attention, especially at the ends of the seam, as that is where I'm most likely to let things slip a bit.

Also, when you press, be careful you don't stretch the ends. I find trimming the dog ears off the first set of triangles BEFORE I press helps a lot in keeping them from getting stretched in the pressing process.

A picture of your botched blocks might help us help you. If we see what / where the problems are. Sometimes I cut my triangles over sized then trim down but it depends on the block how well that works.

For prefect ones, paper piece them. These blocks look so simple but can become wonky by looking at them.

I agree with Nora. I am sold on anything created by Deb Tucker. She has two sizes. The big one is expensive, but it does blocks that finish in whole inches from 1 to 12, and can do nested SIS units. The smaller one will do 1 to 6 inch blocks but I don't think it does the nested.

https://deb-tuckers-studio-180-desig...square-squared


Paper piecing is also a good option if you don't want to wait for a ruler.

Thank you - attached a photo at the end of this thread.

Oh - I didn't know that! Thank you!