help with strip size
 

I want to combine a block with three 2.5 strips (finish at 6 inches) with a block where the strips cross.
I thought that both blocks could be done with 2.5 strips, but my simple computer program is telling me no. I'd appreciate help - thank you in advance.

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Did you want the strips to meet at the seams? If so, because one is on the diagonal it needs to be wider. Here's a PDF with templates for the block. You can measure the width of the strip to see what size your strips need to be. I've included a graphic of what that would look like.

The simplest and easiest approach would be to use the PDF/templates that LyndaOH has provided for you.

But if you want the "complicated approach" to figuring out the width - here goes:

The width of the finished strip is the square root of the sum of the squares of finished widths of the bar strips. (I know I have lost at least 85% of the people that are reading this post with that last sentence.) The Pythagorean Theorem is useful to know - it is very handy when figuring out what size to make setting squares

The "finished" width of the cross-over strips will be 1.414 (square root of two) times the "finished" width of the "other" strips.

Bar strips (2.00 + 0.50) = 2.50
(2 + 1/2) = 2-1/2

Diagonal strips ((2.00 x 1.414) +0.50) =
(2.828 + 0.50) = 3.328

1.414 is a bit larger than 1-2/5 , but is fairly close
(2 x 7/5 + 1/2) = 3-3/10 inches - which is fairly close to 3-5/16 inches



1/8 = 0.125
1/4 = 0.250
5/16 = 0.3125
3/8 = 0.375
1/2 = 0.500
5/8 = 0.625
3/4 = 0.750
7/8 = 0.875
1 = 1.000

It really is NOT that big of a deal to cut something on a 5/16th - it's between the 1/4 and 3/8 inch lines.

Someone posted a quilt top similar to this a few weeks ago. I thought that the cross part had to be wider. Thanks for the info LyndaOH.

I think you white diamonds just need to be smaller. Won't the finished strip block finish at 6.5 inches?

If the colored diagonls are wider, then the white triangles would need to be smaller.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Lynda, I know i can work with your graphic. And Bearisgray, my husband, the math major, really liked listening to me read your solution :-)

On rereading my first post - I did omit a fairly critical part of the explanation, but I think I covered it in the examples.

Makes my brain hurt to think about this math!

Bearisgray........yes indeed you lost me after "square root...." Oh, I really wish I did understand what you wrote, but it just won't translate and sink in.........but I do know how to do the pattern in question...I follow the directions of the pattern I purchased!