HST question
 

I have a pieced border with a pinwheel. The size of the pinwheel block (before sewing to adjacent blocks) is 2 1/2". The pattern says to cut 1 7/8 squares, and then cut the squares into triangles and sew the triangles together to make the pinwheel. I was wondering why they didn't say to make the half square triangle units using the two-square, diagonal line method. Wouldn't the result be the same? It seems to me the two-square method would be quicker and also avoid working with bias edges. Am I missing something?

everyone has their quilting style. if the 2 square method is more your style, then go for it.

I always make pinwheels using hst units. Seems like the other way would give you bias edges. I don't like sewing that bias edge. I like the hst method best.

You are correct - the result would be the same.

Same here, the square method may be 'quicker', but I also do not like sewing on bias, even with starching.

If I understood the original poster correctly,
the pattern said to cut the squares into triangles, and then sew the triangles together
instead of drawing the diagonal line on the squares and then sewing 1/4 inch on each side of the line an THEN cutting the squares apart to form the HST units.

You will get the same result, either way.

Thanks, everyone! I thought the result would be the same, but thought I'd better check. Better safe than sorry!

Seems like most patterns give that kind of instruction. Not sure why though -- Makes me glad that I took a class on how to rework a pattern to make it using the most "user friendly" instructions. There is never just one way of doing a block -- we need to do it the way that makes the most sense to us.

I don't like sewing bias edges so I would use the sew square and cut method myself.