Jacobs Ladder HST time saver!!
 

I have made a dozen Jacob Ladder quilts over the years and always use this method to make 4 1/2 inch HST...sew 2 4 7/8 peices of fabric together, pencil down the center, sew 1/4 inch from pencil mark and cut on pencil mark...WELL, last night, I had some time and went scrolling through the Tuterial section of this board and found ''quick way to create half square triangles'' ( the name to look for under Tutitorial ) and let me tell you....this method WORKS!!!! I used one 7 inch square of dark scrap fabric and one 7 inch square of light fabric...well starched first....layed them RST, sewed 1/4 inch around the edges and then sub cut from corner to corner and Viola, I had my 4 HST for one Jacobs Ladder Block!!! These 4 PERFECT HST, can also be put togetther in a scrappy type quilt as the 4 blocks put together, will give me a 8 1/2 finshed block. There is a ''formula'' on the 3rd page of the tutitorial, on how big to cut your dark and light squares, but I find it is always better to ''practice'' on scraps before I cut into my good fabric. Off now, to start another Jacobs Ladder for Christmas....in July!!!!!

I like this method, but be aware that all of your outside edges are now on the bias. For me, that's the only down side to this method.

Thanks for sharing!

Yes, the key is to make sure that your fabric is STARCHED HEAVILY. This will help keep the bias edges in line, but they still need to be handled gingerly.

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I totally agree.....I have always used Magic Spray sizing before I ever cut a piece of fabric to begin a quilt. Spray and iron back and forth, sideways, up and down....any way I feel like doing to that full size piece of fabric....then and only then....will I begin to cut my strips or squares of fabric. I get very little to NO shrinkage in a final quilt with out all the hassle of prewashing, drying and then ironing my fabric....color catchers stop any bleeding. For a small quilt, I use about a can of Magic sizing and I just finished a King size quilt that took almost 2 full cans. I also use sizing every time I set a seam but then I do NOT iron back and forth but just press the seam. Less than a dollar at Walmart!! If you can find the green can of sizing, it is the heavy duty sizing and IMO, better for this type of bias edge work, you are lucky!! Walmart only carries the blue can here, reg. strength and my grocery store carries the green can for double the price...still a lot cheaper that anything my LQS carries and it does NOT gum up your iron like startch does....spray and iron....no waiting!!

For 4 1/2 inch use two squares cut at 10 inchs. draw an x and sew 1/4 in down each side of lines. Cut in half both ways then on lines. You will have 8 HSTs with no bias edges. Square up with Quilt in A Days triangle square up ruler, done with one cut, amazing.

The formula for Rose Marie's method which I also use is ( for any size HST):
finished size of HST x 2 , then add 2" to this number, sew and cut+ trim as Rose Marie instructs.

Bonnie Hunter uses the Easy Angle rulers that I like, but I love Triangulations. The only problem is you make so many of the same. So I usually try to fix up a swap.

Thank you all for the wonderful information. You make it sound so easy I am going to try them.

where is tutorial section
 

[QUOTE=jodimarie;5278136] Tuterial section of this board
I hate to sound stupid but how do you find this section? I love browsing thru tudes!

I like drawing grids of squares, size dependent on finished size of block, then drawing the diagonals and sewing 1/4" on either side of the line. In one fell swoop, I can do many more than four HST.

Yes, the edges are on bias, but you are usually attaching to a straight grain, so the edges should not stretch. If you sew them together with bias side to the feed dogs, there should be no problem.

[QUOTE=Toni C;5278700]********************
scroll up to the top and click on ''HOME'', then go down to Tutiorials and enjoy!!!!

As long as you are very careful when pressing them open. They can stretch easily before sewing together if you aren't careful....

This is a great, time-saving and accurate method. I also like Rose-Marie's X method when I just need 8 HSTs. No bias edges and much less need for starching.

I have a set of attachments, (right now I can't think of the name) that add to your ruler to show exactly how much to cut extra to make either half square triangles or quarter square triangles.
They attach to the side of your ruler with suction cups. then for say, 2" blocks, you set your ruler to 2", but cut at the edge of the attachment. The one adds 7/8", the other adds more.

I always seem to forget the formulas measurements for these things

Great info...that's why I love the QB!!!!

Bias isn't a problem at all if you put a 1/2" strip of fusible interfacing diagonally and then cut. I buy it on a roll like tape.

Where could I find the formula for Rose-Marie's HST

This is the method I always use as I don't like working with bias edges. I like that all the seams can be set with one press before I cut.

Oh, now that's cool....thanks! Found complete instructions on Eleanor's website.....may just have to get one of her rulers!

This is what I do too, it is a great method and indespensible in patterns that require many HST. I don't mess around with the 7/8" larger either. I just go for the full 1" larger than my finished HST and cut down to size when squaring up.

There is no formula. Just add 2 inchs for each size up. For 1 1/2 inch triangles use 4 inch blocks, for 2 1/2 in triangles use 6 inch blocks ect.
Of course since they dont make rulers that size I just use a ruler with the extra 1/2 inch. It wastes a little fabric but not much.
The triangle square up ruler is worth every penny it costs. After I show people how it works the go buy one.
So easy to just make one cut for perfect HSTs.

dang..I thought this would be about something NEW.,...Billie Lauder had done this for 15+ years....

Wow, just made a bunch of hst's and wish I'd known these tricks! Thanks for all this info, it will be a big time saver in the future.

Wonder why one couldn't cut original 7" square on the bias, then triangles would have straight edges?

some of us newbies haven't been around the quilting scene for 15+ years.
I appreciate all the information on Quilting Board and learning something NEW every day, even if it's been around forever, it's new to me.

I've been quilting since 1998 and am always learning something new - it is usually because of an OOPS! I am going to check out the Billie Lauder website and see if she has a tutotorial - but, in the meantime, I have copied and pasted the instructions posted here onto a word document and printed it out - that way I will know where to find it when I want to make some HST's.

I usually make thangles for mine, I bought a program that prints them out for me on paper piecing paper and I have used them with great success. When not using this method, I always overcut my squares, then trim after sewing. I am working on a project now that is VERY scrappy and I am using this method. I can't remember how many I need, but each block has four of them and this is going to be a king size quilt so there will be plenty to make.

I saw that on a you-tube video a while back. Makes sense that they turn out prefect, if you do the quarter-inch seam all around the outside. Definitely starch heavily!

Thanks for telling the size. That's what I've wanted to know.

Cut the starting blocks on the bias and the ending blocks will be on the straight grain!

What a great idea, BellaBoo!

This is by far the best way to make HST's, I have used this method several times, love it.

this may have been answered allready but anyway, the size of the block you want. for example
2 1/2 desired block times 2 plus 1 inch = 6
3 inch block times 2 plus 1 =7

I am going to try this method as I am doing a quilt with 650 HSTs. Maybe/hope this will make that number easier to do. Thanks for all the info.

This is a quilt I really want to make - but can't figure out how to pick the fabrics that would work. Need to look at pictues and see if that helps.

I use this method to make my favourite block, Pinwheels! Works great and never have any trouble with it.

I won't use that method because I hate sewing on the bias.

I don't want to do that much "pre" work.