Question on HST's
 

I'm making a scrappy quilt with 1280 half square triangles. I have all my squares cut, now my next step is to take that little ruler (there's a name for it but I don't know what it is) and put it down the diagonal of each square, then draw a line on each side of the ruler, then stitch on each line and then cut the square down the diagonal.

Question for you - it would be much faster if I could cut down the diagonal first and then chain piece a quarter of an inch from that cut edges on each of the pieces. The end result would be the same, wouldn't it? Any reason why I shouldn't do this?

I'm cutting each square a little bigger than it needs to be so after all of the above I still have to take each of the 1280 hsq's and cut them to size. This is turning out to be quite a project and I'm hoping to save a step here. Seems that step of drawing the line is kind of "extra" but I still new at this so maybe I'm missing something.

If you cut first, then plan to sew, you should pin and that is where you will lose time. It really is a time saver to draw a diagonal line, imho.

It won't be faster because you will be dealing with 4 pieces instead of 2.
Also, when you are sewing on the diagonal there is less risk of distortion
when you are sewing across the square than sewing on a bias edge.
Try it both ways and see for yourself.

As EasyPeezy suggests, do a timed trial for yourself to see what works. I find that I can cut out the line-drawing step if I use a simple tool called the easy-angler (or maybe it's the EZ angler). It's a piece of clear plastic with line markings that you align to your machine bed and then you can just guide your 2 squares along the lines of the tool rather than deal with markings.

You can also draw your line from corner to corner and stitch 1/4 inch on each side.

Right ... or place the 1/4" measurement on the center line then draw you're left line, turn the ruler and place 1/4" measurement on the center line and draw the opposite line. In short .. you really don't need to draw three lines.

As the others said though, cutting first and sewing second leaves a large chance that you will distort the pieces because you will have a raw bias edge.

You will still need to measure if you cut them and then sew. Actually, you will be making two at a time when you mark your line and then sew. For this I would mark one diagonal line then line up your foot and sew 1/4 inch from the line. Hopefully you have a 1/4 inch foot for this project. Trying to aim for accurate triangles would save you more time than having to cut down each one. (IMHO) Good luck on your project:)

I saved a lot of time on these by putting masking tape on my machine. No need to draw on the fabric.

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/04/frog-tape-trick/

Thank you for your replies!! Here's my reasoning on the time saving thing.

If I go by the rules here is how it goes, I already have the squares cut up and put in pairs of light on top of dark -

I take each pair, place the Fons and Porter ruler on the diagonal, draw a line on each side of the ruler(each line is 1/4 of an inch away from center).
Stitch down each line (two lines of sewing for each square)
Cut each square on the diagonal.

And my short cut method
Cut each square on the diagonal so I am left with two triangles
Stitch 1/4" from each diagonal cut (I do have a 1/4" foot)

With the second method I save that entire first step which is a lot of time when I have 1000+ of these to do. But I know there is some flaw in my logic because I never, ever hear of it being done this way. A couple of you mentioned that the fabric may become distorted so I'm thinking that is the main reason it is not done this way. But on the other hand my squares are only about 3" - can they become distorted at this small size?

I've always done it the "long" way so in the end I will probably stick to it. The EZ angler - I don't think I've heard of this. Sounds like it eliminates the need to draw the lines, right? and instead it guides you as you stitch 1/4" from the center diagonal? If I understand it correctly sounds like it saves time. Best of two worlds, you don't have to draw lines but neither will the fabric become distorted.

I think this is the way Bonnie Hunter does it and she doesn't use pins.
Here is you-tube video about how to use the easy angle ruler.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXN8M8cn1HQ

OR, you could have eliminated cutting all those individual squares and just done it this way:
Both instructions are virtually the same, just written and graphics drawn at different times.
Leave about half an inch all around the grid to allow for slippage and to allow you to sew the whole thing without lifting the needle at the turns, cutting the thread, and starting again....IF you've drawn the grid more like example 2.

Jan in VA

The problem with cutting the squares into triangles first, then sewing them together, is now you're sewing on bias edges, and that can be tricky and aggravating. I would sew the squares first, then cut.

I know you've got your HSTs cut already but I also like Lynn Wilder's method of 8 at a time. I did that with a Ladiesof the Lake quilt top I completed (still have to quilt). There were 700+ 2" HSTs and larger HSTs. Oversized, pressed well(very important), then trimmed to 2 1/2". Went together beautifully. I not have to pin for piecing together as the HSTs were perfect. Easy although time consuming. I'll try to link you to my tip with blue painters tape. Worked great. Also photo of quilt top as I was working on it.

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[h=2]Tips for HSTs[/h]

Ok. I don't know why I have such trouble copying and pasting on my IPad to here. Put in Tips for HSTs in advanced search. It reallykeeps ruler from sliding and makes it so much easier to trim the HSTs.

OH, and I forgot to add, I agree with the others. Do not cut on the diagonal first. Difficult sewing with bias edge. Also, with square you have something to hold on to with both hands and with triangle you can only guide it with one hand.

By cutting first, you are still sewing twice. It is easier to put two squares together and sew down either side of the line than to wrestle the bias cut and the possibility of the stretch.

Are all of your HSTs the same color combos, or are you doing scrappy? When I first started quilting the only "ways" were draw lines on fab, or use easy angle, like Bonnie hunter does. Now, pick your way......there is also triangles on a roll or thangles .......along with "start with square, draw lines....." They all work, if you are consistent in your piecing. You state you are trying to find the " quickest" way because you have 1000+ other things to do -- this, in my opinion, is something we don't do speedily...it is something we do to unwind, enjoy, feel a sense of accomplishment....., not just whizz thru to get to the next thing in line. So, sit back, take a deep breath, try each technique and see which will work best in this particular case and relish in the process!

Here is another painter's tape method. This one is a bit different than the other one that is posted, with 1/4" lines marked on the tape. I love this<3 http://www.aprilrosenthal.com/2013/1...ngle-hst-hack/

You can mark with painter's tape and draw a line as a guide 1/4" right of center so you keep you drawn line lined up. This is what I use for marking my HSTs:
http://www.amazon.com/Fons-Porter-Qu.../dp/B000YZ5UW4

By cutting first and than stitching, you will be working on the bias which could cause stretching issues. Easy to distort.

It really boils down to what works best for YOU. Of course you can cut the diagonal and chain stitch. I do this all the time with my leaders and enders. I do scrap pieces all the time this way as well but what I do is trim down my HST after it is sewn to make sure it is nice and squared up. As you already have your squares cut you probably don't have much wiggle room for squaring up unless your pattern had you cut the squares oversize. A way to tell is if there are instructions to square them up after sewing or if the squares were a 7/8" measurement.

There are so many ways to make HST, from triangulations to grids like Jan posted and the way your instructions say. However I would definitely eliminate drawing two lines and only draw one (or you can fold your square in half on the diagonal to put a crease in it) and sew 1/4" on each side of the crease or drawn line. In my mind it is a waste of time to draw two lines and sew on the lines. That is why we have 1/4" feet!

Edited to add, Quilting is not a race. Sure there are techniques to streamline the process but sometimes the better results are achieved my slowing down and taking your time. I would try it the way your pattern indicates and try it the way you want and then measure your finished HST to see which method gives you the more accurate result and do it that way, even if the more accurate way is more steps and takes longer. In the long run you will be much happier with the rest of the process of making the quilt and the final results.

I believe you can chain piece without cutting on the diagonal first. Just sew 1/4" away from the penciled diagonal. Keep chain piecing 1/4" from the diagonal line until you get through all the squares. Then turn them and chain piece 1/4" away from the other side.

I have made HSTs every way possible. I use my Go now but if I don't have the size die I need I use the Fast 2 Mark ruler and make eight HSTs at a time. No bias edges.

I still chain piece those squares before I cut them into two sections. I sew down one side on all of them, then start from the last one and sew down the other side, then split them afterward. Easy-peasy. Saves a lot of thread when you strip piece plus no chance of having your long tails end up on the top of the quilt top in the end.

I bought that marking ruler to mark each side of the sew line and found that it created an oversized mark. The ruler did not work for me at all. In the end I marked the center line and used the 1/4" foot to sew along that marked line. That worked but I had to trim all of my HSTs - a lot of extra cutting.

Recently I bought the easy angle (and companion angle) ruler and it works like a charm. NO MORE TRIMMING. I love it.

Go easy and do as Jenny Doan does, iron squares on diagonal and use iron mark to sew, easy peasy and no marking. Cutting into triangle first your sewing on bias and could have distorted HST's or have to pin and that is a pain.
I made a bunch of HST's and chain pieced down one side and after a bunch were sewn, picked up first one and started down other side. Then cut them apart and separated them, fast and easy.

If the HSTs are fairly small, see if this would work for you. I have the green tape aligned with the needle (not needed for this) and the red one at the 1/4" mark.
This way there is no need to draw the diagonal on the fabric. Line up corner to corner on the red at the "bottom" end and with the outside of the 1/4" foot at the top. Go ahead and sew, turn it around, line up again and sew, then just cut through the center. ( I do realize that this may not work for all machine set-ups, but lucky me!)

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Cutting the squares on the diagonal first will leave you with bias edges, not a good idea. If you hadn't already cut all the squares, I would suggest looking at a tutorial by Jenny Doan, MSQC to see her fast HST's. Instead of drawing a diagonal line, she folds the square along the diagonal and then presses as she says it saves her time. Just a thought.

If you are careful in your cutting and stitching the method you are wanting to use works quite well. I personally prefer doing it that way - for the very reasons you mentioned. I've never had serious issues with distortion except if I end up having to rip out and restitch for whatever reason. Just making the HSTs as you describe works very well for me.

Divide and conquer. Break it up into 15, 30 or 1 hour per day intervals. My friend did. She marked her squares at night and sewed in the morning then trimed at night, etc. She made 11 half square triangle quilts in a year.

This is brilliant!, Thank you. It looks like it'll end my dread of drawing all those lines!

Thank you, thank you for the helpful suggestions. Time is of the essence here and if I only had 20 or 30 of these triangles to make I wouldn't mind drawing the lines but 1000+ is quite a lot. I only have time to quilt on weekends so I need to get moving. When I started quilting I told myself I will finish one quilt before starting the next and I've been able to stick to that and I don't want to put this one aside.

I'm going to try one of the masking tape methods as that will eliminate the long drawn out task of drawing lines over and over. Or if that doesn't work I may try a few by cutting first and then, yes, sewing on the bias as mom-6 does. at 3" will they really get that distorted?

As for the trimming after the sewing is done, I like Eleanor Burns' way of doing it. She trims them down before opening them up and also trims the dog ears. It's nice if you have her ruler (I do), but it's not necessary. You just have to figure out where on your square ruler to place on the hst to be able to trim to the size you want. Trial and error. Gina

Since you are oversizing your HSTs and then trimming down to size, I recommend that you get the Quilt In A Day Triangle Square Up Ruler. It comes in 6-1/2" and 9" sizes, and you can find it t JoAnn's. The basic advantage to it for me is that after you have sewn and cut your squares in half, you trim BEFORE pressing open, so you only have to trim two sides.
https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/rulers

Yes. If you are that invested in cutting them in half first and sewing them second, then I highly recommend starching the snot out of the fabric first. I speak gently and kindly from experience. :thumbup:

So many HST!!!!! I draw the line as I go. I draw corner to corner and then sew on either side, as a chain. Turn cut apart and repeat. Yes it is tedious. But if you cut first then you are sewing on the bias and triangle may stretch making quit a mess. I just made 102(204) and thought that was a pain. Take your time and divide squares into piles, sew all in the pile, do complete process on that pile and then on to the next. Should take same amount of time but is not as intimidating.

Rather than mark diagonal center line I press square in half diagonally then stitch 1/4 on each side of pressed line. If you have allowed a larger square set the trim is a piece of cake.

that's what I do. I typically will chain down one side for a bit then go back and stitch down the other side. just faster for me. But, if you're good a stitching along bias edges, it might be faster to cut them apart then stitch. As mentioned, time it out for yourself and see which works best for you.

Good Luck !!