Does spraying starch on two squares work just as well?

Try the strip method for triangles - it's great.

Me too! Me too! Then when I do get them right, do you think I can figure out how to lay them next to each other? I can feel my eyes starting to cross just thinking about it!

when I have a fabric that is close pattern or color so that I have a hard time getting the right side fr0m the wrong side, I take a marking pencil that contrasts with the fabric and mark on the wrong side with a squiggly line so I can see it after it is cut

Raspberry with sugar sounds right up my alley : )

I see one step I make missing from what you do. After I cut in half, I press them open, align the 45* line on my ruler with the sewn seam, then trim.

For any size of triangle, I start with squares that are 1" larger than the finished size I want. In theory, I should be cutting 1/8" off. However, since I never mark either seam or cutting line, my seam allowances on the triangles tend to be on the smaller side and I tend to cut off a bit more than 1/8". My finished triangles are always exactly on, which drives my careful guild sisters crazy.

Maybe with enough margaritas you won't care what happens. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Have you ever used "Thangles"? Go to website

www.Thangles.com ...they show you how to use them.

I have even put them in the quilt backwards... make my margarita on the rocks
:oops: :shock:

Have you ever tried using some of the colored dots on the right side of the fabric ? When I was having trouble with a particular pattern, not triangles, I used small dots, and also ran a piece of thread and knotted it in the area where I wanted to join, and left the long tails, because the fabric was so close in color and I wanted to be sure I was sewing on the wrong side of the fabric. That really worked well for me. Good luck Gerbie

I don't like making triangles either. I always use Triangles on a Roll or Triangulations.

My feeling is if the value or color is so close as to be that hard to tell the difference, I don't worry about it if the occasional piece is sewn in backward. One time, I actually sewed several more in backward, scattered them about the top, and it looked like it was supposed to be that way.

That is ONE reason I love my AccuQuilt GO!! Which is only 217.00 now at Quilting Warehouse and I paid over 300.00 for mine. And I thought I was getting a great deal. It pays to search the web!!

I make them all the time, but I used thangles most of the time. they are very easy to use.

LOL, can I join the party? I have paid my dues. I'll take mine frozen please.

I bought the Triangulations CD ROM by Brenda Henning - you can print out papers for any size triangles you need. It is the easiest way to do triangles that I have used and I love it!!

Been there, done all that. Will no doubt do it again!

I'll take mine in the rocks

Hunting for a bottle of tequila to send you! :lol:

yea, I learned this the hard way!!!!

I'm with you.. I don't like triangles.. especially cut on the bias triangles.. mine cant ever seem to be square.. Lucky for me mines a scrappy one so my mistake (hopefully) wont be too noticeable..

Good luck.. Remember- Deep breaths, walk away and keep plenty of chocolate on hand!

Have you tried thangles?

I love love love my Thangles Have just about eversize needed

I can understand your frustration. I too was intimidated about triangles. Then one day I made up my mind I was just going to do them. I have always wanted to make a scrappy quilt using 1/2 square triangles.
And now, I am so pleased with how it is turning out. But I do it the way others have described. Cut large square, draw diagonal line, sew 1/4" from each side of line, cut on drawn line. Then trim back to size desired. And yes, I starched well before even cutting the squares.
Keep trying... you will get it. By the way, I DID sew one on ther wrong side, but after I cut it apart and looked at it, you can't even tell so I left it. Hate unsewing!

what is a thangle??

It's a strip of paper that you pin to a strip of fabric. You sew along a line on it and then cut along the other lines (I think dotted lines for sewing, solid for cutting) and then press and remove the paper and voila-perfect half square triangles.

that will definitely work for me...lol Can you buy them in all sizes?

they come in lots of sizes. Theres also a web site that shows how to use them if you get confused Just bought a larger size that had instructions for a tree skirt. My lqs had one hanging and it was beautiful and looked simple to do with the thangles you don't waste any material

I have tried them and they are good, bit expensive for the amount I do so I do it the normal way but I don't use Starch as I do a lot of quilts for Project Linus and don't want to add any chemicals. Here is the Thangles website for you: http://www.thangles.com/index.html

so are these thangles fabric or paper foundations?

Thangles are paper.

I will have to remember using spray starch, or sizing maybe, when doing triangles. I just finished a small quilt, 16x20, & some of the edges are bias, so not laying real flat & smooth. Tried to do HSTs, as much as possible, but couldn't in some spots. Oh well, we learn with each project, don't we....

I avoid bias edges as much as humanly possible. I would probably change the entire design and layout of a pattern to avoid them. lol.