What Do You Do with the Triangles Cut From Folded Corner Blocks?
 

You know, what's left over after making a flying geese block with the rectangle and two triangles, or the strips where you join two pieces on an angle. I've been saving mine and plan to make crumb blocks. Most of mine are from 2 1/2" strips so they're pretty small. Those from fabrics I'm not crazy about, I use as starter pieces when chain piecing.

I'd love to hear what you've done with them.

I have a bag full but when I last trimmed blocks, I decided to toss them into a plastic shoebox. Guess who found them??? The cat who will do anything to lay on a piece of fabric.

Use them for smaller 1/2 sq, triangles or whatever you find to use them for. They make something small like rug mugs, doll quilts etc.

I sew them together and make pinwheel blocks.

If you sew them together while they are still attached to the block, it's a lot easier. I was doing that then decided they are too small for me, so I have been throwing them away. I'm thinking of mulching the garden with them. Snowball blocks generate quick a few, too.

I sew two together for the center of string blocks.

When I am doing a block where there will be a triangle of fabric cut off...after I have sewn on the drawn line...I go over about 1/2" (1/4" if a small amount) and sew another seam. I then cut between the two sewn lines...instant half square triangle blocks! I save these up, seperating into baggies by size. When I have enough, they go into a quilt, or border of a quilt.

excellent idea. I'll do that from now on. I hate to waste it and this seems pretty efficient!

I hope she doesn't grow any more. But they would make a nice pillow top for Calico!

In the past, I've just thrown them out. However recently while making a heart quilt for my dd, I simply couldn't waste THAT much material. I made the corners into 1/2 sqaure triangles by sewing another strip before cutting the 'extra' off. Now I have three stacks that are 4" high!

What I'll probably do is sew them into a strip. Then sew it vertically on a backing to a quilt, off center of course! I did something similar with extra 5" blocks that I had left over from a house block quilt I made for our housekeeper at work. As it turns out, I think she likes the backing better than the front. Her favorite color is the main fabric on the back. Go figure!

there are so many patterns with HST's. that's what i use mine for. even the tiny ones make mini quilts

I have a huge amount of triangles of all different sizes. I also never know what to do with them all. I do like the pinwheel idea though.

I've heard of the Cat in the Hat but the kitty in the quilt blocks is something else altogether!!!!

that is sooo cute

I either save them for a scrap quilt if they're larger than, say 1x1, or I put them in the garden as mulch.

Well, I used to save them for that 'one day' project. Then our local humane society wanted dog beds and they wanted them filled with scraps that could be washed. No more of those little pieces saved for the mythical 'someday' and both the pets and I are happy.

ali

I don't know. I make flying geese using the no waste flying geese method so I don't have any waste or pieces to cut off.

I'm not a HUGE HST fan, but I DO love flying geese! I have been sewing these leftovers into flying geese. I have 2 scrap/leftover quilts in my head: Going my way (think all sorts of sizes/colors of flying geese)...and another one with all my leftovers...orphan blocks, left over chunks of strippy stuff: just things that were not used and I could not throw out! I had PLANNED to start the 2nd one after NewYears, but you know life has a way of interfering! We had a Japanese exchange student come to live with us on Jan 3rd just for the semester. The design wall I had planned to use for this quilt is in HIS room..and COVERED with all his high school memorabilia and pictures! How could I swipe that pleasure!? Guess the quilt will become a summer project after he goes home...::sniff sniff::: I miss him already! lolol

I always make sure to go ahead and at least glue baste them when I cut them. Just a touch will keep them together and then sew them as soon as possible. Last time I had enough I sewed them together and made a small quilt that I use on my table. The thing about sewing with such small pieces is that it brings out exactly what you are doing wrong and what you need to work on. The slightest glitch is amplified and there isn't much room for fudge. But it looks good enough for me and next time I will be more careful...and double check my rows to make sure they are all going in the same direction before I sew them. OOps. =)

I love the cat - and my cat is the same. However, mine prefers to lay on fabric that is being WORKED on.

I save mine and use them on scrappy things. I keep small ones and add a strip of material to the side(s) to make them bigger etc. I've made a few dollie blankets that are treasured by GD

I leave mine IN any quilt I'm not planning to hand quilt, here's why. When using this square-on-a-corner technique, it's easy to sew these squares across the diagonal, press to the corner, and then find you have a bit of overhang no matter how careful you were. When you cut off the background and the middle layer of the triangle, you remove the absolute square or rectangular cut of the base shape...and that makes it harder to line up the snowballed segment to the next block segment. Even if 'overhang' is there, you can match edges of the segments together well if you leave the background part of the 'triangle'.

Jan in VA

Thanks for the suggestions and comments on the cat (who will also lay on my sewing machine bed so I can't sew). Thanks for the link to the Triangles page at quiltville. I've been to the site but not to that page.

I wish I'd thought to sew that seam before cutting them off. Oh well...next time since every project lately has these leftovers.

Jan, I used your method in one quilt - a skill builder project - but found that I dind't like the bulk.

Ah, well to each his own, of course; that's what makes our world so special! I'm glad you tried it at least. :)

Jan in VA

OMY! What a great picture of your cat. They always try to fit into the tiniest places. I use mine for carpeting. Ha! the triangles, not cats!
peace

EDIT: Jan, That is a great suggestion. I will give it try!

Love your cat

You can save them and make book marks using the little triangle for butterflies, flowers, and geometric designs on a rectangle sandwich, add some emblishments and presto, instant gifts.

I also sew the 2nd seam a 1/2 in from the first and then I instantly have the 2nd QT

I sew them into half square triangles with their coordinating pieces and then turn them into blocks for quilts.

LOVE the kitty, also good idea about making the hst's in advance.:)

Very pretty cat. We used to have one like her with the long hair. I just add the bits to my scrap tote.

I sew them together and use them on the back of my quilt around the top and bottom. It makes the back even more interesting.

I think Kitty has a great idea for them. Just hope she does not become so attached that they are slewen all over your quilting room when she leaves the box. Just my luck.

Love the photo. The cutie knows just what to do. I would say just a little more in the box & she would have a nice bed.

I think the cat has the right idea. And she's so cute in there!

At a quilt retreat I attended last spring one lady had made bear paw blocks and used her HST's that she had cut off. They worked out great for those blocks. You could also make pinwheel blocks out of them. I have a bunch I need to start using also.

I struggle with this all the time. Basically, I use the cut pieces as leaders. Then on a day or evening when I am super bored, I square them up into sizes that I can store in a baggie, taking them out as I need them to make patches. Sometimes, I just toss them and weep......I only have so many hours in a day.....:)

That cat!!! I busted out laughing - I also have a calico - and an identical plastic box I got at the $1 store - - and yep, she insists even though she isn't a kitten any more, she can still fit!!!!!!!

Marysewfun

I always save mine - I sew them together at the same time as I make the original block. If I want to conserve material on the back, I make blocks with them and place them off-center on the backing for the quilt. It's a great way to use up any leftover fabric too. I figured if I did this with each quilt, then eventually my stash would become more manageable because I wouldn't be adding to it with each quilt. Yeah, right .... Really, if there is any fabric smaller than a fat quarter, I use it up on the back. I also purchased a book called "Adventures with Leaders and Enders" by Bonnie K. Hunt and it uses 1.5, 2 and 2.5 inch blocks to make quilts - I have made several from her book. I started collecting fabric, cut in those sizes by going through my stash and anything that was small enough (smaller than a fat quarter) got cut up. Boy, was I glad I did it when I did. Last year, I fell and broke my right arm. When I was able to begin using it again (after three months in a sling), I started making nine patches from the 1.5" blocks. I made 300 of them for one of the quilts in her book. It will be 106 x 106, is almost assembled (just sewing rows together) and all I had to purchase for the front was the connecting block material.

I sew mine before cutting off the block just as Margecam52 reply #6 and w7sue reply #38 do. Fabric is too expensive to throw away. I have been given sacks full of tiny and larger triangles by LQS's. They don't take the time to sew them together so I have to do that. It is surprising how many blocks or quilts one can make from the LQS's leftovers or my own. The end result is equally as useful a quilt as one that you purchase all the fabric to coordinate.

I use them for starter & enders when making my blocks. It really saves on thread. You don't have the strings to cut off at the end & beginning of each block. Then I make star blocks out of them also using as a starter & ender. Some of the star blocks are only 5" after complete & some larger. Depending on the size of the HST. I don't toss any size scrap out.