Izy

If I am understanding you correctly, your concern is the last little bit veers off as you have to let go with your stiletto....one thing I do to control it is the positioning of your left hand/fingers, holding and guiding the piece square to the foot as it passes through, you have to make sure you position your fingers just far enough away so that they don't bump into the foot as it passes under though or you end up with a wobble in your stitching, once I figured this out I had no more veering off!

so-sew

Thanks everyone for your advice. I wasn't able to reply earlier while the changes on the board were occurring, but I would like to clarify that I am indeed talking about sewing two triangles together, and it's the last little point to slip under the presser foot that doesn't keep going straight. I'll try your suggestions and live in hope! Love the idea of a machine you're able to keep the pins in while sewing...for those of us with a regular machine, wouldn't it be nice if they would develop some sort of flexible pin that wouldn't damage machine or needle when run over? I do hope the sewing machine makers of the world have a marketing person lurking around this board to hear all our great suggestions.

pocoellie

Here's how I do HST, if you have a bunch of them to do, there's a grid method of doing them. Instead of 7/8" of an inch, I use 1", then square them up.

The magic number for half-square triangles is 7/8. Simply add 7/8 of an inch to the desired FINISHED SIZE of your half-square triangle. For example, if I want a 2" finished size half-square triangle, I will cut two squares (one from each color) that measure 2-7/8" each. There are two methods that you can use to construct your half-square triangles from squares. Either way, you'll end up with two half-square triangles.
Method 1 - Cut Then Sew: With your rotary cutter and ruler, slice each square from corner to corner to make two triangles of each color. Layer color 1 on color 2 with right sides together and stitch a 1/4" seam along the long side. Repeat with the second pair of triangles. Press seam toward the darker fabric and trim points. You now have two half-square triangles that measure 2-1/2" on all sides. They will measure 2" when sewn into the block and then into the quilt. This method works fine, but you do have to handle stretchy bias edges. If you use this method and your half-square triangles turn out to be not exactly the right size, you might want to give Method 2 (below) a try.

Method 2 - Sew Then Cut: With a pencil and ruler, draw a line on the wrong side of the light color square. With right sides together, layer the lighter square on the darker square and stitch a 1/4" seam on BOTH SIDES of the drawn line. Cut apart on the drawn line and press seam allowances toward the darker fabric. Trim points and you are done. You now have two half-square triangles that measure 2-1/2" on all sides. They will measure 2" when sewn into the block and then into the quilt. This method lets you avoid handling the bias edges, therefore yielding half-square triangles that are more accurate in size.

olebat

This sometimes plagues me too. Some fabrics are worse than others, and the grain on which they are cut can be a slip factor. When I see a slip pattern occurring, I take a little extra time to starch my pieces together. It helps to have a mini iron and press board next to the machine so I don't have to keep jumping up to tack the pieces together. It makes a big difference with those uneven edges though. Well worth the extra time for me.

btiny36

Here is what I do, I start sewing from the middle to the end, then flip and start sewing a few threads on top of where I started in the middle and sew to the other end. Hope this helps

btiny36

Ok not sure if my post got lost or what, but I take my triangle and start from the center out to the end, flip it and start a few threads on top of where I started sewing at the center and sew to the other end.

Rose Marie

I have used exact grid methods using paper grids and that would solve your problem. But I really dont like this way.
My prefered method is El Burns, using large squares and drawing an x then sew 1/4 inch on each side. Cut in half both ways and on drawn lines to get 8 HST. They are slightly oversized so need to square up with her ruler that only requires one cut.
It is fast and they are perfect every time. For 2 1/2 inch squares use two 6 inch squares. For 3 1/2 use 8 in squares.
I love making HST now.

BKrenning

I prefer the method where you mark the diagonal on the back of a square & sew the squares together by sewing a scant 1/4" on both sides of the line. 2 HST's for the aggravation of 1. I also use a similar method for QST's.

I have to move the needle over to get it to pull corners correctly on my old mechanical machine and my Singer. The 1/4" foot doesn't line up well enough with the feed dogs so it does the skewing thing you mentioned. If I don't feel like fussing with the needle position, I go very slow at the end & use my "Purple Thang" to keep it straight.

earthwalker

[QUOTE=BKrenning;4621469]I prefer the method where you mark the diagonal on the back of a square & sew the squares together by sewing a scant 1/4" on both sides of the line. 2 HST's for the aggravation of 1. I also use a similar method for QST's.

I do this too, plus use scraps for leaders and enders. I don't have a "Purple Thang" but I have a couple of sate sticks (wooden cooking skewers) that do work quiet well.

Grace creates

Hi, I know what you mean I had that problem for quite a while. Just being aware of it helped, Using a wooden skewer should be helpful but in addition I use the index finger of my left hand beside the presser foot and slow down a little when getting close to the point. I also make hst by starting with a square and sewing 1/4 inch on both sides from the center diagonal line and then cut on the diagonal line. You probably already do that. But slowing down helped and using my index finger as a guide helped to. Keep practicing