christinetindell

Yes, I did that for a long time, too, but then found that because the corners are on the bias, that they get wonky, so to keep it sqare, I only cut out the middle layer of fabric. That way, the 4.5 inch square keeps it true to size. Jan Krueger recommends this also.

rob529

If you have enough space, you can sew another seam about 3/8 from the first one, towards the outside corner and cut in between them. You'd end up with a bunch of small 1/2 square triangle blocks in addition to your other blocks. I got this idea from the pineapple quilt on Quiltville - http://quiltville.com/pineappleblossom.shtml[/quote]

What a neat idea.

JNCT14

Beewild, I used that technique for a Celtic Illusions quilt and was thankful that I did not have to deal with bias edges. I am now hand piecing the triangles together from the scraps as a filler project when I am in between big projects. I figure when I have enough of those blocks I will alternate them with solids and put everything together on a diagonal. I figure this way I got a quilt that I would not have ordinarily planned for!

Scrap Happy

You could save these leftover pieces for a scrap quilt.

charity-crafter

I check out patterns, try it the way the instructions say to do it. If I don't like that way or think I can do it easier with less waste I'll try it again.

I personally don't like triangles so will continue to do snowball blocks with the little squares in the corners. My small snippets, scraps and shreds go into a bag to be given to a lady who makes pet beds for the animal shelters in our area. If I have larger triangles I save them for another lady who loves scrappy triangles.

I sew all my strip and square scraps together as I accumulate them becauese it drives me crazy to have a bunch of scraps hanging around. I can handle a stacks of blocks.

Jo Belmont

What gems lurk in these fine pages! This pineapple blossom technique and the quilt itself are keepers for sure. Her technique on the second seam at the corners is so simple, but I'd never have thought of it on my own. This quilt is definitely on my list of gotta-do's. Thanks!

bjlute

Get rid of the guilt of the waste..donate to a church quilting group

moreland

I also sew the extra seam whenever possible--I do this when I make mitered corners on quilt bindings, too. I always manage to find a way to use the half square triangle blocks which are "ready to use".

playswithcolor

I often seam the triangle cutaways to make squares and then use them as a border. I square them up, join them into strips while doing the piecing for the blocks.

If I need to adjust the length of the pieced border strip, I fudge fit the pieced hst border by restitching next to the seams to make it fit. Hope this makes sense.

alageeps

what do you mean use as leaders????