Having trouble with long, 9-degree triangles
#12
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,218
If you look closely at the pic of the original quilt, it looks like the first (top) wedge is cut in half lengthwise, with the cut edge forming the top of the strip, and becoming its horizontal reference. As the rest of the wedges are sewn to this, they skew a bit so that if you drew a line down the long center of each of the wedges, they would be exactly horizontal (parallel to the top edge). If you don't cut the first wedge in half, you wind up making rectangles with the 2 wedges because of the complimentary angles.
Thanks, everyone, for your input. You ladies are the best!
#13
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
You don't have to recut the whole column, just take it apart , cut the first wedge in half, then re-sew. You might have to play with the placement of the pieces so they line up. I'm guessing that the edges will not line up and you will need to trim the strip when all the pieces are joined.
Last edited by PaperPrincess; 07-08-2015 at 04:33 AM.
#15
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Nebraska, USA
Posts: 569
I would like to add that on the left side panel, the bottom three triangles are assembled differently the the rest. Rather than forming a rectangle two form a new triangle and the third piece is added to make the rectangle. I think this adds to the haphazard look. I really like your choice of colors and look forward to seeing the finished project.
#16
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: San Bruno, CA
Posts: 433
I noticed in the photo of the quilt kit that the ends were not always alternated. Instead of having a fat end to a narrow end each time, there was a fat end to a fat end and a narrow to a narrow. This would make the pieces slant and have motion.. Otherwise you would get rectangles with each pair.
#18
In the photo of the kit...notice also that each rectangle set leans in towards the center. I'd swear that those rectangles are not particularly consistent sizes, either. It feels like some of the narrow ends are narrower some places than others by a slight amount...not a lot but enough to skew things slightly.
#19
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,218
I wanted to update everyone who so kindly helped me with my triangles.
I resewed the first column, finger pressing each triangle center and sewing the opposite way on each seam. I ended up with the same slant problem, but this time it was immediately clear to me what I was meant to do -- tilt the slant back to vertical and even off the top and bottom! I'm sure if I'd posted a picture of the slanting column the first time, someone would have understood what to do. The lesson for me is, a little patience can save a lot of work. I think if I had just walked away the first time and slept on it, rather than impulsively cutting, I probably would have seen the solution.
I have laid the applique pieces on the surface just to give the general idea. I must set this aside for awhile now as I have a couple of other hand sewing projects ahead of it. It occurred to me that the trunk was a perfect opportunity to try out the Ruth B. McDowell piecing method in a limited area, so I pieced the trunk, making it a little wider. I also changed the bird positions so as to get my birds in the lightest areas possible, so they would show up.
I resewed the first column, finger pressing each triangle center and sewing the opposite way on each seam. I ended up with the same slant problem, but this time it was immediately clear to me what I was meant to do -- tilt the slant back to vertical and even off the top and bottom! I'm sure if I'd posted a picture of the slanting column the first time, someone would have understood what to do. The lesson for me is, a little patience can save a lot of work. I think if I had just walked away the first time and slept on it, rather than impulsively cutting, I probably would have seen the solution.
I have laid the applique pieces on the surface just to give the general idea. I must set this aside for awhile now as I have a couple of other hand sewing projects ahead of it. It occurred to me that the trunk was a perfect opportunity to try out the Ruth B. McDowell piecing method in a limited area, so I pieced the trunk, making it a little wider. I also changed the bird positions so as to get my birds in the lightest areas possible, so they would show up.
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