Half Square Triangle trick I just learned for eliminating dog ears!
 

I have been quilting now for ten years and just a few days ago, learned a trick that I wish I would have known way back when I first began. I am sure some of you already know this but I sure didn't. Wanted to share with those of you who don't know as it is so much easier of a way to delete the 'dog ears' when you sew two half-square-triangles (hst's) together.
I have made several quilts with them and this trick would have saved me a lot of trimming. So much easier to do it this way.
When you get your hst's sewn together and before you press them open (usually to the dark side). take a minute with your rotary cutter and trim off just a tiny bit inward to the middle at an angle. Be careful not to cut into your stitches but just cut past them. Then set seam and press open and..Voila!!! no dog ears and when you sew blocks together in whatever pattern you are making, you won't have so much bulk in the corners.

Here is HST ready to trim

And after it is trimmed before pressing open.

And there you go..no dog ears to trim off and no bulk in corner seam.

Thanks for tip. I did not know this.

Great tip, one that we all need reminders. Your pictures are so clear and the tutorial well described.
thanks

Oh, so much easier! I'm thinking I could also do this with scissors while watching TV, sitting on the porch etc.

Thanks so much for that great tip. I wish I would have known this last week..

Susann, you could do this with scissors, too. Just have a stack and whack away. Then sew the next day. Jackiej, I'm with you. I think of all those blocks I made and how much nicer they would have looked if I had known this. Glad I could share my current knowledge, as I have learned so much from this board that it is nice to be able to pay back a little.

Yup! It's amazing how each day can be a learning day!

WOW!! :D What a great tip. I wish I had know this a couple of days ago when I was sewing together some HST's for a project of mine. Thank you so much for sharing with all of us!!
:D :D :D :D

Thanks for sharing !

Thanks for sharing that tip. Another ah-ha moment. :o) I love HSTs, but don't like having to cut off those dogears.

Fabulous tip.

Good idea. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing..

Great idea

Thanks for sharing! I have a stack waiting to be sewn together.

thank you for this great tutorial - it´s a huge help for me !!

Great tip, thanks for sharing.

A dear friend of mine expressed it: God gives us daily opportunity to remain humble. Especially in quilting.

Thanks for the tip, getting ready to make a quilt that calls for this block.

Thank you! I have to remember this for a near future.

Thanks for the great tip, I am going to try this.

Hope you don't mind, I have a suggestion....instead of sewing straight off to the outside edge when you get to the end of the triangle, why not turn the unit and back stitch to the edge at an angle like in my image. You could also start sewing the triangle the same. Start a little more than a qtr in. and sew up in the direction of the angle you would trim the dog ear. That way you wouldn't have any problem with the triangle point getting pushed into the feed dogs.
I have marked up you image to show what I had in mind.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]487955[/ATTACH]

Great tute!! Thanks for sharing.

Thank for quick and easy HST

Who would have thought about this before, big thanks from me in FL