Wednesday, August 15, 2018

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - August - again!

Every block you make, every pattern you attempt, has so many possibilities! Somehow its a blessing and a curse. So, no surprise, I started thinking ...


Yes, Nadra's lifesaver row. You need 10 blocks. If you use the same fabric for the whole row you need 40 HST. That means you have to trim 40 to the correct size because you make them a little larger.

We all know there are several ways to make HST.
~   Make 2 at a time... (as suggested in this pattern by Nadra. Perfect if you make every block in a different color.
~   Make 4 at a time.
~   Make 8 at a time (you can find the link under my Quilt Tutorials/Patterns tab above).
With all you really should trim them afterwards.

Here is another way!

Cut two strips WOF (width of fabric) from your two colors.
To know how wide to cut these put your ruler with the line of the size you need on your cutting mat. For this pattern we want 3 1/2 inch squares. You can see that the tip goes to 2 1/2 inches. Add two seam allowances and you know you need 3 inch strips.

Btw the ruler I am using for this is Debbie Tucker's Trimmer. I am sure there are others around too but I got this one and I would not want to be without.


Right sides together sew both sides so you have a tube. Press it nice and flat.


Now you can cut your half square triangles by lining up the ruler line with the sewing line. I am right handed so I usually cut the right side first. 
When you want to cut the next HST flip the strip and cut another.


Don't be too stingy with the material. Sometimes I find I have to trim a little on the left side too. Happens probably because the width of the strip is not totally correct. If you find the tip goes straight to the other sewing line you might just gently have to nude that one stitch appart after cutting. It happened to me when I tried my method on 3 inch HST.


In this case I got 16 HST out of one strip. Only a little waste from the beginning and end.


And none need truing up. Press open. Make sure you pile them up the same way so that you sew your larger square always in the right corner. Don't you love chain sewing?

As another participant on FaceBook said: it makes sense to do all the larger squares first. Otherwise a mix-up could easily happen.

And here is another time saver!
To make corner triangles (like flying geese or this one here) I neither draw a line or iron a crease. I take an index card!!! You find the helpful hint also under that tab Quilt Tutorials/Patterns.


The four parts are sewn together. 
I have a confession to make. The white fabric was so flimsy that I left it double. I only cut the blue back away. It worked really well and looked so much nicer.


Time to do the outside corners. Same technique. Index card!



Another confession. I am not sure what I was thinking when I made the first block. Flimsy white fabric in the middle but I cut the other two layers away. I wasn't happy with it at all. I decided to appliqué a heart. My boo-boo gives it just a little bit more interest. It's ok.



I think that is all. I hope you find this useful. 

And I would be very happy if you would leave a comment.

Another tip: The 4-at-a-time method and this method will produce HST with bias edges. This is not a problem for me because I use starch (Best Press) before I iron and cut. This makes the fabric nice and stable and easier to sew. 



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