The Difference between
"finished" and "unfinished"
FAQ's Piecing Tips:
Making Half Square Triangles:
Here
is an interesting YouTube video:
Now give it a try:
To
make half square triangles, start with two squares 7/8” larger than your
finished size.
Example: If you are making finished 2” squares (2-1/2”
unfinished), you will cut squares measuring 2-7/8”. If you are making finished
3” squares (3-1/2” unfinished), you will cut squares 3-7/8”.
Place fabrics Right Sides Together, draw a line diagonally from corner to
corner. Sew 1/4” on each side of drawn line. Cut on drawn line. “Roll” seams
open or as specified in your pattern. You will have two half square triangles.
The half squares triangle should measure your unfinished size requirement
EXACTLY.
If
you find that your piecing is not “measuring up”, start with 1/8” - 1/4” larger
sized squares. After you have completed the steps above, square up the piecing
by using a ruler. Also, if you do not have a 1/4” foot as a guide, you may use a
ruler to draw additional lines 1/4” from the original drawn line as a guide for
sewing.
Note: You don’t really need a special ruler, any “square up” ruler will work.
To make Quarter Square Triangles,
start with two squares measuring 1-1/4" larger than what your finished size
will be -
(If you find your piecing is not measuring up - start a bit larger maybe 1-1/2"
and then square up when complete.)
For instance, if you want your
Quarter Square Triangles to measure 3 inches finished, you would begin this
process with at least two 4-1/4" inch squares (or larger and square up.)
Next put your two blocks right sides together, and draw a diagonal line from
corner to corner. This starts out the same way you make half square
triangles.
Sew 1/4 inch away from
both sides of your mark, as you would in making half square triangles.
You now have two half square
triangles. Here is how you turn them into quarter square triangles.
Take the two pieces, and put them right sides together. However, this time you
have to pay attention to the colors. When you put them right sides together,
alternate the colors. In this example, the red would be under the green
color on one side, and the green color under the red on the other side.
Draw another diagonal line - this
time going from right to left, or opposite of however you did it the time
before.
Again, sew 1/4 inch on both sides
of your line, and then again cut them apart on your marked line. Roll seams.
When you open your triangle, you
will have a quarter square. (Two squares will make two quarter square
triangles.)
Tips on squaring up.
Determine what your UNFINISHED size is. Divide it by two. When you square up,
use that measurement to mark the center. The example above is an UNFINISHED
square of 3-1/2". Divided by two would would make the center measurement 1-3/4".
The ruler has the 1-3/4" squared up to the center. Also, the ruler is placed on
the diagonal and corners should center at the 3-1/2" marks on the perimeter of
the ruler. I sure hope this makes sense. Square up the two sides, then turn, and
repeat with other two sides. Any questions, please feel free to contact me!
Tips for sewing strips (or rows of blocks) together:
·Cut
strips accurately.
·Pin
together so ends of strips meet, pin center and pin evenly. (This is
very important as your feed dog pressure can change the way your strips
are sewn, causing strips to wave.)
·Use
a seam roller to press seams open. Press with iron using up and down
motion.
·Also,
another tip is to sew strips in opposite directions (see arrows). This
will, again, balance the pressure from the feed dogs to create nice
straight strips.
This also works for
sewing rows of blocks together, make sure to pin at the intersection
when sewing squares or blocks together!
