1/2 square triangles

[Denise L.]

Well today I was looking through some emails and found one that caught my eye. It was from the Applewood BOM, although I'm not doing that one, I was reading how their coming along. One poster said how there were many different ways to do 1/2 square triangles so that caught my eye. She did them a bit different (for me). She took 2 squares (2 1/2 inches) for us one print and one background - same size for both. Right sides together and sews a 1/4 in seam around the edges of the blocks. Then she cuts them in half diagonally (making an x) and poof, she has four 1/2 square triangles done and no paper to remove!

Of course I saw this at work and was so intrigued I had to try it with paper, staples and tape and it pretty much worked. So I came home, used my rotary cutter and some scraps - and it worked great.

Both squares have to be 2.5 inches, and you have to do a 1/4 inch seam around the perimeter of the square on all 4 sides, cut in an X and your done!

Give it a try.

denise

[Denise L.]

The only problem I see with this technique is the FUNKY sizes that you get... I have been trying to make blocks using the same technique with different size starting blocks.

The resulting half square triangles resulted from this cut method were unusual size.

i.e. 3 inch starting blocks resulted in 1-3/4 inch half sq triangles. I do not know of any patterns using these size squares. I suppose you could square them up to smaller usuable sizes ie ... 1-1/2 inch.

I certainly think more experimentation is required ... Maybe I need to think out of the box more...

Finding away to use this technique should be fun.

[Judy M.]

This sounds good, but wouldn't the bias be along the wrong edges? I haven't tried it.

[Denise L.]

It took me a while to figure out the size but if I started with 2 squares that were 2 1/2 inches it worked out.

Not sure about the bias edges, I think they may be a problem for most 1/2 square triangles.

denise

[Denise L.]

On most half square triangle, the bias in on the hypotenuse (okay, I loved geometry ops: ), the long seam that connects the two triangles. That is why people come up different ways to construct them to deal with that bias. With the method just described, your bias will be on your sides.......this is really not good, as your square can stretch and get wonky. Now, if this is the look you wish, it is probably a good technique.

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

[Margo C.]

Maggie is right! We really want stable edges when dealing with all these little blocks!

[Lynn K.]

I sure did find myself learning alot (ALOT) about careful cutting, sewing, and pressing doing the half sq triangles on this block! By the time I finished my 8th block, they measured correctly! ha

Thank God for floating borders to assist with all those 1/8" 'problems.'

[Gloria H.]

When I was calculating the size for my floaters (done 500 times) I came up with a 0.6125 (or something odd like that) It took me forever to figure out that I was looking at an 1/8" measurement. This quilt is producing some blonde moments ops: Gloria

[Margo C.]

:lol:
Not only am I dyslexic, but I'm mathematically challenged! When I do the math it gives the answer in decimals, so I use a metric ruler to mark my rotary ruler with a piece of tape! I don't even have to know how it translates!

[Margo C.]

Talk about being mathematically challenged, I am so challenged that I had to figured out how to do the floaters without math or calculators, what I did was put everything up on the flannel design sheet centered the feathered square and put the sides and top around it making sure the 4 patches boarders touched where they needed to (with seam allowance) then I measured the open space between borders and star block added a 1/2" for the seam allowance and got my number for the floater width and cut and sewed my strips and it worked out wonderful. I have no idea at this point what is was but it was different then the directions. Any way when I make another star sometime in the future Im sure the width will be different again. Not sure my method is a method but it worked.

[Lynn K.]

I just found this review of June Tailor's method on Judy Laquidara's blog. Thought some of you might be interested. Judy says she will never use another method!

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2009/0...are-triangles/

[Barbara C.]

Thangles! I wouldn't do it any other way.
http://www.thangles.com/

I am making 83, 5" Ohio Star blocks and if it weren't for Thangles I would not have bothered with this pattern. I cut 2 1/2" strips and end up with the 2" block I need. Each package makes something like 600+ half square triangles.

Barbara

[Barbara C.]

I do a lot of half square triangles in my scrap quilting, so I'm always looking for a way to do them quickly, yet accurately. I just ran across Brenda Henning's Triangulations 2.0. It's a paper piecing technique that produces multiples in minutes. It runs off a PDF file, and you can choose half sq. triangles in practically any size, then run them off on regular paper from your printer and sew. It works! Best of all it's accurate and no math worries. The program includes quarter sq. triangles, as well.

Henning has a website at: http://www.bearpawproductions.com

[Susan B.]

Maybe the June Taylor ruler that Lynn gave us the link for will be demonstrated at a quilt show close by. I found the video intriguing, but...

I would like to hear from more people who have used it for tons of little bitty triangles, like in our 2009 BOM. I fear for myself that without trying it first, it would go the way of new kitchen gadgets: buy it, try it, sell it in a yard sale! (like the multitude of rulers in the ruler drawer). I'd love to be able to try it before purchasing it.

[Lynn K.]

Amen, amen!!!