BOM pattern for sawtooth 1/2 square triangles too small?

[Monica S.]

This question is regarding the quilt show BOM pattern. The half square triangle sheets for the sawtooth stars indicate they are 1" finished. However, half square triangle paper is created by adding 7/8" to the desired finished size. The pattern included in the BOM has 1 3/4" squares to create 1" finished half-square triangles. I found this out when I purchased 1" half square triangle paper because it is thinner and easier to tear and compared it to your pattern, noting it was much wider than the pattern. Should the "triangles" be made according to your pattern [which with 1/4" seams will actually be 7/8" finished] or should I use the purchased 1" paper??

[Margo C.]

This question is regarding the quilt show BOM pattern. The half square triangle sheets for the sawtooth stars indicate they are 1" finished. However, half square triangle paper is created by adding 7/8" to the desired finished size. The pattern included in the BOM has 1 3/4" squares to create 1" finished half-square triangles. I found this out when I purchased 1" half square triangle paper because it is thinner and easier to tear and compared it to your pattern, noting it was much wider than the pattern. Should the "triangles" be made according to your pattern [which with 1/4" seams will actually be 7/8" finished] or should I use the purchased 1" paper??

When you printed out the triangle sheets for the sawtooth stars, did you ACCURATELY measure the test square in the bottom right hand corner? It should measure EXACTLY 1"x1". If it doesn't, your templates will not produce a 1" finished square. You will need to set your printer scale to "none" before you print out these pages. However, if you like the lighter weight paper that you purchased better than the weight of the paper that you are printing on, by all means use the purchased paper. Just be sure to measure as you go. Your assembled saw tooth stars should measure 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" so that they will finish as a 4 inch square.

Hope that helps!
Margo

[Monica S.]

Actually - I triple checked and the block prints out exactly 1" so the printer is to scale. The other 2" finished size blocks for the pinwheel pattern are correct. But when I print the sawtooth pattern for the half square triangles they measure 1 3/4" squares for the cut size and a row of 4 squares is exactly 1/2" [4x1/8] off the purchased pre-printed paper. Half square triangle paper should be 7/8" more than the finished size. I noticed that the center square measures 4 1/2" - which means that is the unfinished width of two sections of the sewn half-sq triangles put together and my paper is ok - I just wanted to post this so others dont experience the same problem. It is more criticle to go with the measurement of 1 7/8" for the unfinished squares than to verify that the printer prints the little test square as 1" because for me it didnt matter.

[Monica S.]

Margo - sorry me again... I just measured the April border stars which use lots of 1" HST paper as well. I come up with the same thing and the test square measures exactly 1" ?? but the triangle-squares again measures just 1 3/4" unfinished - what does this mean? Is anyone else having this problem?

[Margo C.]

Margo - sorry me again... I just measured the April border stars which use lots of 1" HST paper as well. I come up with the same thing and the test square measures exactly 1" ?? but the triangle-squares again measures just 1 3/4" unfinished - what does this mean? Is anyone else having this problem?

Cre8tvlwyr....since you have printed out a page of the templates, could you please just take one or two squares and use them to make a few HST units and tell me what size they come out to?

[Monica S.]

OK - I see what is happening. I sewed two squares of the printed paper and then sewed two of them together to make a side of a star. It measures slightly less than 1 1/2" [between 1/8 and 1/16 off] by 2 3/8". I took less than a 1/4" seam to put the pieces together. The printed square doesn't give you 1/4" seams. The seams measure a little less than 3/16 [yeah, sorry, I was a scientist before going to lawschool - it really messes with the creative mind :roll: ] This method works, you just have to be careful and measure acurately to put the star together.

I have a real wacky question now [now that I cut all my fabric for all current and future sawtooth starpoints - yes I'm also nuts]... I notices on another blog that there is a real easy way 'wastefree' to make flying geese! Do the sawtooth star sides give the same proportion as flying geese??
Thanks,
Monica

[Margo C.]

I take it that you have figured out how you want to make your HSTs?

The saw tooth stars finish at 4" and the flying geese units finish at 3"x1-1/2". That's all the info I'm authorized to share until November!

[Monica S.]

sorry - I didnt mean the real 'flying geese' border - I mean the sections of star points in the sawtooth stars. I was wondering if it is possible to 'attack' them like flying geese? The finished 'sections' are 2" by 1" right? so can you make all four sides at once with one large center square representing the background ['geese' in flying geese] and four smaller squares representing starpoints [or 'sky' for flying geese]?
Monica

[Barbara B.]

Monica, I was going to write about the seam allowances being less then 1/4" but you figured that out for yourself. With these little pieces the smaller seam allowance is a help.

As for the sawtooth stars--I am making them with flying geese units just as you mentioned, using a large square of background fabric and 4 smaller squares for the star points. I am using an oversized measurement and then cutting the units precisely. The background square is 3.75" and the small squares are 2.25"--this is from a Sally Collins workshop on oversizing and then custom cutting. I find making 4 geese at once to be the fastest method for me. I trim each unit to 2" x 3.5" after sewing.

Barbara

[Kelly K.]

http://www.patchpieces.com/Flyinggeese.html

I use this method when I'm making Flying Geese. When I saw the block, my first thought was to make the FG rather than the HST. As for this site, I have it in my favorites. I try to keep printouts handy but am always misplacing them. :lol: Now I need to get busy and get caught up! HUGS, Kelly in CO

[Margo C.]

sorry - I didnt mean the real 'flying geese' border - I mean the sections of star points in the sawtooth stars. I was wondering if it is possible to 'attack' them like flying geese? The finished 'sections' are 2" by 1" right? so can you make all four sides at once with one large center square representing the background ['geese' in flying geese] and four smaller squares representing starpoints [or 'sky' for flying geese]?
Monica

Yes, Monica....the flying geese sections of both the saw tooth stars and the border blocks that we start this month will finish at 1"x2".
You are welcome to make them with any technique that you like to do. Just keep checking your finished measurements.

[Susan B.]

I watched Eleanor Burns make the over-sized version, four at a time flying geese. If one chooses to used the over-sized squares technique, how do you determine the measurements to cut the squares?

Margo, which technique do you use?

[Mary A.]

Okay, I have tried all three methods - paper-pieced, Eleanor Burns' method, and the one proposed by Koala58. I prefer the last one. Eleanor Burns' method is okay, and it is better than using the paper piecing, but seems a bit wasteful to me. I have used the method proposed by Koala58 many times and it works great every time for me. The squares I made from the paper-piecing technique were not as accurate as I wanted. Also there is more bulk and burned fingers trying to iron the doggone seams open. When the pieces are so small, you have to be really careful cutting on the lines or you will not have enough seam allowance on some squares. Since the pieces are little, this is very important (thank you, Sally Collins!). By the way, my paper squares printed out at exactly 7/8".

[Margo C.]

Good for you, Adamsme!! Everyone needs to find a method that works for them. Glad to hear that you've tried several and now have a preference!

[Kathryn S.]

I watched Eleanor Burns make the over-sized version, four at a time flying geese. If one chooses to used the over-sized squares technique, how do you determine the measurements to cut the squares?

Hi Sue, I looked at Eleanor's books and did some trial and error. To make 4 finished 1 x 2 inch geese, I started with a 5 inch square of the star point fabric and a 3-1/2 inch square of the background fabric.

They are tiny but turn out good, IF I remember to keep the 2nd sewing lines perpendicular to the first. Otherwise, the angle comes out off from 90 degrees.

Kathy