Month 2 sashing strips

[Margo C.]

Margo, thank you for suggesting the video. All of your videos are so well executed and easy to follow.

Also, I didn't get creative with my strips, but thank you! They're just all stacked up alternating colors so I can document they're all done.

OH!! But....it WOULD be a great alternative!

[Susan D.]

If you are paper piecing these borders I have discovered the TRI-RECS TOOLS are wonderful for cutting the template pieces. They are just the right angles for the triangles in the sashing. I believe I will cut 2" strips for this set and then cut individual triangle templates using the Tri-Recs Tools. I just wish I had discovered this before I paper pieced the first set of sashing.

[Margo C.]

Great idea HarleyDood1!

Here is a link to the Tri-Recs: http://www.joann.com/wrights-ez-tri-...ruler/prd1080/

Please check with your local quilt shop or ask them to order it for you. We need to help these folks stay in business!

[Mary A.]

I bought the Tri-Recs rulers years ago and never used them. Thanks for the tip to use them for this project. I am going to hang back and lurk a bit until we get to the month with the New York Beauty blocks. I am just spinning my wheels in trying to decide on appropriate colors. Everything I have tried looks very circus-y. Of course, if you look at the designers' colors at this point, they don't look real promising, either, but they know where they are going on this and I don't. It is counter-intuitive for me to select sashing fabrics before the main blocks are done and given the amount of work involved, I would prefer to wait. It looks as though March may have instructions for the arced blocks, so I may not get too far behind. So, for now, the project is going into the "time out" box unless inspiration strikes before March.

[Andree B.]

I am just spinning my wheels in trying to decide on appropriate colors.

Maybe try to find your "main" background color that other colors will be up against?

[Andree B.]

To make sure my pieced center would be accurate to an inch, I paper-pieced them on graph paper :idea: Maybe I went overboard with this, but it worked...
Regarding the math for this sashing, I used paper-piecing method (with vellum) for the small triangle, with 3/8 of seam allowance around the template. It required 7 yellow (orange on the kit) strips (1 3/4 inch wide) to get 176 triangles and 32 half triangles, and 7 green strips, to get 192 triangles. I kept 1/4 inch seam allowance with the add-a-quarter ruler when I assembled the triangles - I did not find it made too much bulk - I want to make sure it remains stable - I was affraid 1/8 would be too thin.

Andrée

[Andree B.]

Also, you might want to take a look at my video about how to test your seam allowance for accuracy: learn/classrooms/[/quote]


Excellent video Margo.

[Mary A.]

Andree, thanks for the suggestion about background color. I am fairly certain what that will be, but it still feels as though I am working backwards. I have never made sashing before I made the main blocks. Since I work intuitively and in a scrappy fashion, I really need to have the main blocks done before I decide on sashing. It appears that will be next month, so I can wait. The last time I made a TQS BOM, it wasn't finished for two years anyway.

[Andree B.]

Mary Ellen,
you are right, it feels awkward to be working on the sashing first. For me, it's not too bad since I changed only the orange/red for different yellows, and put in more greens, and the bleu will be turquoise. I played safe... Good luck with all of this, don't get too behind, there is a lot of work in the sashings! :roll:

[Denise L.]

To make sure my pieced center would be accurate to an inch, I paper-pieced them on graph paper :idea: Maybe I went overboard with this, but it worked...
Regarding the math for this sashing, I used paper-piecing method (with vellum) for the small triangle, with 3/8 of seam allowance around the template. It required 7 yellow (orange on the kit) strips (1 3/4 inch wide) to get 176 triangles and 32 half triangles, and 7 green strips, to get 192 triangles. I kept 1/4 inch seam allowance with the add-a-quarter ruler when I assembled the triangles - I did not find it made too much bulk - I want to make sure it remains stable - I was affraid 1/8 would be too thin.

Andrée

Thanks for the math. I worked on them yesterday and its just the right size. With Margo's hints from last month it is going smoothly. Of course I haven't put the strips together yet. One step at a time.

denise

[Margo C.]

In case you missed the info on another forum topic, Andre suggested using graph paper as a foundation for paper piecing the strippy middle of this months units.
Great idea! Here is what I posted on that forum topic:

Andree, your photos got me motivated and I got half of my units finished today, and the graph paper worked GREAT for the strippy middles!
Thanks for that brilliant tip!

I made the conscious decision to change the orientation and value placement of my triangle units which makes all of my triangle points line up with the seams of the strippy middle sections instead of falling in the middle of the stripes. It was really easy to line everything up with only one pin at each point and I'm pleased with how they are turning out!

[Margo C.]

I like your version, Margo. Your triangles seem to tie in with your strips.

[Margo C.]

They make me think of pencils that have been sharpened at both ends

[Barb A.]

I think I must be doing something wrong. I've finished the triangle sets, and they sized out just right. My question concerns the rectangle sets.

I put together the 8-strip set per the instructions and then cut 4 of the 3 1/2 inch blocks. I assembled them with the 8 1/2-inch triangle sets, and they look and measure fine.

But then there is all of this leftover portion of the 8-strip set. It's enough that I can cut it into 2 pieces and join them to have the rectangle set for the 16 1/2-inch triangle sets. It appears that I don't need the rest of the green and orange strips that were cut to be put together into the 16-strip set.

Can this possibly be right? I'm scared I've done something terribly wrong.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Barb

[Margo C.]

Barb, I can't help you with this because I am not using either the kit or the instructions. I tend to make it up as I go! :roll:
Has anyone else gotten to that point? Did you have extra strips??

I'm glad that your assembled units came out the right size!