Corner and Side Triangles

[Sherry M.]

Help! I have changed a straight setting to an on-point setting with my blocks. Now I need to configure the corner and side triangles to fill in with my background fabric. My LQS gave me a formula to use that is rather convaluted. It works, kind of, but the pieces are small on the corners and big on the sides. Does anyone out there have a simple formula for figuring these pieces? My quilt is small so I can easily rip out what I have sewn in and try again. My finished block size is 9". I've looked in all my books and can't seem to find the formula I need.

Thanks,
Sherry

[Kristine P.]

Hay I love quilts on point.
I have a book called "Patchwork Minus Mathwork" by Linda Causee.
She said for your side triangles add 1 1/4" to the finished size of your blocks. So fo a 9" it would be 10 1/4" then cut the square into 4 this puts the long side on straight of grain. Then for your 4 corners add 7/8" and only cut the square into 2.
Hope this helps
Kristine, UT

[Sherry M.]

Thanks, Kristine, I'll give it a try!

[Sherry M.]

Hi

I can never remember the formulas for working this out so I always use this site to print off yet another worksheet!

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

If only I filed it away where I could remember where I put it....................

[Gloria H.]

Thanks for the link Maureen. Now I have a really stupid question. When I made my cranberry wreath quilt, I had all my blocks put together and was looking at the pattern and saw that the finished size of the block was 12 inches. I promptly got out my squaring ruler and nicely trimmed all my blocks to 12 inches. Sewing together time came around and my points disappeared. OOOOOPPPPPs. So when you are talking about finished block size for these formulas, are the finished block sizes the size without the seam allowance? Told you it was stupid ops: Gloria in finally seasonably colder Wisconsin.

[Kristine P.]

The finished size of a block is the size after you sew the seams. So a 12" finished block would measure 12 1/2" before. Some patternes tell you to make a 12 1/2" block and others will tell you to make a 12" finished block. They are the same block. So read your patterns carfully. it can get very cunfusing. Hope this helps.
Kristine, UT

[Gloria H.]

Thanks Kristine. Every once in a while my confidence in what I know goes down the tube.

[Kristine P.]

I understand that. I am always rechecking everything . I am known to turn things around ops: alot so I have learned to check myself and patternes too. I hate to do the frog stitch. :cry:
Some times the mistakes turn out ok and I leave them as my own virson. :shock:
Well enjoy quilting.
Kristine, UT

[Kristine P.]

Gloria, I did the same thing with my second quilt. I made my middle child a quilt for her bed and I was putting a sawtooth border on it - every last tooth is missing its tip, lol.

[Annette R.]

I was scrolling through old topics to see if I could find an answer to my problem. I am doing a quilt top with ten inch squares and a border on two sides to make it a 12 inch finished block These will be set on point. I have gotten myself to the point that I need to add the setting triangles to the next strips before I add them to the center. But I am having trouble with the formula for cutting them because of the sashing strips being added in (some triangles will need sashing some will not )

So my thought is to cut the setting triangles and corners to fit without the sashing add the sashing where needed and trim.
I realize that will result in some waste (which I hate because my corners and setting triangles are Ricky's hand dyes which I guard with my life) but the time has come to cut into them.

Is there a better way to figure the squares and then cut the triangles or do I just save the scraps for that other someday project that is floating in my head?

Ann (as you can tell math is not my strong suit and my brother who would know the formula in an instant is no where near us now )

[Annette R.]

try this worksheet


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

Works for me - every time

[Annette R.]

thanks Maureen , I haven't had time to try it yet but have printed the instructions out and will try them tomorrow. Sure hate to make a mistake with my hand dyes.

Ann

[Annette R.]

Snowplow

You could take a piece of blank paper, lay it out on the quilt and draw or measure the size of the triangle needed. That would be your finished size, so you need to add 7/8" to get the correct size to cut the square that would make the two corner triangles, or you could just add the 1/4" seam allowance all around and use it as a template.

[Annette R.]

You could try: http://www.quilterscache.com/

Marcia Hohn has a wonderful tutorial on how to figure out setting triangles. (among a gazillion other wonderful items, like a catrillion quilt blocks to drool over and/or use.) I couldn't live without this site!

neen

[Eileen K.]

I'm so glad this topic was brought forward. I have to put setting triangles on my convergence. Like Ann, I don't want to mess up with my(Ricky's)hand dyes.
eileenkny