Half Square Triangles Tutorial Part 6

First, I put in yesterday's HST tutorial that it was my 100th post.  What I didn't say was that I was also having a drawing of those who responded.  I had 2 comments for the post and Mary LeClerc won.  Mary send me snail mail info and I'll send you a package in the mail.

For this tutorial, I'm combining Drawn & Stitch Grid and Paper Piecing Techniques.

For both techniques, you are sewing on some sort of grid, with the exception being that in the Drawn & Stitch Grid, you are drawing it yourself.  See photo below (sorry about quality of picture; I uploaded an old photo as there was no way I was going to draw a grid.)  Determine the finished size of the two-color square and add 7/8” to this measurement. On the wrong side of the lightest-color fabric rectangle, draw a grid of squares that is this measurement. Mark diagonal lines as shown. With right sides together, pin the marked fabric on top of a contrasting. Sew ¼” from the line. Cut the squares apart on the drawn lines.

Here are the HSTs!

 Pros:

1.  Make many triangles at once.

2.  Not handling bias edges.

Cons:

1.  Time consuming to draw the lines.

2.  Need to trim dog ears after sewing.

3.  Sewer do need to be able to accurately sew on the lines.

Solutions:

1.  Use paper pieced grids produced by various companies (see below).

2.  Another option is to draw the grid 1” larger than finished size of triangles and square up the triangles after pressing.

So because I don't want to spend my sewing time drawing grids.  Consider using one of the many products available to make half square triangles.  Here are the three types I have in my stash with explanations below the photo.

1.  “Thangles” are paper template strips for turning straight grain strips into half square triangles (HST). For example, if you want a 2" finished HST, you cut 2 1/2" strips of your two fabrics, place right sides together and use THANGLES. Pros: NO more confusing math...no more 7/8" and cutting of odd sizes of fabric, make half square triangle construction easy and fast. Cons: must purchase product, must purchase product for EACH size HSTs you want to make, pinning through paper leaves humps and they are not as accurate as other paper piecing HST techniques.

2.  “Triangles on a Roll” are used in the same manner as Thangles except you can decide how long a piece of grid paper you want to work with; great for scrap quilts. Pros: just cut approximate size squares and rectangles. Cons: must purchase product, must purchase product for EACH size HSTs you want to make, pinning through paper leaves humps.

3.  Triangulations which is a software program where the user print grids in the size needed for HSTs using your own printer.  I've been using this product for about a year and find them to print very accurate.  The best feature is that they give you a trim line to cut the dog ears while the HSTs are flat (before pressing).  Pros:  just approximate size squares and rectangles, very accurate, don't have to purchase expensive HST paper, print only what I need in size that I want- no storage of papers needed.  Cons:  must purchase product, pinning through paper leaves humps.

For this tutorial I'm making 2" finished HSTs for a project I'm currently working on.  Sorry about changing sizes.  I have printed a page from Triangulations CD.  The great thing about the software is that I can print only what I need.  Since I'm working on a scrap project, I need a lot of different HSTs.  I cut the page on lines where I want to change fabrics.

Cut two fabrics slightly larger than the grid (note that I trimmed the grid down so you can see my fabric underneath.)  Place the two fabric right sides together.  Pin the grid on top of the fabrics.  Sew on all dotted lines.

Cut the grid apart by first trimming around the outside.  Then cut apart on all solid lines.  What's great about Triangulations is that they give a trim line to trim the dog ears while the HST is still flat.  I have been doing that for years.  At first I used a HST trim ruler (can't remember name at the moment).  It was so tedius that I started to eye ball the trim spot with great accuracy.  So, even if your paper doesn't have the trim lines, trim the dog ears while the unit is flat.

Here are some of my scrappy units made from the paper piecing grids.

I hope you are enjoying the tutorials.  I have one more method to show you tomorrow.
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Type-u-later,
Tea in MO
http://www.teaquilts.com