Having been given a jelly roll and a quilting book for Christmas 2010, there is no excuse not to get on with quiltmaking.

Here's what happened next...



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Sunday 20 March 2011

Project 3 - Cutting Query!

Now I have ten different 42" tubes of fabric made up of two light/dark pairs of strips sewn face to face, & the next step will be to cut the tubes into triangles, but I don't find the book totally clear on this bit - and of course, this is a new technique to me, so can I double check?

Here's the extract - with instruction on using an Omnigrid 98l, but also giving instructions to cut if you don't have a triangle cutting ruler (that's me) taking your ruler and marking with tape a line running across the corner, 6 1/2" along each edge. Handily, my Creative Grids ruler already has this line marked on (but I put this red tape line across anyway, for clarity).

Well, when I line up my tape edge with the bottom of the tube, the point pokes above the top end by about 1/4" - enough to make a triangle with a chopped off top.

And if I move the ruler so the point touches the top edge of the tube, the tape line is about 1/4" below the bottom edge of the fabric. (I've checked my seam work, and the 1/4" seams are accurate).

So to the crux of the matter: should the triangles should be just that - triangles - with the purple lines I've drawn with the air eraser pen zigzagging properly point-to-point all the way along the tube?

I'm afraid that you'll have to peer quite hard the pics to see the purple marker line (like all pics, click to enlarge, then backspace to return), but before I go cutting, I'd like to make sure that I'm cutting in the right place...


EDIT

Joanna quite rightly points out that the excerpt at the top is the instructions for Omnigrid 98L users - so here is the extra bit of instruction which is relevant to non-Omnigrid users (me!).

5 comments:

  1. I'm sorry Hazel, but I'm no help. I find the directions confusing, but that's because jumping in the middle leaves some details out. I don't see the directions for those not having an omnigrid. They do mention a 7.5" edge, not 6.5" so that confuses me. So, like I said, I'm no help. Hope someone else comes to your aide:)

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  2. I'm rubbish at comprehending written instructions (visual learning style, and all that) but I'd say regardless of what it says in the book, you never want to trim off the points of anything ....

    If it means your blocks are all slightly smaller than those in the book, so what. As long as they are all the same size and you are consistent it doesn't matter for this quilt.

    QuiltSue's yer woman for this one - ruddy genius with directions, she is.

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  3. Now I haven't tried this, but just looking at it I wowuld say DO NOT cut off the tips, otherwise you won't be able to insew anything to open it out and make a square - you'll have 2 separate pices.

    i would also be inclined to go with what Bilbo says, and just cut them and they'll all be the same size.

    However, I'm just off to the sewing machine to work it out properly.

    Watch this space.

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  4. Here I am again. I've just made a test piece, and if you put the tip of your ruler at teh top of your tube, the line measures 6 1/4". Cut as they say and when you open up and press you have a 6" (unfinished) block, so your finished block will be 5 1/2". You can't make it as they say at 6 1/2", and believe me, I tried!

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  5. Brilliant, brilliant! Thank you all!

    I'm still thrashing out the maths in my head, but at least I know what I am doing now - this despite rather than because of the book instructions, I have to say.

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