What do you do with your bonus triangles? Those are those triangles that you cut off when you make snowball blocks or other types of blocks.
I ended up with a shopping bag full of baggies of bonus triangles. I held on to these, wondering what I would ever do with them. They make such small half square triangles. So much effort for such little blocks.
Well, I learned from Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville Quips & Snips! ) that instead of using a scrap between sewing pieces, to actually sew a small piece that you would use. Well, I decided to start sewing these triangles.
First I tried with 1/2 square triangles. I sewed an ice cream containers worth. While they are nice 1/2 square triangles, they finish at 1 1/4". When I tried to sew them into a 4-patch, the bulk at the center seam was awful, given the size of the block.
Then I decided to treat them as 1/4 square triangle blocks. This means the bias is all on the outside. Well, I found that 1/4" seam needed to be extra scant. More than a scant 1/8" seam.
Note that I spin the center seam to reduce bulk.
This give me a 2 1/2" (2" finished) quarter square triangle block. Or a 6" finished 9-patch.
Now I got all the bonus triangles from other quilters. Quilters really can throw away a lot of fabric when they cut blocks such as snowball, or corner triangles. Now, I have made a lot of quarter square triangle blocks, and have sewn a number into 9-patches.
This really is free fabric, except for the alternating 2 1/2" squares that I'm using to eliminate the bulk of all the triangles meeting up.
What have you been sewing during the pandemic and social distancing?
I ended up with a shopping bag full of baggies of bonus triangles. I held on to these, wondering what I would ever do with them. They make such small half square triangles. So much effort for such little blocks.
Well, I learned from Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville Quips & Snips! ) that instead of using a scrap between sewing pieces, to actually sew a small piece that you would use. Well, I decided to start sewing these triangles.
First I tried with 1/2 square triangles. I sewed an ice cream containers worth. While they are nice 1/2 square triangles, they finish at 1 1/4". When I tried to sew them into a 4-patch, the bulk at the center seam was awful, given the size of the block.
Then I decided to treat them as 1/4 square triangle blocks. This means the bias is all on the outside. Well, I found that 1/4" seam needed to be extra scant. More than a scant 1/8" seam.
Note that I spin the center seam to reduce bulk.
This give me a 2 1/2" (2" finished) quarter square triangle block. Or a 6" finished 9-patch.
Now I got all the bonus triangles from other quilters. Quilters really can throw away a lot of fabric when they cut blocks such as snowball, or corner triangles. Now, I have made a lot of quarter square triangle blocks, and have sewn a number into 9-patches.
This really is free fabric, except for the alternating 2 1/2" squares that I'm using to eliminate the bulk of all the triangles meeting up.
What have you been sewing during the pandemic and social distancing?
