Rotary Cutting and Specialty Rulers!

So, you’ve got a new book!

Or the latest issue of your favorite quilting magazine has just hit your mailbox and you are dying to dig in!

But the rotary cutting math in print is not showing up to be so Scrap User’s System friendly ---

It’s REGULAR STANDARD ROTARY CUTTING..and you just don’t want to do it!

You want to put all those nifty tricks you’ve learned while watching us create here in Quiltville.  You haven’t used the Easy Angle for half square triangles in a while, and heaven knows WHERE your Companion Angle ruler is!

I’m sure you know by now that these are my favorite MUST HAVE tools for traditional patchwork shapes, and I am never without them.

What you see here are some cutting directions I printed out for a block I am working on in EQ ---

EQ won’t print for specialty rulers so there are a few things I keep in mind so that I know what to cut when I need to cut it.

It’s all in the shape!

Shape E is a half-square triangle!

The regular cutting directions would have me cutting 2 3/8” squares.  Doesn’t sound fun to me at ALL!  Does it to you?

I want to cut these shapes with the Easy Angle Ruler – and figuring out what size of strip to cut is simple.  Simply REMOVE 3/8” from the 2 3/8” measurement!

3/8” is the height of one dog ear.  You are going to snip those off in the process anyway, so why not remove them first and cut your triangles from a 2” strip?  I’m so happy that I can use the Easy Angle ruler for cutting this half square triangle.  The unfinished unit will measure 2” also, and finish at 1.5” square in my block.  Perfect.

Uhoh!  Shape C is a Quarter Square Triangle!

The directions tell me I need to cut 4 1/4” squares with an X to get my shape.  I don’t save 4 1/4” squares – I don’t have those on hand all the time and I need a lot of variety.  This would be a pain!

But I know by looking at that 4 1/4” measurement that the unit is going to finish at 3”.  The formula for  quarter-square triangles is to take the finished size of the unit and add 1 1/4” and then cut that with an X, so I just worked backwards.  Take the cut size, remove the 1 1/4” and I am left with the finished size of the unit.

See that big THREE on the edge of the Companion Angle Ruler?  That’s the finished size of the unit after it is sewn into the quilt.  Follow the line below the three to the center of the ruler.  I can cut this same shape from a 2” strip….the same size strip as my half square triangle with the Easy Angle Ruler.

This is the BOMB because I keep 2” strips on hand in a lot of variety ALL.THE.TIME.  2 3/8” squares?  NO!  4 1/4” squares?  No!  2” strips?  YOU BETCHA!

Now stick with me here…see shape B above shape C in the photo above?  What do you get when you remove 3/8” from 1 7/8??

I can ALSO use the Easy Angle Ruler to cut those half square triangles from a 1 1/2” strip!  ((7/8 minus 3/8 = 4/8 or 1/2” for a 1 1/2” strip!))

It’s easy when you know what to subtract and how to figure, and the more you use these tools the better it gets!

My day has been a bit nuts.

It all started when I wanted to grab my passport and put it with my traveling stuff so I’d be ready to go, but ….I couldn’t find it!

I searched for an hour.

I hyperventilated.

I got panicky.

I called the DH.

He came home to help me look and while he was looking on line for what we would have to do to get one expedited, I found it:

Where was it??

Still in the travel wallet I had it in when I went to England.  I had set it next to the treadle machine in the basement studio so I WOULDN’T FORGET IT!  I forgot it anyway.

NOW I can go on that cruise!  Honduras, Belize, Cozumel -- here we come!

But WHEW.

Goodies in the mail!

Special thanks to Kathy in MD for the cute cute table topper!  Here you see the extent of my Halloween decorating….it’s all on the dining room table!  But hey, It’s before Halloween so we are good to go!

Bank run, done.

Hair cut, done.

Eyebrow wax, done….”And do you want me to remove this long hair that is growing out of a mole on your neck? It’s white…..”  WHAT!?  Yes, I am growing white hairs out of my neck.  Made my day!  ((Yes, it is now too gone!))

Massage…..I’m totally done in.  I don’t think there will be any major sewing tonight other than curling up with some hand quilting and watching something brainless.

And that’s all right with me!

Don’t forget – Quilt Cam tomorrow evening at 9pm EST!

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