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Friday, November 01, 2013

More than ONE Way to Trim a Triangle!

Yesterday while doing a bit of clean-up in the studio – yes, I’m one of those who has piles grow on every available horizontal surface before I get kicked into gear to set it all right again ---that’s the way my creativity works –I came across a zip lock baggie chock full of bonus triangle cut-offs that had been gifted to me at some point.

These are fairly large – and I measured the.  A bit less than 3-1/2” on the straight grain edges, so I am confident that they were snip-offs from something like snowball blocks or large flying geese ---or something of the sort.
The triangles were matched with one print against one solid white.

The size is large enough ---I’m working on building a stash of triangles that finish at 2” so I can quickly use them in my Leader & Ender Split 9 Patch Challenge blocks.

But it’s going to involve some sliver trimming – and you know how I HATE sliver trimming!

Still.  Whatever is the best use of the fabric is what I usually lean towards and I began to sew them in pairs….saving the trimming for later.

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And I made some choices.  This is one pair that is just not enough contrast to me. 

I thought I could use these examples to show you what doesn’t work for me, and what does.  To me this is two neutrals sewn together.  The ground of both fabrics is white…so I split pairs that were like this so I could match them to other things more colorful.  Even though the one fabric does have color in the print..mostly what we see is the background of the fabric.

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Here’s another one…even though this print has flowers and blue stripes..the background is still far too light for me.

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Ahhhh!  Much better!

Even though that light print has a huge pink and red flower..to me it is still a neutral-grounded fabric.  And I’d prefer to use it on the light side instead of on the dark side.  I hope this helps you with fabric selection in the future!

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Let’s trim!  ONE SIDE ONLY!

Did you know you can use your Easy Angle ruler for quickly sliver trimming down triangles?  ONE cut and done? 

Place the seam line along the seam line of your triangle as shown.  Have the line corresponding to the size you need at the top of your unit…I’m going to trim one side only…like this:

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Now gently press!

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A trimmed 2-1/2” unit that will finish at 2” – with ONE sliver cut!

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I tackled that entire baggie ---you can see the “too light” pile to the back left of the photo…I simply scrounged around for some other more colorful triangles I could match them to.  They are all sewn and waiting to play in my Split 9-Patch blocks!

I’m off for my physical this morning.  And a mammogram this afternoon.  It’s GET IT DONE day. 

If you haven’t had yours….it’s time to take care of yourself.  Get it scheduled, get it done – then we can quilt with a clear conscience!

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26 comments:

Allison in Plano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Allison in Plano said...

Wheeeee, thanks Bonnie! Now I can tackle the shoe box filled with beauties just like this. You always give us great hints and it makes me a better scrap quilter. Holding good thoughts for your brother's surgery and your well-person exams. Hugs, Allison

Sue Monsey said...

Thank you. I printed this off so I can put it with my scraps (and to share with some of my recent converts to scrappy) - I have always wondered if you could do it this way - just never tried - go figure! I hate squaring them up after they have been pressed, the ruler doesn't always lie flat and my hands get tired pretty fast. Now, to go see if that ruler is part of my stash.

Janet O. said...

I love that trimming trick. The top edges have to match in order to get away with one trim, right?
This is my "physical/mammogram" month as well--later in the month.

JeannieC said...

Love that you confessed to every surface being covered. My husband thought it was just me!!!

Ginnie said...

I am making a bear paw quilt now and have been making two cuts on each little block! You just saved me hours of time!! Thank You!!!!

Sarah Martin said...

OMG duh right?!!! The easy angle ruler even has that dotted line for the seam line, which means I could still use it even if the actual seam allowance was short. Eeek!
Thanks for the great tip Bonnie! Brilliant!

Unknown said...

How does one acquire the easy angle ruler in Canada?

Unknown said...

And it's companion?

Unknown said...

And it's companion?

happyjax said...

oh... my.... goodness.... I LOVE this tip. THANK YOU bonnie. I will continue to pray that your brother is on his way to a speedy recovery.

happyjax said...

oh... I forgot to add this little gem... "Creative minds are seldom tidy."

Ramona said...

But don't you still have dog ears on your trimmed piece?

MJ said...

Just got those rulers you love, look forward to seeing them(me) in action. Would be nice if the quilting fairies spent time tidying my quilt space! Pictures worth a thousand words, yours help explain neutrals. Hope there's some enjoyment in your 'medical' day. Will keep your brother and your family in prayers today.

jean said...

Its on the JoAnn.com site type in EZ angle ruler and they are on sale at half price when I just checked!

Jennifer Thomas said...

Cool! I have been saving a jar full of snipped off triangles right on my sewing desk, just waiting for me to get around to sewing them into...something. Thanks for the inspiration. Have a super day!

Michele said...

Mind blown! Just one trim! You are brilliant.

Anonymous said...

THANK you, thank you, Bonnie for this great tip! Two questions, please. One, what do you suggest I use to keep the Easy Angle ruler from slipping when I use it and Two, is that a seam guide to the right of your hst's your sewing? Where do you find one that has the long side like that and not the other way like most I've seen? My 301 would LOVE one like that. Thanks for all you do, Karla.

Helen in the UK said...

I LOVE this tip! Got to try this for easier squaring when another method of triangle making was used :)

Sandie said...

The seam guide is Bonnie's "Best removable Seam Guide Ever" and instructions for making your own can be found under the Tips and Techniques tab

Anonymous said...

My girlfriend and I plan a trip to Reno Nevada each year. Sometimes we start with a glass of wine, but always we finish by going down the block to Windy Moon Quilts! We could spend ours and paychecks there!

Anonymous said...

Hours, not ours

Andee said...

Those Denyse Schmidt triangles look mighty familiar! I have a bunch of them myself leftover from making Swoon and Picnic! I may have to use some of mine in the split nine patches too--FUN FUN!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. Much appreciated! :-) That's a pretty good idea!

Karen said...

Love this tip! I have some bonus HST that I've been squaring up, can't wait to try it out.

Lucky Duck Dreams said...

Love your sewing with my favorite prints from Denyse Schmidt!

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