I have been working a bit on the half square triangles I will need for the 4th border blocks in the Border of the Month sew-along Corey Yoder is hosting. Corey always does a YouTube video demonstrating each step of her sew-alongs, and in this latest video, she showed a new trim tool for making half square triangles. I highly recommend that you click the link and watch the video: it is so interesting!
The tool is called Slotted Trimmers, and you get two sizes in the package. One for unfinished HSTs in half-inch sizes (2.5 inches through 6.5 inches) and the other for unfinished HSTs in even sizes. I needed 3.5″ HSTs, so I used Trimmer A, with half-inch measurements. Notice two things in the photo. First, do you see the slots that run up the two short sides of the triangle? Those are so you can cut off your dog ears as you trim.
Second, there are dotted lines and solid lines across the ruler. You will line the seam of your HST along the dotted line and trim the two short sides. And the dog ears.
The beauty of this is that you only have to make two cuts rather than four cuts as you would with other trim methods.
Here is a close-up of my placement and trimming. You are measuring from the seam line, not the bottom cut edge. The reason I wanted to try this tool is that all these HSTs have to be pressed open (I know), and making just two cuts instead of four appealed to me. The BlocLoc wouldn’t have worked because you have to press the seams in one direction for that tool.
I could have used a 3.5″ ruler to trim, but then I would have had to make four cuts. I think the slotted trim tool is a time saver, particularly if you press open and have a ton of HSTs to make. I found it to be very accurate.
The other thing I had to do was figure out my color placement, since I have decided to do a controlled color placement with my scraps. There was a quilter on the Coriander Quilts Facebook group who posted her diagram, which inspired me to do one of my own.
I am having fun with this project and hope to sit and sew HSTs to my heart’s content over the next few days. I need to make 80 of them.
My retina specialist gave me some great news when I saw him on Tuesday. He said my eyes have improved with the Eyelea injections so much that I will soon move to having injections every eight weeks instead of every four! The bad news is that my insurance company has decided they are done paying the full price of these injections (($2000 per eye). They will pay some, but I am going to have to pay $500 per injection, per eye until January. This was unexpected.
14 Responses
I am happy to see you have gotten your mojo back for quilting.
It is so enjoyable listening to and watching your progress on your many projects.
All I can say about your eye shots is this country needs some health care reform!
Interesting tool, I have not seen one with the slots to trim the dog ears. I have purchased several different rulers for trimming HSTs, but I still go back to my Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up rulers. I guess the ruler I started with is the one I stick with. 😊
Wonderful good news about your eyes, not about the insurance part tho. ☹️
I have this tool in both sizes and it is indeed wonderful! My LQS owner gave them to me a couple of years ago when she had me do a “demo” using them on one of her special Anniversary Sale days. The Missouri Star Quilt Company ladies also use this tool frequently on their Youtube videos, especially on their Triple Play Fridays, a series they had for several years.
Terrific news about your eye improvements, but not about the insurance part, as Sandra said above.
It was such a game-changer to make only two cuts (sometimes just one if the alignment is right) rather than four! I’ve used Eleanor Burns’ triangle square-up ruler for years — in fact, I had to buy a replacement because the markings were wearing off and I’d nicked the corners a few too many times. And then I discovered it worked for QSTs, too — double eureka!
I use this tool too, although if you don’t get it straight into the slot you can nick the rotary blade. Otherwise I like the time savings too.
Happy for your eyes- boo! to the insurance.
That is junk about the insurance! They are sometimes so cheap! Their payments to their CEO’s are very high though. OK. I cannot think about this again because I need to watch my blood pressure. I might need to order this ruler you have. I would not like to think about how much time I spend on trimming down my little triangles and rectangles. It is worth it! I wasn’t so careful about this when I first started quilting and then, duh, I wondered why I was having trouble getting seams to match. It’s okay to laugh because my laziness caught up with me. Now I am much more careful and I have very nice seams.
I am so glad about your eye improvement! Again, I need to give a grateful shout to all of your responders about their results about their cataract surgery. It gave me the encouragement I needed last fall. This summer I am so enjoying the depth of the blue skies and the amazing color of my flowers! Those cataracts grow so slowly that we just forget the true colors we used to know. I would encourage anyone who is debating cataract surgery to just get it done now! For me, my new lenses will last about 50 years. I am sure I will not live to 128 so I am good to go for the rest of my life! By say, 110 years of life, I don’t think the deteriorating colors will be much bother. Ha ha.
awful news about the insurance. I went on straight Medicare last year. we’ve put money aside for unexpected situations but it is still painful. you basically now have to pay $1,000 a visit to keep your eyesight?! just wrong.
I made 144 pinwheels and got them sewn together and now have an adorable quilt. trimming off those dog ears is just tedious.
Interesting HST ruler but I like sewing 2 squares right sides together, marked by a sewing line on one diagonal corner to corner, sew either side of the line, and cut apart on the pencil line. Your ruler can square things up if needed, but I’ve found it’s not often needed.
Outrageous, despicable, and disgusting decision of your insurance company to not pay in full for your needed injections. You’re not getting the injections for fun, after all, but to save your vision. Can you appeal the decision, with or without a lawyer?
Hugs!
Absolutely shocking about the insurance – at least your eyes have improved so much and that is great news. Someone is making money from the pharmaceuticals. It isn’t ordinary folk! I’ve come to the conclusion that insurance hates paying out – even if you pay for such an unexpected event – there is some way that they can wriggle out. That’s a long story (I’ll spare you the details) that left us out of pocket even though we were insured!
I’m going to check out those rulers right away! And the color placement diagram looks really helpful! Congrats on the eye improvement! That’s always good news.
I have watched the video and am determined to use tools I already own in my 80th decade of life, I’m trying to use what I have of fabric and tools. My project now is 56 blocks that each contain 12 half square triangles measuring 2 and 3/8ths inches. I have to use block lock rulers for this. And yes, need to press the seams open but have found that finger pressing before trimming and then pressing open works. I have 36 blocks done and 20 to go. Wish I had never started but I will keep going.
Nicole,
I am very happy to hear you have had improvement in your eyes. So sorry about the insurance issue. Maybe you could appeal the decision. It might be worth looking into.
I have used the trimmers, they work well but I have always struggled to find the right “rhythm” to making the trim cuts and then the dogear cuts…it’s very awkward for me for whatever reason.
I’m happy for your eye improvement! Like you, all the things I love to do require my eyes: sewing, cross stitch, reading.
What a cool trimmer! I will need to get one! That is unfortunate about the insurance, I wonder why they just decided to do that? Maybe you can deduct it on your taxes?