So here they are, a bunch of hourglass blocks. I have often said that I cannot sew a straight seam nor cut a straight line, either. Honest -to-goodness truth. But I am an expert knitter, and one thing I've learned after a gazillion sweaters, socks, scarves, shawls (rarely hats), is how to fudge, and how to take advantage of whatever tools there are that will help me. So, I use top-quality needles and excellent yarn, almost always wool.
When it comes to quilting, I've found that I also need the best tools for how I work. Not only am I a crummy sewer and wonky cutter, but triangles and those lovely bias sides, really do a number on my piecing. About a year ago, I bought Brenda Henning's Triangulations CD. And that's how I can make these quarter-square blocks. Everything is stabilized by the newsprint paper that I use to print out my blocks. Here's a look at how the process works for me.
So, this is the paper for the size I'm making. I print it out on newsprint, which works fine in my printer.
This is what it looks like after sewing on the dotted lines and cutting on the solid lines. Ignore that pinch of paper on the orange triangle. That's just how I put it on the table.
Pressing the triangle open.
Pressed open and on the right side. At this point, I tear out the paper backing. Since I use a tiny stitch, it tears off easily.
Here they are, right sides together, ready to be sewn.
Is this labor intensive? Yep, but at least I'm not gnashing my teeth over my usual out-of-whack pieces. I just noticed that the top piece looks like it's stretching. Nope, just the camera angle.
