Quilter's Quick Quarter Ruler // Try it Tuesday

photo-1-2.jpg

photo 1 (2)I spent time on Saturday sewing with my DC Modern Quilt Guild friends (or rather I cut fabric and talked!)  Anna suggested I try a new ruler for marking half square triangles and review it in a Try It Tuesday post. Thanks, Anna, for giving me a push in the right direction!tryittuesday_swimbikequilt_pinwheelAs luck would have it, my friend Nicole from Finch Sewing Studio had a few of the rulers with her, and gave me one to take home. If you are local, Nicole has a  great line up of apparel sewing classes, and an online shop with fabric (including some lovely Nani Iro) and notions that are a little harder to find--swedish tracing paper, a dual tracing wheel, and the Quick Quarter Ruler.Try It Tuesday Stats:

Name:  Quilter's Quick QuarterSize: 1/2” x 8”
Price: $3.50
Manufacturer: Quilter's RuleSource: Finch Sewing Studio; Amazon also sells a 12'' ruler Quilter's Quick Quarter-12"
How to use it (per the manufacturer)"This marking guide has a slotted center which gives a 1/4in seam allowance to either side. Great for making multiple half and quarter square triangle blocks and Flying Geese blocks. A great tool to divide a square! This quilting tool is made of lightweight durable acrylic. Made in USA."
photo 4 (2)

Does it work?Yes! There are a million different ways to make half square triangles--if you ever make them one at a time  I highly recommend it. It takes the same amount of time to line up the ruler with the corners and quickly draw two lines (on either side of the ruler) as it does a single center line.  In the future, I don't plan to draw the center line since it's just as easy to line up a ruler and rotary cut down the center.

tryittuesday_2_swimbikequilt

My favorite part? I didn't have to trim my triangles! They were almost perfect.  Normally, I just mark a center line, line up the edge of my 1/4'' foot on the center line, and sew a line on either side of the  line. Apparently, I sew much more accurately when I'm following a marked line. I sewed my four half square triangle pairs into a block and the points matched, with minimal trimming. Yes!tryittuesday_swimbikequilt_hstThe 8'' ruler is easiest to use when you start with 5 3/4'' blocks,  which makes 5 1/4'' hst pairs. You could always trim them to 5'', but who wants to trim. You can use the ruler with smaller fabric squares, as well.

Swim Bike Quilt

There are a few other half square triangle tools I want to try, but I really liked this one. I would definitely recommend it. Thanks, Anna and Nicole!