Tools Tuesday . . . Two-fer . . .

So first up, on this wonderful fall Tools Tuesday, is the Companion Angle by Darlene Zimmerman for EZ Quilting.

I bought this tool at the same time I bought my Easy Angle and Tri Recs rulers, also by Darlene, because they were hanging beside each other in the store, and the packaging on this ruler says, "Companion to Easy Angle and Easy Eight".  So I foolishly thought I needed this ruler to get my Easy Angle ruler to work.   Ha ha, the joke's on me,  you don't need the Companion Angle to use the Easy Angle ruler and vice versus.  That being said, they are both good rulers and work well.

The purpose of this ruler is to cut triangles with the longest edge on the straight of grain, along with some other things.  I don't ever get too worked up about the straight of grain, when you're dealing with rectangles not all the edges can be on the straight of grain.  But it appears that's important, so there you go.

The thing I like about this ruler is that you can cut big triangle units, that would need to be cut from a very large square, from a narrow strip instead.  For example, the strip I'm cutting above is from a 4 1/2 inch strip, if I was cutting a square diagonally twice to get this size triangle, the square would need to be 9".

The instructions that came with this ruler are fine, plus additional information is provided online.   This tool runs between $10 and $12.  I'm keeping it, and now that I understand its purpose will use it, probably the next time I have setting triangles.  I prefer cutting strips to squares when I have yardage.

Since the Companion Angle was so easy I figured I would review another ruler, the Triangle Trimmers by Fons & Porter, they run $7.99.  I bought these thinking you would use them to trim off triangles AFTER you pieced them, which you can, but really scissors or a rotary cut work just as well.  These trimmers have a greater purpose, they are used for making accurate Square in a Square Units and Brave New World Units.

The instructions were great plus they have an online tutorial.  (click here)

These are not templates but guides for cutting the tips of triangles, they can be used on any size fabric triangle.

This is how I normally connect my triangles to my squares when making square in a square units.  See that folded line in the middle of the white triangle?  I finger press that, by folding the corners together to get the center.  I do the same on the square on the bottom, then line up the pressed lines and sew.    

Usually the triangle units called for in a pattern are a weird size so I cut mine to the next biggest normal size, find the center of the two pieces, sew, then square it all up, giving myself the perfect 1/4"of fabric that you need above the points.  I trim those dog ears off after the pieces are sewn.

This method removes the ears before you sew.  

But you have to have the accurate triangle size for it all to work.

Since I did use the correct triangle size, once the ears were cut off it fit the square perfectly.

Here is the completed block.

With the perfect 1/4" of fabric above the points.

So the blue trimmer worked perfectly.

Next up, the New World Unit.  Here's the completed unit, I had no idea that was the name of this block!

Same principal, use the trimmer to remove the dog ears before sewing.

One gone, 

two gone.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished piece before attaching the other triangle, but it came out perfectly too.

These trimmers are a nice weight, pretty, and have a nice coating on the back that keeps them from slipping and sliding on the fabric.  

These trimmers aren't something that suits me, or the way I like to do things, but they work exactly as advertised and I think worth the $8.00 if you're into making either of these blocks this way.  I'll probably throw them back in my tools box, you never know, they work, so why not keep them?

That's it, can you believe it!  I'm all done with all the tools in my box that I didn't know how to use.  I think it's been fun and I learned a lot, mainly not to buy a tool unless I understand how it works or unless I have an immediate need for it.  Those folks doing the demos at the quilt shows are going to be so surprised when I no longer buy their wares!  I think the most valuable lesson here is that there are so many wonderful tools at our disposal, if you have trouble making a block, there's probably a tool to help you along, do a little research and give it a try.  Don't be like me and avoid a block (triangle in square) just because it looks scary!  

To celebrate the end of Tools Tuesday, and to thank you for following along and for the tips that you added to my posts to make for a better discussion, I'm having a giveaway.  The winner can select any Open Gate ruler (my favorite of all rulers) or any ruler or template from the Fat Quarter Shop that is less than $25. If Open Gate Quilts or Fat Quarter Shop will mail to your address, you're eligible to enter.  

To enter, please leave a comment (or send an email if you have trouble leaving a comment) telling us your favorite tool, ruler, or template, by end of day Thursday, October 4th.  The winner will be announced on Friday.

And just so you know, my all time can't live without favorite ruler is the Fit to be Geese ruler.

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Tools Tuesday - Triangle in a Square Part II

So here we go, the second part of my Triangle in a Square ruler comparison.  

This is what prompted me to start purchasing triangle in a square rulers,

the sunflower blocks in this pattern, Desert Bloom.

Last week I blogged about the Quilt in a Day Triangle in a Square ruler set, 

I loved everything about these rulers except their size limitations, you can only make 3" and 4" finished blocks with this set.  To read my review of these rulers click here.  

This week I'm testing out the Tri Tool and Recs Tool ruler set by Darlene Zimmerman and Joy Hoffman for EZ Quilting.  I'm happy to report that this ruler worked out so much better than my Petal Ruler experience, which was also a Darlene Zimmerman ruler.

So here are the rulers you need to make the block.

To cut the triangle portion of the block, strips are cut the exact width of the unfinished block.

Since I'm making a 3 inch finished block, I cut my strip 3 1/2 inches wide, very easy, very straightforward.

Next you cut the outer sections of the block, these strips are also cut the same width as the unfinished block.  The like sides of the fabric must be folded together.  This is a very important step.

Another very important step is to trim that corner off the left side of the strip.

Then you align the pieces and sew.

This is a closeup shot of how to line up the pieces.  See why cutting off that corner is so important?

That top piece just fits perfectly on top of the bottom corner.

Align the second size and stitch.

Here are the two finished blocks.  The one on the left was made using the Tri Recs rulers and the one on the right was made using the Quilt in a Day rulers.  Both blocks are 3 1/2 inches, exactly.

Both blocks came out perfectly.

There is a great tutorial on the Simplicity website explaining how to make the triangle in a square block  using the Tri Recs rulers.  (click here)

I prefer the Quilt in a Day method, I think the outer edges of the Quilt in a Day ruler were easier to cut, (no corners to trim off like the Tri Recs) and I like being able to square them up to get the correct size.  So if I'm making a 3 or 4 inch finished block that's the ruler I"ll use.  But the Tri Recs was also easy to use and makes a great block in so many other sizes, so I'm keeping both sets of rulers.

Dawn, at First Light Designs, left a comment last week saying that she prefers the Deb Tucker V-Block Trimmer to make these blocks, so keep that one in mind also as you shop. 

Bottom line, there are several great rulers out there to help us with this block, I no longer have an excuse for avoiding patterns that use it, and that's a good thing!

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Tools Tuesday - Triangle in a Square . . .

Part I

I bought this pattern ages ago, it's Desert Bloom by Bread and Butter Quilts.  I always think I'll get to it at the end of summer, when sunflowers are blooming like crazy around here.  One of the things stopping me are those triangle in a square blocks that make up those sunflowers.  

Knowing that I needed to make that type of block, I was on the lookout for a ruler to help me out. Somewhere along the line  I bought two but never used them, never even played with them.

This is the Tri Tool and Recs Tool made by EZ Quilting.  

And these are Eleanor Burns, Quilt in a Day Triangle in a Square rulers.

First up, the Quilt in a Day rulers.  You can make two different size blocks with this ruler,  3" and 4" finished blocks.

To make the "square" part of the block you cut a strip of fabric one inch larger than the unfinshed size of the triangle in a square block.  Fold the fabric so like sides are together,  cut the strip a specified width, which is provided in the instructions, and cut that rectangle once, on the diagonal.

Using this ruler, you cut the triangle  portion of the block.  The width of this fabric is the same as the width you used above.

Then you sew each side on to the triangle, lining up the piece like this, with that point hanging over the top.

Press, then attach the other side in the same manner.

Press 

This is my favorite part of this ruler, you take the other template and use it to square up the block.

First the top . . .

then the bottom.

Perfection!

The instructions that accompany the templates are wonderful, clear, easy to follow, and with wonderful illustrations.

 I'm a make it bigger and square it gal so this ruler really suits me.  I wonder why I was so hesitant to make this block, it's easy!  The only draw back that I see is the size limitation of these rulers.  The rulers are still available and run $14.95. (click here)

I love this ruler set and am anxious to compare it to the EZ Quilting set, which I'll do next Tuesday since this post is already long and picture heavy.  

As always, these tools posts are more informative when folks who have actual experience with them, good or bad, leave comments, feel free to pass along any information you may have about a Triangle in a Square ruler or block.

Thanks so much!

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Time for another, Tools Tuesday . . .

Today's tool is the Quilt Ruler Connector made by Guidelines 4 Quilting.

This is another one of those gadgets that I bought at a quilt show after seeing a demo, brought home, threw in my drawer, then forgot about.

But after getting it out and playing around with it today, I think it's a gadget I'll use again.  The purpose of this tool is to connect your rulers to make them bigger or longer.  For my test I connected a 6 1/2" x 18 1/2" ruler to a 6 1/2" x 12 1/2" ruler to make a 6 1/2" by 31" ruler!

It's very easy to connect the rulers.  First I aligned the alignment tabs and the lip edge on the edge of the first ruler. Once it was snugly in place I pressed down on the suction cups.  Then I slid the edge of the second ruler up against the first ruler, making sure it was also against the lip edge, then pressed down on the other two suction cups.

Once the connector is connected it is very sturdy and snug.

That's all it took to make this looooong ruler.

It was also easy to pick up and move around without falling apart.  And it stayed together just fine when I cut some fabric.  I was careful as I ran my rotary cutter next to the edge where the rulers were connected, but my cutter didn't catch or stop around that area.

I remember when I bought this thing thinking this would be a good gadget to take to class or a retreat, where you could take smaller rulers that are easy to pack and turn them into bigger rulers with this connector.  It's also great for making super long rulers for trimming the sides of quilts or borders.

It runs around $10, I think this is a keeper, it's going back into my tools drawer.

Added later:  

Jackie asked if this connecter could make two rulers wider as well as longer, and the answer is yes.  Here I have a 4 1/2" x 12 1/2" ruler and a 6 1/2" x 12 1/2".

And here they are connected to make a 11" x 12 1/2" ruler.

The width is exactly 11 inches, no space was added by using the connector.

Additionally, you can use more that one connector to make a wider and longer ruler.  The link to Guidelines that I provided above shows how to connect the connector and different combinations for using the connector.  It's a great resource for this tool.  And finally, you can also connect your rulers to make a corner square ruler (thanks Jean(i.e.)).

Here's another ruler I own that I'm curious about and thought I would do a little checking on before I spent a half a day trying to figure out how to use it.  It's a ruler to make pineapple blocks.  I bought it years ago because I've been wanting to make a pineapple quilt for years.  The companion book for this ruler has amazing pineapple quilt patterns and was worth the price alone.  I bought the ruler and book at a quilt show as a set.

Now that I've been sewing for awhile, I've figured out there are several ways to make pineapple quilts, you can paper piece them, sew and trim using a regular ruler, and sew and trim using a specialty ruler, like this one made by Possibilities.  

This sort of reminds me of piecing a log cabin block, and there are speciality rulers for that, but I've gotten along fine piecing my log cabin blocks without them.

Have you made a pineapple quilt, what method did you use?  Does anyone have any experience with this ruler?  It's sort of hard for me to use and rate this ruler when I've never made a pineapple block using any method!

Thanks!

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Tools Tuesday . . . .

It's Tools Tuesday, but before we get to that, how about a tour around the Buggy Barn Quilt Shop?  I got a couple of comments from folks wondering when I was going to blog about my great week in Washington attending the Buggy Barn retreat, I figured if I didn't start squeezing in pictures every day, you would never get to hear about my trip.

Remember that photo I posted last week of the outside of the shop, well look at all the great stuff inside that shop!

Quilts, patterns, notions, wool, you name it, they've got it squeezed in that shop.

My first stop in this store, I just walked around and around, looking up and down, taking it all in, and didn't spend a nickel.  

Luckily we came back everyday we were in town and I got over my initial quilt shop overload and bought some stuff.

There were even quilts on the ceiling!

I would say the gals at the Buggy Barn have their own style, and most of the quilts in the shop all have that same folksy look and feel.  With the limited amount of space it would be impossible to be everything to all quilters, but most everything appealed to me.

See those little white tags on those quilts below?

Those tags were on most of the quilts on display, they say the shop carries a kit for that quilt, how great is that!  There will be more pictures of my classes and the quilt show to come later in the week.

When I blogged about those pressing sticks a couple of weeks ago I got a few questions about the iron I use.

I use the Rowenta Pro Precision Pressure Iron and Steamer.  If you don't use steam, you won't be interested in this iron at all, because this iron is all about the steam.

It doesn't spit, leak, or splatter, I think because the water is held in the base and not in the iron itself.   I bought mine from Williams-Sonoma, but let me warn you, it's a luxury item.  My favorite feature, it doesn't have automatic shut off, which is great for a quilter, there's nothing more maddening than piecing a bunch of pieces and popping up to press them to find your iron cool and done for the day.

So finally here is the tools portion of today's Tools Tuesday post.  You've probably noticed the pretty little hat box on the bottom shelf in some of my pictures before.  This is where this hat box has sat since I moved into my sewing room.  It holds my thread.  And it worked pretty good for the first 5 years I sewed.

It worked because I didn't have much thread the first 5 years I sewed, some cream, some white, some gray, one black and one red spool pretty much got me through.  Then I started appliquéing, sewing on my own binding, and the next thing I knew, I had a hat box full of thread.

This is how I find the thread I'm looking for, I dump it all on the floor then rummage around until I find what I need.  Then I scoop it all up and throw it back in the hat box.

I hate this system, it's not even a system.  I'm a neat person and there is nothing about this storage method that is neat.  Every now and then I'll look for a good thread storage system on line but I've yet to find anything that appeals to me.  How do you store your thread?  I'm not in favor of storing my thread on one of those boards that hang on the wall.  I don't want to look at my thread every day.  And the holders that I've seen usually don't account for thread in different sizes from different companies. All I want is my thread to be neat, stored in a container where I can easily see and select my thread, and that doesn't take up much space.  What do you think, is there something out there for me?

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