One more thing -

On my last post -

Cutting Squares and HST using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule - HERE -

There is a part where I said -

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Now I have two squares with "wings" -
I could cut a HST using a 3-1/2" strip -
And attach it to the other side -
(The whole thing would finish at 3" - but I think that's TMI - ;))

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How did I KNOW that a 3-1/2" strip would work???????

Because my handy-dandy super-duper LEFT-EZE™ Rule told me so - ;))

Let me explain -

I designed the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with horizontal lines every 1/2" -

The INCH lines are numbered while the 1/2" lines are not -

I thought that numbers on the 1/2" lines would just clutter up the design and make the ruler more confusing than it needed to be - too much information (TMI) -

I tried to keep it SIMPLE -

And thought that it is/was easy enough to figure out that the 3-1/2" line is the one HALF-WAY between the 3" line and the 4" line - ;))

Anyway -

After I made the two squares with "wings" -

I simply put the LEFT-EZE™ Rule on top of it -

With the black triangle tip at the top -

And the bottom of the "unit" on a line -

Then I marked the bottom of the "unit" and the line with a post-it note -

Removed the ruler -

And checked the line that was marked with the post-it note -

It was on the 3-1/2" line -

SO - if I used a pre-cut 3-1/2" strip - I could cut a HST from it - and it would fit perfectly! - ;))

Now I know that designers/pattern writers always talk in terms of "finished" unit size - and that's all well and good - because when they design a quilt they want to know how big the unit will be in the "finished" quilt -

But I get confused with "cut" size and "sewn" size and "finished" size -

And I don't really care about the "finished" size -

When I want to follow a pattern -

Or have a pile of strips that I want to use -

Because that is way too much information - TMI - ;))

All I want to know is -

What SIZE PRE-CUT STRIP do I want/need to make the unit?

I can use the SIZE CHART to find the finished size the designer/pattern writer is talking about -

And then to find the STRIP SIZE that I want/need -

Once I have that -

I'm good to go - ;))

All I need to do is gather my strips - and my ruler -

The strips are PRE-CUT -

And the LEFT-EZE™ Rule has numbers for the STRIP SIZE -

Because that's the only number that matters - ;))

I think sometimes SIMPLE is better - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Cutting Squares and HST using the LEFT-EZE™ Rule

Is simple - ;))

I started with some 2" pre-cut strips -

Trimmed the end to straighten the edge - this way -

Or I could do it this way -

Lining up the strip between ANY two parallel lines -

Cut a 2" square using the 2" mark on the LEFT-EZE™ Rule -
(It will finish at 1-1/2" - but I think that's TMI - ;)

Measured off another 2" square -

Until I ran out of strip -
Granted, it was a short strip - but I only wanted two - ;))

For the HST - I grabbed the other two 2" strips -

Layered them Right Sides Together (RST) -
To give me 2 HST that will be "mirror" images -

Trimmed the end -

Turned the strip around so that the trimmed end was on the RIGHT -

Lined up the LEFT-EZE™ Rule with the little black tip at the TOP of the strip -
And the BOTTOM of the strip on the 2" line -
Cut UP the LEFT side of the ruler - from bottom left to top right -
The black tip is a dog-ear that is automatically cut off because I used a strip -

Turned the ruler around with the black tip at the BOTTOM of the strip -
And the 2" line at the TOP of the strip -

Cut straight UP the LEFT side of the ruler -

Opened them out with the "flat" ends in the middle -
And they can be "wings" for the 2" strip -
HINT - They will fit together automatically -
because I used the same size strip for both the squares and the HST - ;))

And - if I fold the left HST over onto the top of the square -
The flat top lines up with the edge of the square -

I turn them around when I go to sew them - so the flat tip is at the bottom -
The top lines up with the other end of the square -
And I prefer to sew from that end toward the flat tip -

Ran them through -

Pressed them open -

Time to add the other "wing" -
Fold it down on top of the square -
And the bottom of the HST lines up with the side of the square -

I turned it over to start sewing at the flat end of the square -

Ran those through -

Pressed them open -

Now I have two squares with "wings" -
I could cut a HST using a 3-1/2" strip -
And attach it to the other side -
(The whole thing would finish at 3" - but I think that's TMI - ;))

Or sew them together - ;))

And that's how I cut squares and HST using my handy-dandy super-duper
LEFT-EZE™ Rule - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -