Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 5

Just starting out? Here's what you missed:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

This week we are going to sew together some of our squares. Grab all of your triangle-made squares and 50 of the 1/2 and 1/2 horizontal squares. Take 2 "triangle" and 1 "horizontal at a time.

What we want to do here now is attach one of the triangle-type squares to each side of the horizontal square. Make sure the pieces are the same size (if there is a tiny tiny difference, you can just "center" the offending smaller piece and adjust your seam-allowance to the larger piece) and sew the "B" side of one of the triangle pieces to each of the sides with a seam on the horizontal bar piece.

For the sake of example, my drawings will use yellow for "Color A", white for "Color B" and green for "Color C". Here is the drawing:

When you're sewing them together, try to keep the piece with the most seams along the sewing edge on top. In this case, the horizontal piece will have the most seams (one) along the edge that you are sewing with the "B" sides. The reason for this is so that you will be able to keep the seam allowances on the back side from twisting around and going the opposite direction from what they were ironed. The "Feed Dogs" - those spikey dealies coming out of the bottom part of your sewing machine - will catch on the seam as it goes through and if it is not already going their direction, will pull it the wrong way.

Watch your seam allowances here carefully - this is where the whole "matching points" bit comes into play.

Ok, yes, this photo blows. However. in the dimness there, you should be able to see where 2 of my pink triangle squares have been sewn to my brown/green horizontal square. Notice those ugly arrows again - they point to the place where the seams are. The arrow on the left shows a "GOOD" seam - notice that there is some brown touching the other brown, the "point" of the pink triangle is down 1/4 inch from the top of the piece. THIS IS GOOD. The right arrow shows the point of the triangle directly at the edge of the piece. THIS IS BAD. Here's why.

When you sew the next seam, across the top of these current pieces, you need a seam allowance. If you have the point of the triangle right at the edge of your piece, once you sew the next seam, you will have blunted your triangles, cutting off the tips, as it were. Sort of a Triangle Bris.

So now I'll go pull out the seam on that one on the right (Oh the things I do to make picture examples for y'all... *wink*) and re-sew it so that it too will have a nice "pointy" look for when we use it again. Iron your new-made seams OUTWARD - toward the "B" pieces. Both seams.

Ok! That's it for now - you should have 50 of these nifty strips - put them aside until later, that's it for this week!