Things I've Learnt About Thangles (or Mistakes I've Made Again Today)

I have started the Civil War Diary Quilt today by making some of the blocks that can be rotary cut, while I wait for my CD to arrive from across the high seas. Most of these blocks have had Half Square Triangles (HSTs) in them, and my fave method to make them is by using triangle papers. I will use Triangles on a Roll if I want to make heaps of the same colour, but if I only want a few, I use Thangles.


Every time I use them after a certain period of time, I forget all the tricks, and make the same mistakes over and over. I often remember that there is a "trick to this" or "trick to that", but forget what that trick is. So, after today's little HST session, I have decided to record what I know to ensure instant success in the future. Most of you will be smarter than me and know what to do, but for those dummys like me, or for those that haven't used them - perhaps I can save you a little of the pain!

Step 1 is to get your fabric strips in the right order (see above). If you put the lightest strip up against the back of the paper, when you iron them all the seam allowances will be pointing to the dark side (see below). The 2 on the paper means that your HST will be 2 inches FINISHED, therefore you cut your fabric strips 2 1/2 inches wide, which is the width of the paper.

Step 2
Pin between each diagonal line, and sew up one dotted line, then skip across and sew down the other side. I have to take my 1/4 inch foot off as it has one of those irritating little guides on it that goes below the edge of the fabric. Use a fairly small stitch.


Step 3
Then cut them apart along the solid line. You don't have to be too accurate between the stitching lines as this is in the seam allowance, but it is good to cut the horizontal line with care. I sometimes use the rotary cutter or a pair of sharp scissors.

Step 4
Then to the ironing board. Put the little triangle paper-side down, then pick up the top piece of fabric, which will be the dark side, and flip it over and press. This is when the magic with the seam allowance happens.

Step 5
This part makes a big difference to the finished HST.

When you take the paper off it is very easy to start pulling the stitches out. I find that after the paper is off, the top stitches are slightly looser than the bobbin stitches, as there is a little gap where the paper was. If you start pulling the paper off willy-nilly, the seam often starts to come undone.



This is the best way I have found to do it. Don't pull from the pointy ends - the seam comes with it. Grab the paper at it's widest point and rip it gently to the seam, slightly towards you, then along the seam.

Then rip the remaining paper in the opposite direction, also along the seam.

Then get your fingernail under the paper in the seam allowance, and it should just pull out.

Cut off the little pointy bit sticking out, then you end up with your little HSTs all done with no tricky 7/8th measurements and no stretchy bias edges. Can you tell I just love 'em?

One last word of warning... sometimes it is easy to get distracted. I often find myself wondering which is the dark and which is the light side. Of course if you can't decide between the two, it doesn't really matter which one you put where. I do dwell on this, however, having had The Rules beaten into me.

(BTW, are you aware that there is an "Iron Your Seams Open" revolution building up momentum?)

Anyway, please notice the results below of not paying enough attention. I did notice while cutting them apart that the red was very vibrant, and had ironed two open before I realised my mistake.

Step 6 Right sides together.

ANZAC Day

It is ANZAC Day today, and I have the guilts as I couldn't drag my carcass out of bed for the Dawn Service. I try to go each year if I'm not at work. We have a little service here on the island - there are about 6 men that march. I can walk from here and one of the things I love is seeing people materialise out of the dark from all directions.

This photo was taken in 2005 (90 yr anniversary) at Caloundra which is on the coast north of here. The cenotaph is up on a cliff and what you can see below the horizon is the sea. There were huge numbers of people there, and it was very moving. Off the coast at this spot is what is believed to be the wartime shipwreck of the Centaur, a hospital ship, which made it all seem more real.

All the WW1 Diggers have died now I think, and the WW2 boys are thinning out as well, but it is good to see that a lot of children and young people are developing an interest in the ANZAC history and spirit, and I don't think that it will all be forgotten.

Plans for May

It isn't long now til my month off work - I'm trying not to count down too much in case I go nuts, but quietly, I only have 4 shifts to work.

Now that I think about it, a lot of my projects are at Flimsy stage, except for the hexagon quilt (which isn't far off now), and the 4 patch, of which all the 4 patches are done - I just don't have the fabric for the alternate squares yet.

So I plan to start on the Civil War Diary Quilt. I have the book, and have just ordered the CD from the author, which goes into EQ5 and enables you to print out the blocks. I think I will try to do them by the freezer paper template method that Tazzie is using for her Dear Jane (see Dec 2 & 3). I suppose I could put the freezer paper through the printer somehow? Ironed onto a sheet of A4 perhaps? In the meantime there are a few blocks that are easy to do with rotary cutting, so I can get started.

Of course the thought of starting this quilt has made me think about fabric choice. I thought I could use Civil War Era fabrics, and some from the years before, but now that I go through my stash of Reproduction fabric, it is harder than I thought to decide which to use. I have done some internet research on time periods for various ranges of fabric - some of the information is contradictory, and some of the ranges are hard to put into time periods. I have looked in my Barbara Brackman books which has been a little bit of a help, but I am a bit unsure what to do. I wonder if I should approach it from a different perspective and try and rule out anything post 1860s, and before say the 1840s.

OTOH, maybe I shouldn't be so picky, and just try to avoid the really obvious early prints like chintz, and the really late ones. But then I read that some prints like the rainbow prints make a comeback in the late 1800s. Any thoughts anyone?

I am also cursing myself because around the time I was making my last fabric purchase I saw the Civil War Anthem range at a very discounted price "somewhere", and do you think I can find it now? The perils of having about 60 online fabric stores in my Favourites! I need more fabric like a hole in the head, but I do love those purples and creams and blues with the red accent...

The socks continue - I have turned the heel on sock 2, and am just at the stage of picking up the stitches. I keep making mistakes with this sock, whereas the first one was perfect! But I sort of figure that it will be a much different sock to my first one, as I am doing a much tighter and more even job on this one. I will no doubt be wearing them around the house, so I am not worrying about pulling any of the knitting out. I am just fixing up the mistakes as best I can and keep on knitting. I'm not sure that I will be making too many more socks - I am pleased to know that I can do it, and have mastered the double point needles, but I think I would like to try something different for my next knitting project.

I thought I would put up a photo of my poor String quilt Flimsy that I made a few years ago (yikes!) considering the interest in string quilts lately. I made it after I bought Gwen Marstons Liberated String Quilts book. It is pieced from stash and 2 rolls of long plain offcuts that I bought el cheapo. They were the sides cut off the plain backings by a longarm quilter. I pieced the back last year, and really need to get it quilted. This photo was taken at my old house, and I have nearly lived here for 2 years!

Doonas

I have been working working working, and not really had much time to sew. I have started the 2nd sock, done a few hexagons, but that's it. I have the day off today so hoepfully I might get something done.

I was pleased to finish that sock - I'm not sure that I'll be making many more... Thanks for all the encouraging comments and assistance.

I was asked what a doona is. I think in the US you would call it a duvet? It is a feather and down quilt that you sleep under. Autumn is sort of here, which is a great relief. It is cool at night, but still 29 - 30 deg C during the day, but the dreadful humidity has gone. It's lovely really. Winters are quite mild here really, certainly no snow. Not even frost where I live.

No photos to share so I won't write reams and reams. Just checking in really. I am very behind on my blog reading, so I think I will be half the day at the computer catching up.

1st Sock Finished

Here you see my finished 1st sock. It is too big really, and the heel drops down lower than I think it should. Maybe this is because I have made it too long, or the needles are too big. Whatever - I now know that I can do it, so hopefully the 2nd one will be a bit tighter too, as I have a better grasp on the pointy needles. It looks a bit funny at the toe in the photo on the left, but is ok when on. I had 8 stitches on each of 2 needles at the end, and I did the 3 needle cast off. The stripes are groovy, so I will wear them with my slippers or something.

The weather has finally turned a bit cool which is such a relief. It is about 17 deg C - 27 deg C, which is very pleasant. I slept under the doona last night for the first time, and today I have dug some holes for trees without expiring from the heat. I would be very happy if the weather was like this all the time. It is quite windy though, and all the people on boats on the Bay for Easter probably had a miserable time.


I have been working on my hexagons a bit, the 4 patches and bits and pieces. The 2nd sock is next.

Tsunami Warning

We had a Tsunami Warning yesterday. Well I found out about it last night on the news, so luckily it came to nothing. A 10cm rise in sea levels apparently. I would have been washed away in my bed, fast asleep, with the beagle on the end! My land is 11 metres above sea level, but as I live in Moreton Bay, which is protected by islands, I'm sure I'm pretty safe.

Anyway, I've been awake since the Crack of Dawn - in fact before the COD - too much night duty. So I got up and sewed some 4 patches out of some of my new fabric, which I couldn't really afford. I have also reassessed my dodgy mathematics, and the size of the quilt, and have decided that I need 248 x 4 patch blocks. This may not be the case, but it is my latest estimate. I have them pinned in groups of 10, and find that I have 206. Pretty exciting stuff! I find it very hard to calculate how many blocks I need, as it is an on-point setting, but if I make 248, then I can always make some more later if I've stuffed it up. The blocks are very scrappy, so I wonder how it will turn out?

As for the other projects - the sock is up to the toe decreases, so I'll have to get onto it before I scare myself silly thinking about it. The current dilemma is when to start the decreases, but I sort of put it on the other day, and figure that my toes were sticking out about 2 inches, so I'll just have a go and hope it fits.

I have the knitting bug for sure - I made a cotton dishcloth yesterday. I have never used a cotton dishcloth, so I will test it out. I made it out of an abandoned crocheted UFO, so there is nothing to lose.

I tried to go all the way around the Q4P Ring this morning too, but after 2 1/2 hours I stopped before the end. I had a look at the list and there are over 70 members now, so sorry if I didn't get to you.

Otherwise all is quiet here. The weather is teasing us by 'marginally' cooling down, so hopefully it will not be long before you can do things without immediately breaking into a sweat. I have some trees to plant, but between the heat and the mossies, I have just been watering them every morning in their pots, and hoping they survive. Soon, soon...