Half Square Triangles...Do they scare you?

An Angel has visited the IHAN blog and the photos now appear before your very eyes.  THANK YOU Angel....I so needed you....gigantic hugs to you!!

Bias edges and weird half square triangles....not my cup of tea at all.  I have  avoided those like the
plague.   Do you do that too?  Blocks that wobble or are off kilter make me nuts when I'm trying to get a pattern to work out.  

I have discovered a way to make half square triangles and quarter square triangles that are a breeze.  The Square Me Up Ruler (SMUP) by Elisa Wilson at Elisa's Backporch Designs does the trick pretty darn easily if I don't say so myself.  The Square Me Up Ruler was designed to be used with 10" and 5" fabric squares to make half-square triangles.

For this demo I used this Life's A Hoot Layer Cake by ADORNit .  I folded one 10" square in half and finger pressed the crease in the middle.

After opening it back up I could see the crease and I lined up the SMUP withe the center line on the fold.

Then I marked the outside of the ruler on the wrong side of the fabric.  I used my new Sewline Air Erasable Pen too.  It makes a nice fine line....oh yeah....dark enough for this 47 year old chick-e-poo to still see it.

Nice line isn't it?  I have to admit, the older I get the darker I need the lines and the brighter I need the lights.

Next I took that block and placed it with right sides together on another 10" piece of my layer cake fabric.  Then I stitched on both sides of the line (1/4 " away).

Here you can see I have right sides together...and I stitched 1/4 inch away on both sides of the line.

This is a close up so you can see that I'm not just lying....I actually stitched a pretty good 1/4' away from the line didn't I?

Then, I put the SMUP back on the block and cut on the line.

Then it looked just like this.  Well, honestly....it didn't look like this....I had the 1/2 square triangles in a messy pile.  I took the time to straighten them up for the photo.  Didn't want you thinking your messy pile was messy and mine was neat and cute :)

Then I took another ruler and cut the remaining square into quarters as well.  I don't like to press seams on blocks because mine typically either stretch out or one side lays over the other.  So, I got smart and took my "roll-e tool" and rolled them to the one side before I set my iron on top of them to heat set the seam.

Mary Jane gave me my "Roll-e Tool" back in 09....I had her autograph it.  For those of you who can be as naive as me....this is not a sewing tool per se'.  I think it is for wall paper seams or something like that.  I'd be the one doing a Google search for "Roll-e Tool" and becoming very frustrated when it did not show up...LOL (I only wish I were kidding)

I ended up with 8 very nice 4 1/2" blocks....aint' they purdy?

Believe it or not I've had this Square Me Up Ruler since October 2010 when I met Elisa Wilson at Fall Quilt Market in Houston.  It's true.....I've known about it and it has sat right here in my Quilt Market file  next to my desk.  Will someone please tell me why it takes me so long to get the the good stuff? 

Here are some photos I took of Elisa's booth in Houston.

The quilt on the back wall is Fan Dance.  I think it is very unique and I like the colors Elisa choose.

Afternoon Delight is the quilt hanging behind Elisa's books, Crazy Curves Continues and The Melon Block.

And this pretty face belongs to Elisa Wilson, the wise woman who designed the Square Me Up Ruler.  The Christmas Tree she is holding was made from small half-square triangles using the SMUP.  If you want to see her video demos (they are excellent) you can click here.  There are a few on Elisa's Blog so be sure to scroll down to see each of them.

Elisa has a variety of  patterns that use some of her other templates and the arc on the SMUP is very handy for squaring those up too.  Can you believe I sat on this information since October?  What is wrong with me anyway? 

Speaking of Quilt Market....Spring Quilt Market is right around the corner in May.  I still have not committed to going for several reasons.  First, it falls on Zachary's birthday and I feel conflicted about being away for his 7th birthday.  Second, I can't believe how many more photos and great products I still have to share from Fall Quilt Market....do I dare go and take even more photos and feel guilty when I don't get to all of them right away?   

I know what Molly and Jake think...."ahhhh this cold tile floor feels great to take a nap on."

Smiles,

Kelly