diamond in a rectangle

Draw it and paper piece it, Sunny. Any shape will come out just fine with this method. You could do it on a fabric foundation, too - no removing. Wish I was there to show you! Draw it anyway, to get the sizes (so you can do it without a foundation if you want to) - don't forget the seam allowances. . In message , Sunny writes

Dang, Patti, I wish you were here to show me too! I will give it a shot here. I think I have something to trace and I'm going to give it a shot. Paper piecing is a method I would never have thought of. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sunny

It'll work like a dream, Sunny. You'll be making them all over the place it will be so easy!! Have fun. . In message , Sunny writes

Get out paper, pencil, straight edge, and scissors! Draw it on the paper at the exact finished size you want. Cut the pieces. Now you have your template, with the outside edges being the actual sewing lines. You can now proceed with paper piecing. Or, lay those templates on another sheet of paper, add 1/4" all around, cut those new slightly-larger pieces, and you have your templates with the seam allowance added.

Paper piece it. Draw your diamond in a rectangle, add seam allowance around it. I usually make oversize "templates" (with about 3/8" seam allowance instead of quarter inch) to cut my fabric pieces roughly to shape. Saves fabric and is easy to line up the angles, and I can cut my outside triangles with straight grain around the outside of the block. (I actually cut rectangles and cut them in half. Be sure to cut some right side up and the other half right side down to get the mirror image triangles you need. ) By using a paper foundation, the bias edges are a bit more stable and you get accurate blocks. (I am working on a quilt using this type of block right now.... Thought about cutting and piecing but decided that PFP would be better in the long run, lots less problems. )

If you do decide to just cut and piece, a couple of suggestions.

1. Starch is your friend for all those bias edges. Heavy starch to help stabilize the edges. Before you cut.
2. Cut your triangles a bit large. That way you can trim to size and have them all perfect. (even if you have to resew some of them a couple of times and so on. )

Have fun, Pati, in Phx

Sunny wrote:

I believe the unit you want is one found in Storm at Sea.

Do you see the way there's a diamond inside a rectangle that's combined with squares in squares? I believe that's what you want. I asked a similar question a long while ago, and the answer disappointed me. You have to paper piece or use templates. There's no easier way. I'd been hoping for some nifty trick, some special ruler, that would have me churning them out.

Here are web pages that might help:

--Lia

Many thanks to everybody. Lia, thank you for the links. I printed off a zillion copies of Storm at Sea diamonds (they're perfect) and I'm on my way. I really never thought about paper piecing. It makes the sewing really easy. I will definitely try drafting my own in the future.

Sunny