I need a 5in (or is it 5.5in) 60 deg diamonds

Give us the specifics of the block you want to make -- and one of us (I will) draft it in EQ and send you a copy of the templates!

You're such a good person, Kate. I have no idea what the question or the answer is. So lovely to know you're here. We're a good group, you know that? Polly

I'm like you Polly. Now just to wait for the answer.....

There are some templates here. They might be ok

This is a great tut on cutting diamonds for patchwork

Take a look at the 60 degree Clearview triangle rulers at . You can cut a diamond by cutting on folded fabric. These are available at various places online or at quilt shops. My local LQS ordered the Super 60 Combination ruler for me a couple years ago. I've used it several times, but haven't gotten to the project I ordered the ruler for :) The patterns in Sarah Nephew's book "Big Book of Building Block Quilts" require the ruler.

Julia > And I have no idea how to do this... I am seriously impaired in my ability

Hi Thanks all for trying to help. but none of my rulers have a 60 degree mark on them :( And the templates are too small. I dont know how to make them the right size. I need it to be 5 in (5.5in unfinished size) As I mentioned serious impairment in my abilty to visualize anything at all :(

Carissa

If the rulers have a 30° line (and most of them do) that is the equivalent of a 60° line, you just have to line it up on a vertical rather than a horizontal line (or the opposite, depending on which way you are working with it) - test it out on a piece of paper. . In message , Carissa writes

The Clearview Super 60 ruler that I mentioned earlier should work quite well. Find the line on the ruler that will result in half of the diamond of the size you want; then position that line on a fold and cut. It is available at various online merchants and possibly at your LQS. My LQS was able to order it for me.

Julia > Hi Thanks all for trying to help. but none of my rulers have a 60 degree

Carissa, you can make a paper template and tape it to the back of a ruler, with one edge along the edge of the ruler. To make a specific size template, when you have one which is not the right size, first use a ruler and draw a straight line on a piece of paper. This will be the center (longways) of your template. Lay your "wrong size but correct angle" template so that the skinny points are on the line, and carefully draw around one end and the sides there. Measure the finished length of your side. Draw a line perpendicular to the original line through the "side lines" you just made. This is the short center line. You can then either fold the paper exactly on this line and trace the rest of the finished size template, or lay your "wrong size" template down so that the sides of it meet the first half lines at the center, and the point is on the originally drawn line. When you have your finished size template drawn, carefully add a quarter inch seam allowance. You will find that this adds a lot more than half an inch to the length of the side because the seam allowances on the sharp angle end up being quite a bit longer. You can measure a quarter inch from the point and trim the excess if you wish.

H> Hi Thanks all for trying to help. but none of my rulers have a 60 degree

Howdy!

This is another reason I keep a few protractors around; I can mark those angles on my ruler, myself. A protractor is cheap, easy to find in most office supply, school supply, grocery & "drug" stores, easy to use, too. My handy protractor has helped make diamonds, fans, quilting lines. A few helpful lessons:

When you say 5 inches, do you mean that the sides of the triangle are 5 inches? (On a 60 degree triangle, all the angles are 60 degrees, and all the sides are the same size.)

Or do you mean that the triangle is 5 inches high? I've just finished the top of a quilt that used 60 degree angles a lot, and this is the way it was measured. It took some getting used to, but this way makes more sense.

On scratch paper as you're sitting looking at your computer. Draw a line, flat so it goes along the bottom of the paper. Now do your best to draw a triangle so the sides are the same size. Don't worry about getting it exact. You want one point to be pointing straight to the top of the page. The other angles should fall into place.

I'm telling you to do this exercise because I'm bad at visualizing too. If I have a drawing I can look at, even one that's not entirely correct, it makes a big difference to my ability to "see" what I'm talking about.

Now pick up a different colored pencil, or a pen if you were using pencil before. Draw a line from that top point straight down to the middle of the first line you started with. That's what I mean by the height of the triangle. Just look at that line. It should make things clearer.

Then look at the ruler here:

You don't have to buy that ruler. I just want you to look at it to help visualize. (I bought it and found it to be a big help. NAYY)

Now go back and answer the question about what the 5 inches means in your question. From there, I can continue the lesson.

--Lia