January 2009 Cutting Error

[Margo]

Well, I seem to have a few HST left...

Hmmmmmmmmm. January didn't have directions for any HSTs!! Save them....you may be able to use them like they are or cut them down for some of the units next month!

[Nfiegirl]

Opps! Can you tell I'm a newbie..I didn't mean HST..what I have left is the 2 1/2 squares cut in half...

[Margo]

Opps! Can you tell I'm a newbie..I didn't mean HST..what I have left is the 2 1/2 squares cut in half...

Gotcha! Hang on to them if you want to use all your bits and pieces and you can work them into some of the later blocks!

[Margo]

I made a mistake on one of my paperpiecings and snipped off a little too much of a corner triangle. Of course, it was the first white triangle on the paperpiecing to be sewn and I didn't realize it until AFTER the whole unit was paperpieced. Will there be enough material in the kit to recreate that unit? I prewashed all the fabric and am sweating having enough material, having never purchased a kit before. Seeing as how we can't see each month's cutting directions all at once makes me nervous of running out of fabric and how to cut some of the fabric, like the big squares and such.

[Margo]

Bonnie, Sue was generous with her yardage requirements and I think that you will be fine if you go ahead and re-make your unit!

[sewbearnuts]

Hi all - am ready to start my BOM and had to enlarge the piecing templates a teeny bit to get to the right scale - in doing so, one page, with the larger "feathered" triangles didn't entirely print on the page, so I just thougth I'd draw in the missing lines. Something caught my eye, and that was the "right-angled" corner of the triangle is not a perfect right angle! Does this have any impact on the accuracy of the paper piecing?

I have been playing with this block and quilt in EQ6 for fabric/colour ideas, and guess that's why I noticed this line was "off" a bit as in EQ6 these corners are all an exact right angle. I will take a picture of what I'm talking about , taken from the downloaded .pdf and put in in my profile photos.

I haven't noticed anyone else noticing this, so am hoping it doesn't affect the accuracy of the piecing...and I see many lovely and precise blocks in "show 'n tell"!

[Margo]

Hey Pat....what PDF page was that template on? Let me re-print mine and check that out. I haven't heard anyone else notice something not square, I also haven't heard anyone say that the templates didn't all fit on the printed page. :?

[sewbearnuts]

Hi Margo - it's the large "feathered" triangles on page 3 & 4 of the template pages (There are 4 of them total). I took a picture and put on my profile pics with an "arrow" pointing to the slight variation from a right angle.

This photo is the "original" page I printed off my printer, so it would NOT have been affected by me enlarging it a bit, later, for my paper templates.

I had to increase my "templates" by 4% to get it to the right scale (the little 1" square that is on page one) and I guess because of the margin settings on my printer, some of the outside lines didn't print (most of the page was fine) so I just started to accurately draw in the "missing" lines and that's when I noticed the corner of that triangle, is not an accurate 90 degrees - you can see this with the Omni ruler laid on top in the photo.

I hope this isn't too confusing... I was just wondering a bit about it and if it would affect the accurate piecing later...as I said before, the same "triangle" done in EQ6 seems to be a perfect 90 degrees (right angled) at the corner.

[Margo]

WOW! Pat, good catch!! I don't think anyone else has spotted that, and apparently it's such a small error that everyone has been able to compensate because it's on the outside edge of the block. I suggest that you line up your ruler with the straight seam between the "feathers" and the W-10 shape and true up that outside edge. That should take care of it. I will get a note off to Sue so they can correct the PDF file for future downloads. Thanks so much for letting us know!
As for the shapes printing off the page, that puzzles me. I just re-printed all of the foundation patterns and everything fit on my pages just fine. I hope you are able to fill in the blanks!!
Or, you might try reprinting your patterns and when you choose your printing options, select NOTE when it asks you about changing the scaling of the print out. Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your block!

[sewbearnuts]

No problem Margo - glad it will help perhaps make the pattern more accurate - but as you say, with a little "give & take" on the block, it maybe didn't affect too many quilter's BOMs.

Sorry if I confused you re: printing my templates - it wasn't that went off the page but, "margin settings" in my print program just prevented a few lines from being printed on the page, of one the triangles after I had to enlarge it by 4% to get the right scaling for my printer.

I have adjusted the 4 triangles (to right angles), drawn in the missing lines (next time I'll know to adjust the printer margins!) and cut the paper pieces and laid them out - and all looks great as far as accurately fitting - now if I can just finally decide which stash fabrics to use - it's a GO!

[doglover]

I just started working on my feathered star tonight and noticed the same problem with the 10-w pieces. Am glad someone else spoke up about it. Margo, do you know when the .PDF might be fixed? Maybe I will wait and reprint those before I start sewing.
Thanks,
Sandy

[Margo]

Sandy, you can easily "fix" your printed patterns by just squaring up the flared side with the seam between the "feathers" and the W-10 shapes. Because it's on the outside edge of the block the extra fullness will ease in when the setting triangles are added.
Sue is aware and will get corrections to the TQS gurus ASAP.
However she did say that she has made 4 stars using the patterns as they are and she didn't even notice the error, and because 131 blocks have already been posted in the Show & Tell link apparently it's not a huge issue, but it will be taken care of now that she is aware.
I think this also shows that even though this is a design that calls for precision, mistakes can be worked out!
WE CAN DO THIS!

[Margo]

I have printed out 3 sets of patterns and mine are all fine :shock:
BUT, if your printer rolls the paper in uneven it will make a differense, the same if your paper is not put into the printer in the correct way
My patterns are printed out on my printer at home and one of the printers at work, the quality between them was different...my homeprinter did the best job...so if the pattern has an error I know my printer fixes it easily :lol: :P

[doglover]

Sounds good. Thanks so much Margo. This is only my second attempt at paper piecing, so just wanted to make it as easy as possible on myself. Thought maybe that might be why some people were not ending up with a square block. Anyway, as you say, it can be easily corrected. Thanks again! (Don't know why I keep proscratinating on this -- guess I'm just a little intimidated -- I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist.)

[kfstitcher]

I have done almost no previous paper piecing and my block went together with really easily. It is 15 1/2 inches and everything fit together right so I don't think you will have any problem with the pattern.

Karen