I haven't tried uploading a picture before so bear with me if this does not work.
These are the 9-patch blocks I have made so far. Each lot is made with different machine setup. The only thing that is consistent is the cutting. They are all cut the way Sally Collins shows in her video i.e. the fabric edge visible between the broken line on the ruler.
As you can tell this is going to be a rather "wild" sampler quilt but who cares

Marianne

Marianne I think you're probably right about handling very off grain fabric. That would also be a problem but at least it would be cut without a V. I don't remember ever having fabric so very off grain to begin with.

This "V" discussion is very interesting. OK so you say that having the fold absolutely at 90 degrees to the cut is the most important thing to bear in mind but if the strips are not cut on grain won't it be even more difficult to piece them accurately? I noticed that when I tried recently to piece some blocks using a charm pack that was rather skewed even the 9 patch blocks I made that used the full 5" because they were going to be cut up into disappearing 9 patch blocks were difficult to keep nice and square. I have also tried making HST from the same charm pack and they too were very difficult for me to handle when I started to sew them together. I know I'm very aware of grain because I make clothes. If the blocks are not on grain won't that make quilting more difficult?
I have also observed that even though I lined my 15" square ruler up with a pulled thread cut that it was almost impossible to cut strips that were on grain. Maybe the fabric I buy is not a very good quality.
I have finished all the 9-patches I am going to make for now and will post a photo later tonight. It is great fun to see how we all tackle this challenge and look at the photos posted here.
Better go and make some dinner now so I can watch the new video tonight .
Marianne

Ritzy, I do keep notes because I would never remember what I liked and I would have to reinvent the wheel... I used to forget where I put them because they were never consistently in the same place so I opened up a notebook in OneNote, Microsoft software that is compatible with Outlook and Microsoft Word. It allows me to take notes, organize them into chapters, if I want to, I can take a screen clipping from the Internet or copy a picture into it and it will automatically provide me the URL information where the item came from (all I have to do is click on the URL in OneNote and it takes me right back to where the item came from on the Internet. It also has a search function so that, if I only remember that the entry had, lets say, "Ritzy" and "BOM", for example in it, I will get a list of every entry I made in my notebook that has "Ritzy" and "BOM". So, I don't have to be organized if I don't want to and I've been able to find everything easily. It has become my quilting diary and everything I learn and write in it I can refer back to. The best part is that when I type, the information is automatically saved in the notebook--I don't have to remember to save.

Renata--what ever it takes to get the job done. There is always more than one way to do something and if you keep notes about how you like to them--it will make it easier the next time.

Norma, yours is a different take on how to do it and I thank you for the pictures--it makes sense and I am going to give it a try. You never know when trying something different ends up working better for you. I really appreciate your taking the time to take pics (I am pretty eclectic in my learning style and a visual usually cinches it for me.

I tried Laura's method of doing the HST by drawing a straight line down the middle and using the side of the 1/4" patchwork foot to line it up to the center line. Despite my best efforts, the line I sewed was not straight enough for me. So I ripped it out. You can see in the photo (if you enlarge it by clicking on it) the difference between where the holes are and where I subsequently drew the line I was going to stitch on.



So, rather than getting frustrated, I pulled out my handy-dandy June Tailor HST ruler... line up the two angles of the square--there's a space where you insert the pencil and draw the line on both sides of the center line and then you can stitch right on the line rather than winging it. Afterwards, on the other side of the ruler, you line up the stitching lines on the dotted lines and there is a slit where you can put your rotary cutter and cut the two HSTs apart. Oh, yes, and after all that, you go to the middle of the ruler, line up the square and trim! I like that!!!

{!-- ia0 -->HST June Tailor.JPG{!-- ia0 -->

I think it's good to understand Laura's methodology for prepping the HSTs and sewing them. However, I got done a whole lot faster by having the lines to stitch on rather than parallel to. My HSTs are all done. Now I still have to piece them together into a block.

It's lunchtime!!!

Renata wrote:
So glad to hear this.
I don't have time now for reading all the posts but actually I took pictures this afternoon.
I'm cutting a polyester (wild) fabric on the true bias, so it's not the easiest job. It a wide fabric so I folded it more than once. You should focus on the lines on the ruler. It was perfect when I saw it with my eyes, but especially the left line seems a bit distorted on the photo. I cut several 3/4" strips and there are no V's. You can see below the ruler what I cut off before making the strips.

Hooray!!

HOORAY !!

Thank you, Marilyn and Karen. BTW, I just cut the fabric for my pinwheels: NO "V"!

idaho wrote: I agree with you. I think being lined up exactly straight on the line with your fold is the thing,

Concerning the dreaded "v "....I've always taught my beginners to fold by matching selvages, if possible, then pressing
smoothly. Using your ruler, line up EXACTLY on the fold and make the clean- up cut. Do not pick up the fabric !
but turn the mat . reposition and cut strip...always checking to see that the fold is on the line. AND cut the longest
strip possible...that is..don't make multiple folds unless you absolutely have to do so. We all get a " v" once in a while !
So then I feed my scrap bin ! Hope this is clearer than mud ! PS: I don't agonize over the SOG so much....
It's more about having the 90 degree angle at the fold ! being perpendicular with the cut. Starch is not going to effect that at all.
I check every couple of cuts, too.

Nancy, thanks for the comment. I actually had done everything you said when I prepared my fabric for cutting. I think you may be right that the starch may be getting in the way of seeing the diagonal waves in the fabric because when I let the fold hang and moved the selvages left and right, the bottom fold looked straight to me and I still got the "V". I'm going back and trying again with the pinwheels without starching the fabric this time. But, since I do like starch, I'm still going to have to figure out how to get it right with starch. Thanks!!!