A Shameful Confession

I have a confession to make. A rather shameful one as it turns out. Are you ready for it?

I can't quick piece QSTs (Quarter Square Triangles).

Did you get that?

I CAN'T quick piece QSTs.

Shameful, especially for one whose blog profile says that said blogger is a quilter.

I mean, I can sew them. But they never turn out the correct size.

I get the maths and everything. I mean it's not that hard and I did do maths at Uni. I can work all that out okay.

And I get that 1/8" out in the cutting and then 1/8" out in the sewing multiplied by the number of seams to be sewn can add up to a big difference so I try REALLY HARD for precision in both cutting and piecing. I even used imperial rulers (my second language having been brought up on metric) and my 1/4" foot on my sewing machine, but I still can't get my QST's to end up the same size.

Case in point:

 

I'm not sure if my HSTs (Half Square Triangles) are any better. Since there's less sewing, there's a good chance that they are close to the desired size, and the only problem I've encountered so far with them is that they are larger than required but that's because I cut the triangles larger (can't remember now if it was on purpose or by accident) so I've had to trim them down.

It's not as if it's a difficult block. The Ohio Star is the second block I ever pieced - by hand - and this is simply a variation of that block. And it's such a pretty block. The quilt I saw online from which I've taken my inspiration is absolutely stunning. Stunning.

Unlike my attempt.

However all is not lost. I can drag out my trusty template plastic and pencil and use that tried and true method. It will just take longer. But I think the results will be worth it.

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