Tues Tutorial~ Half Square Triangle with Folded Corner Ruler

 When I bought this ruler about 6 years ago as a souvenir for our trip to Branson, I wasn't sure at all how to use it. The shop keeper was a good sales lady. She simply got me excited by telling me it would save so much time in making half square triangles. I was busy and in a hurry to get on down the road. The only question in my mind was, "How did you fold corners to make half square triangles?" When I got home, it went straight into the drawer, because I was making HSTs at the time. 

 

Recently, I have learned how to use this ruler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 First, you cut the width of strips that your HST is to be unfinished. So if I want a 2.5 inch HST, cut a strip 2.5 wide. Really no calculating required. That's quick. 

(I got a new mini ruler at a local quilt shop close out sale.  So I had to try it out with scraps.)

 

The sales lady was going to show me how to use it, but I just didn't have time. I told her I'd read the instructions. So months later, I pulled out the directions, read the first lines and told myself, that's not a short cut if I'm still drawing lines and the ruler is just used to cut. So I stashed it away and thought, "waste of money."

During the past week of my many hours of You Tube watching, I came across someone demonstrating how to use a popular brand name corner clipper ruler like this one.  Then the light bulb came on. Thought I'd give it a try.

First trim off the selvage edges to make a right angle straight edge. 

Align the bottom of the ruler along the bottom straight edge.

 Flip the ruler around, 

line up on the 2.5 inch line along the bottom edge of the strip.

Be sure to square the line going up the cut edge you just made (on right).

 The top flat edge also goes along the edge of the strip.

 Notice, NO PENCIL line is drawn.

 Then the clipped corners the ruler helped make,

 guide you in sewing the quarter inch seam

 using your favorite quarter inch foot or

 guide on your machine.

Then something that saves more time,

 is the fact you don't have to trim 

if you cut accurately and 

sewed the seam accurately.

 

Of course I can't throw away the scraps. 

They had to become a smaller HST for the scrap box.

 

The little one did take longer because I had to trim.

 So there is another HST technique to add to the 

Pieced Half Square Triangles Resources

I still don't understand why it's called

"Folded Corner"?

I never folded a corner?