I really like to put quilts on point. The look really appeals to me. I like the look so much that when we tiled our home I had them put it on point.
It does involve a little math though. This math is based on the Pythagorean theorem. Which when I was in school I thought I would never use and thus did not pay much attention to. Not until helping my oldest with his math did I find the true value of this great theorem.
It states that squaring the two legs of a triangle and adding them together equals the hypotenuse squared. In other words
a2 + b2 = c2
When setting a quilt on point your legs are the same. 2a² =c² round up to the nearest measurement on your ruler. Then add 1" for seam allowance. Cut a square this size and cut on diagonal twice. This will give you your setting triangles. Example if your block finishes at 6". 2x6²= c² If you do the math you will get √72. This equals 8.49. Round to 9 and add your 1 3/4". Which gives you 11 3/4". Cut an 11 3/4" square and cut it on diagonal twice.
For your corners you go in reverse as the hypotenuse is our known number and we are trying to find our legs. c² = 2a². Using the same 6 would be c. So 6²= 2a². Which gives us 36 that we then divide by 2 giving us √18. Which equals 4.24. Round to 4.25 and add 1" for seam allowance. So cut a 5 1/4" square cut on diagonal once.
I understand that for some of you math may not be your strong point. No worries. Bonnie Hunter has a chart that gives sizes of blocks along with setting and corner triangles
here. Sorry if I confused you with all the math but I like to know why and how things work and thought there might be a few of you out there that would too.
Just a heads up next week we will have a link up and giveaway. If you have used a tutorial you have found here be prepared to link up and win a chance for your choice of one of my patterns in pdf format.
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