Bloc-Loc rulers and a copycat

I love my Bloc-Loc rulers.  The ones I have are for trimming HST (Half Square Triangles) and Flying Geese.  As you can see I have 3 sizes for the HST and two for the Flying Geese. What's great about these is that they have a carved area along the diagonal and it locks into your seam, letting you trim your blocks without slippage.  I know they make other rulers too, but these are all I have.

I was  working on a block that called for a 6 1/2" HST.  And as I was trimming it I wished I had a Bloc-Loc that size.  Then a brilliant idea occurred to me.  

I've used layers of blue tape on my sewing machine as a fabric guide, why not make a diagonal ridge on my 6 1/2 square ruler?  Instead of using blue tape, I decided to try some clear medical tape.  It comes in a dispenser like Scotch tape.  The extra bonus is that the non-sticky side is rough and has a non-skip aspect to it.  I only had to build up 3 layers to have enough of a ridge.  Didn't have to go all the way from edge to edge either.  I can see through the type, the ridge locks into my seam and the non-skid surface helps keep the square in place while I'm trimming.  YEA!

 

Pressing Direction

When we learned to sew garments, we were taught to press our seams open.  We also use a 5/8" seam allowance.  

In Quilting we're taught  to "press to the dark" side.  This does two things.  First you are less likely to see the seam from the front if the seams are press under the dark fabric as opposed to the lighter one.  Second, when joining units or blocks together, the seams "kiss" or link together nicely making a more accurate and flatter junction.

There's ALWAYS an exception.  Look at the two blocks below.  Can you see a difference?

The block on the left has the seams pressed toward the red square.  Whereas the block on your right, has the seams pressed toward the blue border.  With the left block the red square stands out from the blue background.  On the other (right) the red square recedes behind the blue background.  It depends on the look you want a block to have as to which direction you choose to press your seams.

Quilters generally press their seams to one side.  Although in more recent years, there's a tendency to press seams open.   I personally like to press my seams to one side.  There is less of a chance to see stitches when they're pressed to one side.  Plus and more importantly, you can butt (or "kiss") your seams together when joining blocks or pieces of a block.

There is ALWAYS an exception.   There are times when you have 6 to 8 seams coming together in one spot and the bulk of seams pressed to one side makes a lump.  By pressing your seams open, you elevate some of this bulk and get a flatter connection.  Most of the seams in this block by Amanda Herring are pressed to one side.  The seams connecting the units are all pressed open making the two halves much easier to join.

Direction matters when ripping out a seam as well as pressing it.   Most of us know that ripping out the bobbin thread generally is easier than ripping out the top thread.  But have you ever noticed that some times you find ripping out is easier than at other times?   I find it is easier to rip starting at the end where I stopped sewing rather than at the starting point.  Honestly, most times I can't remember which direction I sewed a seam by the time I start ripping it out.  But if it's not ripping out easily, I turn it and start at the other end.  It's like the serged seams in clothing.  You get it started at the correct end and you can pull one thread and the whole seams comes apart just like that (snap).  Unfortunately, regular seams don't come apart that easily, but direction does make a difference.