My block share for the week is 450 half-square triangles for custom twin and lap quilts. They are all trimmed. Since the only one who volunteered to come over for an afternoon to help me trim them was my sister who lives 1500 miles away, I had to trim them all by my lonesome! {GASP!}
I have begun keeping track of every minute I put into a project. If you don't want to be in for the shock of your life, don't do it. Really, don't do it; it can be very disheartening if you are looking to put a dollar figure on your time. With my 6.5" Bloc Loc ruler and rotating mat, I got it down to 15 seconds to trim each HST and have officially achieved the "AAA Professional" rating in trimming HSTs!
Bloc Loc's are the most useful rulers in my collection, other than the 5" x 24" and 3.5" x 18" rulers that I use all of the time. The groove on the bottom of the Bloc Loc ruler nests against the seam of the HST block and keeps the ruler from slipping as the block is cut and the mat is turned.
Bloc Loc's are often sold in sets of several sizes, and I'll let you in on a secret - you really don't need all those sizes! In fact, in my opinion, the littlest ones aren't really safe because your fingers end up so close to the edges where the rotary blade is cutting. I have two sizes - the 4.5" and the 6.5" - and these two sizes work great for all blocks 6.5" and less.
To trim a block that is smaller than the ruler size, line up the ruler as usual, trim the first two sides, rotate the mat 180 degrees, slide the ruler down so the two cut edges line up with the markings for the measurement of the block, and trim the other two sides.
With the money you save by buying less Bloc Loc's, you can invest in a rotating mat, which I consider a required companion to the Bloc Loc rulers. If you have a need for tools to trim HSTs, here are some great buys on supplies, though the Bloc Loc's seem to rarely go on sale:
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5 comments :
I have looked hard at the block-loc rulers and would like to have a couple. I'm glad to know you recommend them. Perhaps its time to make the commitment to an actual purchase.
Congrats on your "AAA Professional" rating! lol! I need to get me a bloc loc ruler, but instead I just try to avoid HSTs! Not the best method I know, and most of the time it doesn't work out very well. Great post today!
Enjoyed my visit - Thank you for hosting!
I bought a 6.5" bloc_lok a few months ago - one of my best purchases ever! I tried using it with a rotating mat and I didn't like the mat. I've found that I can just rotate the ruler and the block stays locked in place and turns as well. I agree that the smaller rulers are unnecessary. I've been trimming 2-1/2" blocks today and my bigger ruler works just fine.
Anyone contemplating quilting for a living should keep track of their time on several projects to get a sense of how long it really takes to make a quilt. It is a good thing to share with your clients, too. I've done my share of trimming 100's of HST and I doubt I ever achieved 15 seconds per HST. I am impressed.
~ Gwyned
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