How to cut diamond shapes?

I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette

Lynette, since you asked so nicely, I hate to do this - but I'm wondering if
I can talk you out of making stars with diamonds? Diamonds are mean, nasty,
onerous, and cantankerous.They can (and will) stretch on all four sides plus
horizontally and vertically. They don't like to be handled.
You might want to get a few more quilts "under your belt" before you
take on diamonds. There are so many beautiful blocks you can enjoy while you
improve your quilting skills, including lots of ways to make stars without
having diamonds to deal with.
These thoughts are not meant to discourage you. I would just like to
keep you a happy quilter. Go look at
http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html to see enough fun stuff
to get you a little further down the quilting road.
Polly

lynette wrote in message
om...
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette

Polly --

Wow, I think you will be getting major enabling points because of this. I
must go stash shopping again!! I found so many blocks I would love to try.

Love in Stitches,

Coleen
(going to bed now -- good night all, wonder if I will dream about quilts)

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
hlink.net...
These thoughts are not meant to discourage you. I would just like to
keep you a happy quilter. Go look at
http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html to see enough fun
stuff
to get you a little further down the quilting road.
Polly

Look at your 6" x 24" ruler. There are lines on it indicating 45, 30
and 60 degree angles. Keep that in mind. We'll come back to them.

Now cut your fabric into long strips on the grain. Just so you
understand the basic concept, choose the 45 degree angle. Place that
line on the top of your strip. Now cut along the edge of the ruler.
Move your ruler along the strip and do it again. Look at the piece
you've cut out. You have a diamond! Eight of them will fit together
into a star.

What you don't have is a perfectly measured diamond. I'll let the books
explain that, but I wanted you to understand the idea before letting you
get bogged down in how big to cut them.

--Lia


lynette wrote:
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette

Hello lynette,
Do you have a a particular star block in mind. Each pattern you use
may require a different technique to make the star points. give us a
bit more information and I am sure we can all help you out.
Julasb (who loves to make star blocks)


lynette wrote:
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette


--
come and journey with me...
from darkness into New Life
http:\\www.nwlife.com

If you don't have much experience, it's lots easier to do an 8-point star in
HST (half-square triangles). To make a star block, you need 16 squares, 4X4.
Cut 4 squares each of your star fabric and background. Make them about an
inch bigger than you want the final square to be. Draw a diagonal line on
the back of each lighter square. Layer a star fabric and a background right
sides together. Sew 1/4" away from each side of this line. Cut along the
line to make 2 pieced squares. Press seams to the dark side. Use a bias
square ruler to trim these squares to 8 perfect HSTs. Cut 4 squares the same
size of each fabric. Find a picture of an 8-point star, and you will see how
the squares need to go together.
Roberta in D

"lynette" wrote in message
om...
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette

So glad you enjoyed Marcia's site. I go there when inspiration is absent
from my head. I always find more than I really needed. Polly

Coleen wrote in message
...
Polly --

Wow, I think you will be getting major enabling points because of this. I
must go stash shopping again!! I found so many blocks I would love to
try.

Love in Stitches,

Coleen
(going to bed now -- good night all, wonder if I will dream about quilts)

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
hlink.net...
These thoughts are not meant to discourage you. I would just like to
keep you a happy quilter. Go look at
http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html to see enough fun
stuff
to get you a little further down the quilting road.
Polly

I tried the diamond thing this week for practise. I had no trouble following
the directions to cut it but getting the points sewn just right was a pin in
the #$%^. Guess thus new quilter is not quite ready yet for diamond
piecing--but I will tackle that again later!

--
Kathy in CA
Quilting Stuff:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/kathys1068


"lynette" wrote in message
om...
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette

Yes Polly, I agree. Diamonds are truly difficult. A bit of starch can help
keep them civilized. Also Marti Mitchell has a wonderful method of making
diamonds. I used it for my Storm-at-Sea quilt and it was so easy to use.
http://www.frommarti.com/storm.html

Cheri
On Vancouver Island, Canada

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Lynette, since you asked so nicely, I hate to do this - but I'm wondering
if
I can talk you out of making stars with diamonds? Diamonds are mean,
nasty,
onerous, and cantankerous.They can (and will) stretch on all four sides
plus
horizontally and vertically. They don't like to be handled.
You might want to get a few more quilts "under your belt" before you
take on diamonds. There are so many beautiful blocks you can enjoy while
you
improve your quilting skills, including lots of ways to make stars without
having diamonds to deal with.
These thoughts are not meant to discourage you. I would just like to
keep you a happy quilter. Go look at
http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html to see enough fun
stuff
to get you a little further down the quilting road.
Polly

lynette wrote in message
om...
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 19/08/2003

I agree Kathy...after having my Storm-at-Sea quilt half pieced I finally
found the answer for pinning those darned points. First pin through the
points (to get them lined up). Then use 2 pins and pin closely on either
side of the point and then take out the centering pin. (I hope this makes
sense). Voila...all points now match perfectly instead of having to reverse
stitch and re-sew 50% of the buggers.

Cheri
On Vancouver Island, Canada

"Kathy in CA" wrote in message
...
I tried the diamond thing this week for practise. I had no trouble
following
the directions to cut it but getting the points sewn just right was a pin
in
the #$%^. Guess thus new quilter is not quite ready yet for diamond
piecing--but I will tackle that again later!

--
Kathy in CA
Quilting Stuff:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/kathys1068


"lynette" wrote in message
om...
I'm new to quilting I've done a 9 patch and square in square lap
quilts, but I'd really love to try a star and I can't figure out how
to cut the diamond right. Can someone help me? please......
Lynette




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 19/08/2003