Tuesday Tool

But first:

Thank you, Noelle!

I joined a new class today at High Country Quilts,  "Crazy for Wool."  Each season, we will make a "table topper" quilt.  Here is the first one, for Spring:

More details to follow as the project progresses.  But first (really!) -- our clever teacher, Joyce, demonstrated a nifty new tool for squaring up half-square triangles.  The HSTs in the pinwheels for this quilt are 1 1/2".  The designer calls for making them a little larger and trimming them to size.  Enter, the Bloc Loc:

See that blurry line across the middle of the template?  It's a channel that rests on top of your seam and holds the ruler perfectly in place while you trim two sides.  Then, rotate the block and the ruler, and:

Trim the other two sides.  I thought maybe it would show up better on the pink mat.  The Bloc Loc comes in several sizes, and they even make one for the dreaded Flying Geese.  Click here to go to the Bloc Loc website and watch their video of how to use this great new tool.

In no time, I had a pile of perfectly trimmed HSTs.  Thanks, Joyce!

Tune in tomorrow to see what happens next.