Get Easy 1/4″ Seams with Bloc Loc
Do you struggle with your seams? My 1/4” seam is never quite as perfect as I’d like it to be. When sewing half square triangles it’s particularly noticeable. That means my points get sewn into the seam and it doesn’t look very nice.
I’m pretty firmly in the ‘Finished is better than perfect’ camp BUT there’s nothing wrong with trying to improve your skills as you go! To help me in the ‘finished and close to perfect’ journey I deploy Bloc Loc rulers!
Bloc Loc Rulers come in a huge range of sizes and shapes. Today I’m going to show you the Bloc Loc HST Ruler type for this block.
Today we’re going to do a bit of a comparison of a half square triangle block that I created without a Bloc Loc ruler, and one I created with a Bloc Loc ruler! It’s kind of a ‘This is your sewing. This is your sewing on bloc loc’ side by side!
You can follow along with my instructions on how to use Bloc Loc using my example below.
In the picture below, I’ve got 2.5” charm squares and I’ve marked them down the centre then 1/4” on either side.
Next, I pair them up and then sew them on the outside lines. In the example below, I cut down the centre to get a total of 2 hst sets per pair.
Then, I give them a press open and to the dark side. I use the Bloc Loc ruler to align the center groove on the center seam. It will literally lock right on!
You can really see that the edges are beyond the 2” lines. Next, I’m going to trim on one side, and then rotate everything and slide down to trim the other edge.
Next, I sew all 4 of them together!
In the picture below, you can see the big difference a Bloc Loc ruler makes! The top set I didn’t trim. You can see that the points don’t match nicely, it’s over sized, and just looks messy.
Do you see how perfect the center of the bottom set is? Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Are Bloc Loc rulers worth the investment? Absolutely! I love little tools that make a big difference in my sewing. You should give these rulers a try – they (and you!) are well worth the investment. They are one of the best quilting rulers hands down.
Happy stitching!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Brassens
