Quilting Tips and Tricks
The Improved "Snowball Trick"
The Snowball pattern looks like an octagon with four triangles sewn on the corners to make a square:
A few years ago, an idea surfaced to replace the octagon pattern with a square and replace the triangles with four squares. The small squares are sewn to the corners of the large square; sewing lines are drawn or eyeballed.
With Perfect Patchwork Templates, there is no more guessing where the sewing line should be. The corners of the right-triangle templates allow for perfect alignment on a square. Contact points and perfect 1/4" (6 mm) seams are the keys to accuracy.
Trim away the portion of the square that is just below the triangle, if you wish. In this book, this optional piecing technique is called "trick piecing."
Expanding
on a Good Idea. There are many other shapes where the Snowball
Trick can be used. Traditionally, they would require these odd-shaped
templatesÉ
Instead, use the "Snowball Trick" to trick-piece the appropriate triangle(s) to a square.
Excerpted from the Encyclopedia of Patchwork Blocks, Volume 2 published by Michell Marketing, Inc. ©1995 Martha G. Michell
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NOTE: Most of the instructional information and artwork shown is excerpted from my books. Like other published material, it is protected by copyright law, but you have my permission to print and download these materials for your own non-commercial use.