Favorite Quilting Tools

Do not wait;  the time will never be just right.  Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

Napoleon Hill

4 1/2" Easy Angle

Thearica over at Pigtails and Quilts put up a post about favorite quilting tools yesterday.  It of course has taken a while to get a post together but I am.  I've been thinking about making it a regular feature here for a while.  Since I, having been a quilter for so long, have an abundance of notions and gadgets that I could talk about.

My favorite tool hands down is the Easy Angle.  It was invented over 20 years ago by Sharon Hultgren.  She has invented a number of tools for quilters.  It was the first specialty tool I purchased.  I had a cutting mat, rotary cutter and a ruler or two that I had been using for a few years.  I think it was in 1992 she offered a class to quilting teachers in the Atlanta area and I was able to attend.  I had just began teaching quilting and was trying to learn as much as I could.  She was a wonderful teacher and the class included how to use her Easy Three, Easy Hexagons, Easy Six and Easy Eight tools as well.

The Easy Angle makes it possible to cut triangles from the same size strip that you cut squares.  You don't have to cut a strip that is 3/8" larger just for the triangles.  

Example: For Squares that finish at  2 1/2" you cut a 3" strip.
                  For Triangles that finish at 2 1/2" you cut a 3 3/8" strip.

The top of the tool is squared off so the 3/8" is eliminated.  The other point of the tool is colored dark for the 3/8" measurement.     You also are able to just cut the triangles.  There is no need to cut squares first and them cut them into half square triangles.

The 4 1/2" Ruler in the center of the picture above was her first one.  It only had the 1/2" marking grid.  She improved it within a couple of years to have the 1/4" grid marks.  It was also offered in the blue for a while.

6 1/2" Easy Angle

At some point she came out with the 6 1/2" version of the ruler.  I have two of these.  I keep one with my traveling supplies usually.

Easy Angle II

There is also the Easy Angle II.  It is a 10 1/2" version of the ruler and I really like to use it for cutting large triangles.

I looked on the web for instruction or a tutorial on using them that I could link to but haven't found one.  The one at the manufacturer's site doesn't have the pictures up.  I know Bonnie Hunter uses them on her quilts but the directions are embedded within her quilt patterns.

If you would like for me to make a tutorial on using it I will do that.  Just leave a comment about it and if enough of my wonderful followers are interested I'll put it together.  By the way I'm nearly to the 100 mark on followers and have something special in mind for you!

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