Cutting Diamonds

45-degree diamonds

Some of the ladies in my class needed a bit more direction when making 45 degree diamonds for the Sugar Loaf block we are making, so I thought I'd share with you how I make them. First, you need to know how big the diamond will be in order to make the diamond. For our example, we're going to make 3" unfinished diamonds.

Sugar Loaf
(Apologies for the poor photography.)

First, cut your strip 3" wide. How long a strip will be is determined by how many diamonds you need. One 3" diamond takes about 5" of the strip, so multiply x 5 or slightly longer to get the length you'll need.

Next, line up the 45-degree line along the edge of the strip. It's hard to photograph a white line on a white background, so I moved it down so you can see it. That is the line you need to line up to the edge of the strip.

Yes, your acrylic ruler has a lot of lines on it!

Then, with your 45-degree line on the straight edge, and the regular edge that you're used to cutting against lined up with the tip of the strip, cut off a triangle to form the edge to measure your diamond from.

See the triangle at the top? That needs
to come off so you can start cutting diamonds.

Now you can line up the 3" mark on the diagonal to make your cut on the diagonal to get your perfect 45-degree diamond.

Line up the normal edge of the ruler with the diagonal line
and the 45-degree line along the edge of the strip to get your perfect diamond.

As always when working with bias edges, take basic precautions. Start by starching the fabric to hold its shape when cutting and sewing. And always handle the pieces gingerly. Once those edges stretch, you'll be cutting them again.