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Have You Ever Been Hit With A Snowball?
Greetings!
Finley A Question!

On September 16, 2021 I asked what would you like to know from Ruth and I. One request was made! Yea! If you would like a question answered, please send me an email and we will get it answered as soon as possible.
My Snowball Blocks Don't Look Right! What's Wrong?

Corner triangles are hard to get exact. [Please, pardon the understatement]. It is less noticeable when you have one corner triangle that doesn't match to anything. It is another matter when you have multiple corners, as with a square-in-a-square, which has four corner triangles. Also complicating the look of a block is the blocks that it is assembled next to. However, when you get to eight corners, as in a snowball,...well, fudging doesn't work!

A snowball is an octagon, or eight sided pentagon. The four sides are the same size. The four diagonal sides are the same size. All angles are equal. The first time I saw a perfect snowball was in Ruth's "Bow Tie's Star." There she was focusing on the stars made by snowballs with sashing. This quilt is shown above. [Please note that this is an actual quilt and not a software rendition in order to get it right.]

How Did Ruth Do It?

The technique is simple and repeatable, even by me!

You see, two years earlier she invented the Perfect Corner Ruler to make corner triangles correctly - and exactly - saving time and fabric. Then, driving back from a show in Santa Clara, California, we outlined and wrote "Drawing The Line On Accuracy" which told, not only how the Ruler was to be used, but also how to design your own blocks!
In the book on pages 13 - 14 she addresses the creation and design of snowballs. At the end of page 14 she states: "Traditional Snowball blocks have a center that is an octagon. It is not however an equilateral octagon; as the four angled edges are longer than the top, bottom & two side edges. 

"Traditional Snowball blocks are designed to have the three sections on a side be equal in size. This allows a Nine-Patch block if placed beside it to have its seams match up."
This quote is followed by a table, shown right, of possible unfinished block sizes. [Please excuse the missing horizontal lines.]

Of course, the "Unfinished Block Width" is the size of the finished block plus 1/2".

The "Sewing Line" is the size of a leg of the corner triangle as measured from the corner to where the sewing is to start on the diagonal. In other words, using the "Flip & Sew" technique for corner triangles, it is the size of the corner square.

As a result, if you are interested in getting a perfect looking snowball quilt, invest in the "Mastering Perfect Corners" combo which has the Perfect Corner Ruler as well as the "Drawing The Line On Accuracy" for $14.95 US.

I must apologize. I did not intend to use this Q&A for sales. However, I know that I could not do a snowball without the Perfect Corner Ruler.
May The Lord Richly Bless You!
Rick & Ruth Grihalva
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