Cutting trick

I've been looking for an easier way to cut the triangles for my Hourglass blocks. With my dodgy eyesight it gets to be a strain, cutting hundreds of triangle pairs . (801 blocks, 2 pairs per block.... I don't want to do the math on that) 

So I came up with a little guide to help me align the ruler for those diagonal cuts.

I layered 5 strips of masking tape, until it was the same height as my paired fabric squares. One strip went on the 45 degree line on the back of a little ruler. Another strip joined it at a right angle, 3.5" along that line. It took a few tries, but it wasn't hard to get it in the right spot. 

Then it was a simple matter of snugging the squares into that space and cutting. 

Perfect!! It was actually better than me judging it by eye. 

Of course I could use the Companion Angle ruler to cut triangles from 1.75"strips, but I like the speed of cutting 4 at once. I'll use both methods, after all I have strips in both sizes to use up. 

I want to cut a few every day, and accumulate a stockpile so I can have a big sewing day soon. My next big push will see me to the half way point, which will be exciting.