Picnic Quilts...

I have two friends flying in today to visit me.  Only true friends would come all the way to Oklahoma so I figured they needed quilts!  I have been collecting denim for quite a while now thinking I would may 7 or 8 for friends and family.  Denim is kind of a pain to work with because it is soooo heavy.  This might be my limit.

Meet Jack.

He reallllly likes my quilt.  Thinks we are going on a picnic.

I'm also trying to use up my stash so I pieced the back as well.    Why is it that no matter how much fabric I use it never seems like I have less fabric on my shelves?  And I haven't been buying fabric in oh...so.... loooong.

Help!!! A Quilting Query

Can somebody help me figure this out? The math involved is hurting my brain...

I need to make some blocks that are the finished size of a rectangle that is 9" x 8 1/4", and their size before sewing them into the quilt top is 9 1/2" x 8 3/4". Make sense so far???

I would like these blocks to be like windmill blocks made out of 4 triangle-squares, or 8 half square triangles. So what size do I make the four units or the triangles? I realize that these are not squares...but it seems like you should be able to make them anyway from rectangular pieces. I am just a little stumped on the measuring part.

Is there a math wiz out there to help me? I hope this makes sense.

Thanks!