1416 ... Not the Year.....HST’S

I can  not tell a lie...

There are ALOT of HST's

1416 - 1.5"  Half square triangles to be exact.

I am not a huge fan of trimming

 but

 it sure does make a difference in the final construction. 

STEP 1

Treat yourself right and change your blade...

Your body and mind will thank you. 

Trust me. 

It's a simple joy in quilting. 

Some tools of the trades that can make this process easier....

 Blocloc Rulers 

Check them out here on how to use.... 

 For small squaring, I really love my rotating mat

Insert a really good Netflix serries here......

You can also use a regular ruler so no pressure. 

(oh my..... I really need to clean my mat)

 

You will simply line the 45 degree line up to the center of the HST 

and

square to 2" x 2"

There are so many ways to eat this elephant! 

Let's start with MY favorite way to do them. 

16 HST's at a time. 

You will need

 1 - Light 6.5"x 6.5" square

1- Dark 6.5" x 6.5" square

(89 light and 89 Dark squares = 1416 HST's)

I like to stack them right sides together

Then mark the half way line, vertical and horizontal with a pencil

on the light square

I do quite a few pairs at the same time 

to 

take to the sewing machine. 

I am a big chain piecer fan.

I stitch down each side on the block....

(regular 1/4" seam)

As well as both sides of the middle(blue) lines.

These blue lines are your stitching lines. 

At this point, I like to starch and press these before cutting apart. 

Next, cut the two centers lines 

as well as

 diagonally corner to corner.

I like to clip off my dog ears

 (the green lines)

 before

cutting each square into 4 HST's.

This yields 16 HST's

Press open the HST's toward the dark side.

Here's a great video demonstrating this technique.

Just to give you an idea of how many different ways there are to do HST's...

Check out this video by Karen of  Just Get It Done Quilts

Karen is a Canadian Quilt who always has great tips and tricks in the quilting world.

This will get you started on those Half Square triangles. 

We will try a few techniques if you are interested in learning a few new ways! 

If you are looking to join us, 

get your kit HERE

Till next week,  

Christa 

2SQ

www.secondstoryquilting.ca