- Does your pattern call for a half square triangle block?
Or maybe within your block pattern,
you need to incorporate several.
There are so many ways to make a half square triangle block.
I've gathered 10,
but how do you know which one's best to use?
Well, stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
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Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
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After learning to sew, squares and rectangles together,
the next skill to master is the half square triangle.
They make amazing quilts just by changing colour and value.
They are also building blocks within larger sampler blocks.
There are so many ways to make half square triangle blocks.
Some methods are straightforward,
some are fussy and some appear almost magical.
So let's see what method works best where.
First, what is a half square triangle?
Well, it's a triangle.
This angle is 90 degrees,
which is sometimes called a right angle.
And these two angles are half that size at 45 degrees.
That means these two sides are exactly the same size.
HST is short for half square triangle.
And when we sew two of them together,
that's called an HST block
but often we call that an HST too,
just to confuse the new quilters.
There is a lot of acronyms in quilting.
Check out my video, "Breaking the Code" to learn more.
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The easiest way to make an HST is to take a square
and cut it in half along the diagonal.
You can use the 45 line on your mat or the 45 on your ruler,
or just line up your ruler
between the two opposite corners and cut.
And what size should the square be?
You take the finished size of your block
and add 7/8.
Then sew two together along the longest side.
The challenge in this method is not to stretch the seam
while you sew.
And you also need to be careful and steady to sew straight.
I have several tips on how to get this right in my video,
"How To Sew Straight" and "Making the Perfect HST"
and I'll leave links to them in the notes below.
This is a good method
if you only have to make one or two HSTs
or you want a lot of variety
in how you pair up your fabrics.
However, I find 7/8 a fiddly mark to line up to,
and is a really easy block to be out of square
if your angle is just off by a touch.
So I cut my block at 1" larger and then trim back.
This means I have an extra step of squaring up,
but my block is perfect when I do.
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You're cutting a square?
Why not just make two at a time?
The math is exactly the same for one,
but instead of cutting along the diagonal, you mark it.
Then sew a scant quarter inch down one side,
then back along the other,
cut through the middle and you have two similar HSTs.
You can also use this 1/2" ruler
to mark the sewing lines instead of a central line.
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By keeping your fabric in one piece
as you sew down one side, and then back up the other,
gives your fabric more structure
to prevent it from stretching.
And I like to give it a press
before I cut along the diagonal,
just to set the seam first.
The challenge with this method
is you no longer have an edge
to align your presser foot against.
You can use low tack washi tape to give yourself a ledge
or just use a steady hand.
Honestly, I use this method, even if I only need one HST.
If I can't use it on my top, I use it in the back.
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If you only have charms or mini charms,
you might consider this method.
You mark the diagonal.
But this time you sew directly on the line,
then you trim and a 1/4".
This way your HST block is exactly the same size
as your original square,
which is really convenient and really cuts down
on your cutting and trimming.
It's also the best method if you're fussy cutting.
However, this only makes one HST block
and the rest is waste, which is a big waste.
So I will often make a bonus HST by marking over a 1/2"
and sewing on that line.
It makes a different size HST,
but I can always use it someplace else.
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For this method, with two squares together,
you sew around the outside edge,
then cut on the two diagonals.
The first time I saw this method,
I thought it was so clever.
You almost want to say ta-dah as you open them.
And then you realise
that all your blocks are cut on the bias
and not only can they distort as you sew them together,
they can continue to distort
as you sew your strips and rows together.
Starch can help minimise this,
but be very careful while you sew.
This method is often used with pre cuts
to give yourself another size option.
But with those pinked edges, it's often very tricky to make
that 90 degree turn accurately.
And the math for this method is a bit complicated
because this is the finished size,
but you can use an approximate by adding 1/2"
and then doubling it.
For example, if you needed a two inch block,
you add 1/2",
that's 2 1/2" and double it.
So it's 5",
but do know that you will have to trim it.
Honestly, I used this method once and I never used it again.
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This method is just compounding the two-at-a-time method,
doubling the size of both sides.
So that the square that you cut
is actually four times the size.
Mark both diagonals.
Then sew a scant a 1/4" seam on both sides.
Give it a good press before you cut to set your seams.
Then square your piece on your cutting mat.
Ensuring that the corners are square.
Then make a horizontal cut in the centre of the sides
and then make a vertical cut
in the centre of the other sides,
then make your diagonal cuts.
So there's a bit of extra work here to measure and mark.
You also need larger pieces of fabric
and sewing a longer perfect diagonal is much harder to do.
But I do find it's the fastest method for quantity.
Here, I also add 1" instead of 7/8 in my calculations,
but don't hesitate to make your square even larger,
especially if you're a beginner,
whether you add 1/8" or 1/2",
you need to trim them up anyways.
You can also use the same principle and expand your marking
to make a larger grid and more.
But note that if you're looking for an assortment of HSTs,
this method might not work for you
as this produces all the same block.
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For this method we use width of fabric strips (WOF)
like jelly roll strips or larger,
and you use the easy angle specialty ruler.
you would lay your strip down and align the ruler
to the same width as the height of your strip.
I put a ledge of washi tape on both sides of the ruler
to butt up against.
You cut along the diagonal,
then flip the ruler, align and then cut up the other side.
This method is good for when you don't have the height
to make the eight-at-a-time method.
or perhaps you're cutting squares,
this will make HSTs the same finish size.
It does have the same issues as method one
with the bias seem so be careful not to stretch.
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This uses the same method as the eight-at-a-time method,
but it's paper piecing
with the sewing lines already marked for you.
Your seams and your cutting lines can be more accurate,
but like all paper piecing,
removing the papers can be pretty darn tedious.
It's also an added expense.
And you will need multiple paper sizes
depending on what size HSTs you're making.
This method doesn't work for me.
But I do have friends that swear by it.
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This is another one of those magical methods.
You sew two strips of fabric together on both sides.
You have a top stitch to remove here,
but then ta-da.
You have a completed HST.
The math is a bit tricky because this is the finished size.
The height of the strip is equal to the square root
of the finished size squared divided by two
plus a half an inch.
A much simpler way is to just take the finished size
and add half an inch.
Then find the corresponding measurements on your ruler
and place a tape or mark between them.
Then align this with the stitch line and trim from there.
This method is great
when you can combine multiple strip sets together.
And it also gives you another size option
for jelly roll strips, but all the blocks are on the bias,
just like the four at a time method.
And once they're on the bias, they're always on the bias.
So be very careful with them.
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This time, our strips are cut on the 45
and then sewn together.
Then you use your triangle ruler to cut the HST.
So your blocks are on grain and it might be great method
if you need a lot of the same block,
but you need yardage to make bias strips.
And honestly, this method is just a little bit fussy
for my taste.
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Most of these methods are for HSTs
that are all made with the same pairs of fabric.
This accordion method is about scrappy HSTs
where you want no two identical pairs.
You mark your sewing lines,
then add an HST to the right side.
When you are done, you flip that piece to the left
and then add another one to the right.
And then another.
Then trim in between them with your scissors.
I first saw this method on Eva Paige's YouTube channel.
She explains it extremely well.
So I will leave a link to her video
if you want to learn more.
She has a specialty ruler she recommends
to trim them up fast, but I tried to order it on amazons.ca
and it was 70 something dollars.
And then I tried to import it from the US
and it was even more money.
So maybe one day when the border opens up again
and I find myself in the US, I'll take one for a test trial.
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For most of these methods,
if you are using two solid fabrics,
all your HSTs will be the same.
But if you are using stripes or directional fabrics,
your HSTs may differ in appearance.
I have a video called "Stripes"
that show the different results.
And if you haven't seen it, I'll leave a link to it
in the notes below.
All of these methods have pros and cons.
It's important that you test them out
to see which ones work best for you in different situations.
I will have a link below for the specialty rulers
and the HST papers for the ones that you want to try.
And don't hesitate to make a couple of extra HSTs
if that's the easier method for you.
You can always use them in other blocks
or in your after quilt.
Last week on Karen's Quilt Circle,
I had the Colorblind Quilter.
Tom was an excellent guest with all kinds of tips,
and he has provided a handout of specialised colour palettes.
So make sure you check that out.
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