Half Square Triangles Made Easy
by Jennifer Jenkinson, That Girl That Quilt
My tutorials have been featured on the Moda Bakeshop, Sew We Quilt, Craftgossip, and One Pretty Thing. Read more about blogger…
My name is Jennifer and I love quilting and all things fabric. After a series of athletic injuries and surgeries, I needed a relatively safe hobby so I decided to try quilting. As it turned out, I was one of those people who didn’t discover the extent of my creativity until I picked out some fabrics, picked up a needle and some thread, and made my first quilt. From then on I was hooked and quilting has become a passion in my life. I love to write and I love to quilt so starting a quilting blog was the perfect answer.
I have been blogging over at That Girl…That Quilt for the past three years or so. I have been quilting for almost five years. I wouldn’t call myself a traditional quilter or a modern quilter but I’m always up for trying something new. When I received the chance to try the GO! Baby® Fabric Cutter, I jumped at the chance. The GO! Baby makes cutting so easy. Working full-time and being a full-time mother, the GO! Baby allowed me to cut and finish quilts so much faster.
The first die I knew I had to have was something that would cut triangles in a snap. I was instantly attracted to the half square triangles. They are so versatile as there are hundreds of block options and something I would use frequently.
Dog-eared corners and seam
allowance included
It’s easy to cut piles of
HTSs in minutes with the
GO! Baby
HSTs are easy to sew as they
are perfectly cut with a 1/4"
seam allowance
AccuQuilt makes it so easy as all the dog ears are cut off the half square triangles. You can simply place two fabrics like sides together and roll it through the GO! Baby. It’s so effortless to cut a pretty pile of perfectly cut triangles. Match the edges and go straight to your sewing machine. Stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance and begin chain sewing. Go ahead and press the seam and you have one perfect square with no trimming. How simple is that?
So let’s broaden our horizons. I love one shape quilts and strong geometric lines. You can simply put together an entire quilt made from nothing but triangles. You can determine how large your project is as you choose how many half square triangles are pieced together vertically and horizontally. This gives you more control over your layout and fabric print arrangement. I went with making rows of triangles and it could not have been easier.
Match the edges
Finished half square triangle
row quilt
Finished Hourglass Block
Chain piece pairs and then create 16 rows. You can easily stitch one to another until you have your desired width. I decided to make a skinny wall hanging measuring 36" x 50" using this method. You have to trim the long edges once you have your quilt top pieced but that’s simple to do with a rotary cutter and a ruler.
As another option, you can sew your half square triangles together and set the block on point. This makes for a simple and fun way to play with colors and prints. For more versatility, create simple hourglass units which give the blocks movement and dimension. With so many options, it’s easy to see why half square triangles were my very first choice.
Watch Video:
How to use the GO! Fabric Cutter
to cut GO! Half Square-4" Finished Triangles
Helpful Hint:
No matter what kind of block you are making with these triangles, piecing with a 1/4" seam allowance is the key to making your points match perfectly. Since you don’t have to trim your finished block, part of your work is already done with the edges matching so easy. So all that’s left to do is piece precisely.
About Blogger:
My tutorials have been featured on the Moda Bakeshop, Sew We Quilt, Craftgossip, and One Pretty Thing. I have taken my love of writing and sharing tutorials and have also published several quilt patterns that are available for purchase on my site. You can find me at http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com.
I live with my wonderful and supportive husband and a fabulous 8 year old daughter. My daughter is the proud owner of a new sewing machine and she and I spend many hours together creating in my sewing studio. My husband is my sewing machine “fixer”, a creative second eye, occasional quilt baster, my best friend, and the one I fall in love with over and over. We have two beagles, Buddy & Gus, who combined with the 8 year old, keep us on our toes all the time.
I work full time in the high pressure world of finance. I’m a softball coach {& mom} to my daughter. I have a date night with my husband once a week. What spare time I have left in the evenings and on weekends I escape and spend creating, piecing, quilting, and rolling around in my beloved fabric stash.