Welcome to Week 5 of the LoriAnn Quilt Sew Along! We made it through our patchwork triangles, and now it’s time to make some one-at-a-time Half Square Triangles (also known as HSTs)! These come together pretty fast compared to the patchwork triangles.
Important HST Things To Remember
When matching your triangles right sides together, make sure the two outside edges are aligned. Align your ruler so that the edge intersects through each little X created by the stitch lines. Mark the line with your marking tool. (Be careful not to drag and stretch the fabric while doing this.) This will ensure nice points! If your triangle is a little wobbly and you can’t get a straight line through all of them, that’s okay! Just do your best.
Once the line is marked, I do like to pin here. I’m not usually a pinner, but in this situation, I think it’s really helpful to keep that wobbly patchwork triangle in place.
As you sew, be sure to stitch right through that X.
I like to press the seams to the background side to reduce bulk, but you can make the decision here! After pressing, fold the HST in half and press to create a crease to mark the center.
After we make the HSTs, we need to trim them up before piecing. If you don’t have a large ruler, you can use freezer paper for this step!
Just cut the freezer paper to the trim size and fold in half along the diagonals. With the shiny side facing the fabric, use a pin to line up the center of the freezer paper with the center of the HST. Spin the freezer paper until the diagonal lines up with the diagonal in the HST. Use your iron to quickly press the freezer paper until it sticks to the fabric. I like to press from the center out.
Once the paper is stuck, simply trim each side, then peel off the paper! I love this trick for when you have larger blocks.
At the end of the week, your blocks will be complete and ready for assembly! I’ll see you back here next week to finish things up!
