Week 2: Half Square Triangles

Week 2: Half Square Triangles

week-2-hsts
Welcome to week 2, this week we will be focusing on making our half square triangles. You might be wondering why an entire week is dedicated to HSTs, you might remember in the last blog post I mentioned their is a trick to getting these perfect. Here is why ---> Our background fabric is the parchment text print, which means that it's directional. That means we need to take a little more time to plan and ensure that we are paying extra attention to details. Let's jump right in. 
hsts-diamond
Let's take a look at the image above. This diamond shape is what we are trying to achieve with our hsts. The most challenging part, was working with two directional text fabrics. I wanted to ensure that the text was going the right way, here is how I did it.
hst-layout
To ensure that my units matched up, I layed out the fabric to figure out how to get each corner unit of the diamond shape. You'll want to layer your fabric right sides together, flip over the corner squares to expose the text to ensure the text is positioned correctly. You will need to cut one HST left to right on the diagonal, and the 2nd set right to left too ensure proper text direcion on the finished units.. To start I highly recommend doing one block first, nobody likes to pull out the seam ripper first thing when you start a project. Once your confident on how to orient and cut your fabric, lay out the rest of your pieces to mark your guide line for sewing. 
tools-hsts
Here are some recommendations of great rulers and notions that will be helpful for marking and cutting out your hsts. 
  • 4 1/2" x 12 1/2" Creative Grids ruler
  • Hera Marker
  • Quick Quarter
  • Friction Pen
  • Tucker Trimmer I
If you have never used the Tucker Trimmer I, check out this quick instructional video below.
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne Of Green Gables
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