Half square triangles...

Or HST's are they are frequently called. There are many ways of making them. And us quilters are always trying to find a fast, reliable way to make them so they come out accurate. As we all know, triangles are a bit stretchy due to the bias cut. And that can make them a little tricky.

I am a self-taught quilter. I learned from books from the library. I am always learning something new too. And every day we have new quilters out there, so if my little tutorials help them, then I'm happy.

So for those of you who are new to quilting, or those who just need a few tips to help your piecing. He's two quick, easy ways of doing HST's.

This first way is great if you don't have a lot of them to make. Of if you have a lot of squares, and you want to cut them into triangles quickly.

First, take two squares that are 1 1/2" larger than the HST that you want. Place them right sides together. Then sew a 1/4" seam all the way around.


Then you want to cut on BOTH diagonals.



Ta-da...4 perfect HST's.....after you trim them :)


This next way is my favorite way. I don't know if it's because I learned how to do it first, or what.

Take 2 WOF(width of fabric) strips, the width being 1/2" larger than what you want your HST's to be. On the wrong side of the lighter fabric, mark vertical lines to make squares. So if your strip is 3 1/2" wide, then mark every 3 1/2" down your strip.


Then mark a zig-zag line from corner to corner of your squares. And sew 1/4" on BOTH sides of the diagonal line.

Here's a close up.


Now cut on all solid lines.


Ta-da...perfect HST's...again, after you trim them...


I hope this was helpful to some of you.

Have a great day. And come see us on the forum.

Dorian
Copyright D. Lucas, 2011 This is my tutorial. You are welcome to use any of my tutorials for personal use. You are not permitted to use my pictures or my words without linking back to the original and giving me credit for them.