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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Half-Square Triangles - How Important Are They In YOUR Quilting Life?

If you are an experienced quilter I would bet you haven't thought a lot lately about the significance of a half-square triangle in your quilting life. 
But, now that I am making you confront it - what do you think about them?  
The half-square triangle is a fundamental building block in quilt-making and can be the basis for some pretty interesting effects and patterns.





I am currently making a quilt using ONLY HSTs 
(Half Square Triangle) to be the sample for an upcoming beginner quilting class I will be teaching soon.  
Sometimes after quilting for awhile it is a good idea to get back to basics and refine and revisit those beginning skills, getting back in touch with your own personal roots of quilting!  
The very first quilting class I ever took was about quilt stitching - like Stitch in the Ditch.  The directions were to come to class with some 9 patch quilt sandwiches. 

HUH?  
Where to begin?  
How do you cut the squares?  
How large are the seams? 




I had to research a nine-patch block and kind of guess what a (quilt) sandwich was.  


Sometimes we forget to assume nothing.  

I love encouraging new quilters.  
It is so rewarding to see the journey they embark upon often progressing rapidly with new-found skills eagerly searching out more and more challenges.






Last night at our local Modern Quilt Guild meeting 
we began the process of  creating our 


Our VP in charge of this, Jennifer M. spent a LOT of time creating a pattern for us that could be contributed to by sewists of differing experience levels, 
BUT - based on a HST!  
I am excited to see the enthusiasm everyone is showing to help make such an important quilt for us at the AMQG - our first group charity quilt!




HSTs can be used to create so many wonderful designs.  Check out Pinterest to see some: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/507429082989199138/


And there are MANY more!

Do you have any HST projects to share?  We would LOVE to see them!

 This post linked up with http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/
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4 comments:

  1. The Cozy PumpkinOctober 22, 2014 at 1:54 PM

    How funny...I just made a tutorial for a quilt based on HSTs on my blog, and it posted today. So your post is very timely. I try to include some tips and tricks that will make things go a tad smoother for those encountering ins sues. :) I LOVE HSTs...aside from the semi-tedious trimming. :) And I've made a radiating HST diamond quilt similar to the one you're making now. I like your two-tone approach.

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    Replies
    1. HeatherOctober 22, 2014 at 2:18 PM

      Thanks for the comment! I hope everyone here who needs a tutorial will visit your blog.

      Delete
  2. Farm QuilterOctober 23, 2014 at 10:37 AM

    I love HSTs!!! I used squares, HSTs and QSTs when I designed the interlocking chain border on my daughter's wedding quilt. You can see it on my blog here: http://farmquilter.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-08-04T15:39:00-07:00&max-results=7 I also just finished a quilt top using all HSTs to create a chevron pattern.

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    Replies
    1. HeatherOctober 23, 2014 at 2:53 PM

      I LOVE the border you created and hope others go there to see it too!

      Delete

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