Half -Square Triangles
I was so excited to see how many of you jumped in and made a border of strips or squares. I love how diverse they were and we are all on our way to fabulous medallion quilts. Congrats to Jennifer H. who won the Tula Pink Coloring Book and thanks to Jen at Red Thread Studios for providing our give away this month.
Half-square triangles are a vital building block in many quilts so it is important to know how to make them accurately. Embrace the math.
- The seam allowance for half-square triangles is 7/8”.
- If you are cutting a square and you want it to finish at 2-1/2”, cut a 2-7/8” square, then cut it on the diagonal to produce two half-square triangles.
- If you are not confident in your piecing skills, add an inch seam allowance (instead of 7/8”) and trim your block to the correct size afterward piecing.
Or try one of the other methods of making triangles. There was an entire class at Quiltcon devoted to the many ways to make a half-square triangle. Choose the one that works for you.
Here are some tutorials demonstrating some popular methods.
Now, how to arrange them? These are especially fun because you can just make them and arrange them once you have a nice little pile. No need to plan ahead.
Here is what Claire, Beth, Brenda and I did.
Here are some other ways.
If you are struggling to make it modern, remember some of the ideas we have discussed.
- Engage your negative space
- Vary the scale
- Use bright bold solids
- Break up the grid
- Explore asymmetry
- Use improvisational piecing (you can cut improvisational pieced fabric into accurate triangles)
- Try a more minimalist approach
And lastly, I showed some Medallion Quilts made by Joni Morgan. Here is a link Joni's blog and her Instagram name is sundayfarmingquilter.
Thanks for your enthusiasm. I look forward to seeing your creations next month!
Happy sewing!
Debbie K.