Half Square Triangle Tutorial

A month or so ago I started working on Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt called Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll. You may find more information here: http://www.quiltville.com/. I sewed along the first couple of weeks and then got a little behind. This week I decided to make a great effort toward getting caught up, since we are actually nearing the finish line.



Part 5 was a big stumbling block for me. We are instructed to make 600, yes six hundred! two-inch half -square triangles. Half was to be red, the other half neutral. We are NOT allowed to whine on a mystery quilt, but I was filled with dismay when I thought about the sheer numbers of it all to cut, sew, and press.



There are lots of ideas and instructions for doing half-square triangles. I wanted to do it the easiest way possible. I remembered seeing a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company about a way to cut quilt squares. It is called Summer in the Park and used six jelly roll strips sewn into a tube. Why couldn't I adapt that idea and sew my triangles that way?



I did a yahoo search on half square triangle tutorials and did not find any information about doing it the way I had in my brain. So, I decided to go off the deep end and see what I could come up with. I have not done all 600 yet, but I am pleased with my method so far. It is a daunting task, and then I decided to do my own tutorial about it, which takes even more time!! Oh, well, I am anxious to share it:



I cleared off my kitchen island and laid out a large cutting mat. I placed my neutral fabric on it, right side up. As you can see, it is a little scrappy on one end! I am agreeing with Bonnie's idea to use from my stash!

My red fabric is a dark berry red with pink flowers in it. There has been pink in the other parts of this mystery, so I thought it might go nicely. I lay it on top of the white/cream neutral, right side down.

Since the sewn seam of a half-square triangle is sewn on the bias, I want to cut my fabric on the bias.With the help of a yardstick and the bias cutting line on my mat I made my first cut.

I couldn't quite figure out how wide to make my bias strips to end up with a 2-inch finished square. That is what prompted me to see if this method was on the internet with a chart about how big to make it. Zilch. I decided to cut my strips two inches wide. I figured I would have to square them up anyways. It turned out that two inches was about the right amount oversize when I squared them up.

Cut, cut, cut. As you can see, I have cut the two fabrics together. Now to take them upstairs to my Bernina.

I sewed a quarter inch down the one side of the strips, chain sewing them together.

Then, flip the whole bunch around and run a seam down the other side. These are bias seams, so I try to handle them carefully.

Back to the cutting board. How many HST's will this make? I think it may have been around 120.

Now, to use this nice little ruler to make the little triangles. I put the two-inch mark at the cut edge. That meant that the top point came close to the seam on top. Rotary cut both sides for this first triangle

Flip the ruler over, put the 2 inch mark on the top cut edge, line up the left side with your previous cut. Triangle #2. Only 598 to go!

And so on, down the row. When I did the second batch of these I stacked two cylinders together and cut them two at a time with good success. I wasn't brave enough (or stupid enough) to do three stacks!

I tend to stack things up in piles of ten. I don't know why unless it is to help me count to see where I am at!

Off to the ironing board! Again, I am working in stacks of ten.

Now to square them up. The cutting process actually cuts off most of one of the dog-ears, so I used that nice edge and shaved the excess off the other two sides. Occasionally one of them would need some squaring on all four sides, but most of them were pretty good.

I am using a 12 1/2 inch square up, which is way bigger than I need. When the quilting world finds out my method, of course, I am going to make millions of dollars, and I think I will buy a smaller sized square-up!

Aren't they cute? All squared up.

This is some of the stuff I cut off. As you can see, my squares were about right.

Since I was behind on my sewing, Bonnie's clue about what to do with these hst's has already been revealed. After squaring up about 30 or so, I decided to follow her instructions and sew them together in rows of 5. I chainsew them together.

Here they are on the ironing board, ready to be pressed from the wrong side.

Five rows of five! I WILL be able to finish these triangular strips!

Okay, what is my conclusion? Is this an easier method than others that I have seen? I think so, for me, anyways.

Was it faster? The sewing certainly goes faster because you are sewing long strips together at full speed, instead of the stop and start of sewing smaller pieces. One huge benefit that I liked is that I didn't get the corners all "dog-chewed" as I call it. When I start sewing those triangular pieces at least one in ten seems to get stuck in the throat of my machine, and gets chewed up.

This method is most feasible when you are making lots of half-square triangles of the same fabric.

I think what I like most about it is that it is clever!

And, I do, indeed like clever!