Making Triangle Squares (Half-Square Triangles)
The last few times I’ve put together directions for making a quilt block that has half-square triangles (HST), aka Triangle Squares, as one of it’s components, I’ve left the specifics of how you cut and sew those units up to the quilter.
Today, it occurred to me that it could seem a little bit like a cop out, you know, like quilt as desired.
So while I was making some new blocks that had triangle squares as a component recently, I tried making them a few different ways and put together a list of ways to make them, with the math involved and the reasons you might want to use a specific technique … or not.
You can read a summary of my list on my blog, at
or download the print friendly 3-page version here:
Is your favorite method on my list?
Excellent research Sophie! I’ve run across all those techniques and been scared by most of them – for a gal raised on the metric system any reference to “7/8s of an inch” makes my eyes cross! So my preferred method is Bias Strips.
Interesting! A lot of quilters like to round up that 7/8-inch to an even inch and trim afterwards, but when you are making a lot of triangle squares, I think that all that fiddly trimming can really slow you down.