Hive 1 March Blocks for Robin

March Madness   HST Hysteria

Hi, I am Robin Tilsworth of Arlington, Virginia (4 miles from Washington, DC).  I am a retired foreign service officer (agriculture) and have quilted around the world for quite a while. 

This month instead of March Madness we are going for Half-Square Triangle (HST) Hysteria.  The key to HSTs that fit together well is to TRIM THEM prior to putting together the blocks.    

Details:

Block dimensions to be sent to me:  12.5 inch square. 

Block components:  Sixteen 3.5-inch HSTs (unfinished), which translates into 3-inch finished) HSTs

Color scheme:  turquoise/aqua (my current absolute favorite color, but that changes!) and white.  You can use one or a mix of turquoise/aqua fabrics.  For the white, please use a solid such as Kona white or a white-on-white.  No creams please.  If you do not have any turquoise/aqua fabric substitute navy or royal blue.

Technique: 

Step 1.  Create 16 HSTs either two at once or four at once.  The tutorial in this link explains the process.  I have calculated the size of squares to start the process.  I found her calculations resulted in HSTs that were too small.     http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com/2011/11/half-square-triangles-3-ways.html

For two at once, start with 8 four-inch squares of turquoise/aqua and 8 four-inch squares of white.  With right sides together of one white and one turquoise, mark a line through the diagonal of the square.  Sew ¼ inch from either side of the line then cut them apart along the drawn line.  Press the HST open with the seam towards the turquoise. 

For four at once, start with four 5 ¾-inch squares of turquoise/aqua and four 5 ¾-inch squares of white.   With right sides together sew around all four sides, ¼ inch from the edge.  Cut across both diagonals.  Press the 4 resulting HSTs open with the seam towards the turquoise. 

Step 2.  Trim each HST to 3.5 inches square.  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT since the sewing along the bias distorts the squares slightly.  I also use a bit of starch to keep these blocks square.

Step 3.  Assemble the HSTs any way you want…just have fun!  Here are some ideas but there are lots of possibilities.  The two in the middle use just one turquoise/aqua fabric and the others use 4 different fabrics.