Half Square Triangle Arrangement Quilt Block Pattern
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Sewing a half square triangle arrangement quilt block involves cutting and piecing together fabric squares to create a design that is made up of triangles. Here are the steps to follow:
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Choose your fabric: Select two or more fabrics that complement each other and will look good together in a quilt block.
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Cut the fabric squares: Cut the fabric into squares that are 1 inch larger than the finished size of your quilt block. For example, if you want your finished quilt block to be 6 inches square, cut two squares of fabric that are 7 inches each.
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Mark the diagonal: With a fabric pen or pencil, draw a diagonal line from one corner to another on the wrong side of one of the squares.
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Layer the squares: Place the two squares of fabric right sides together, with the marked square on top.
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Sew along the diagonal: Sew a seam 1/4 inch away from the marked line on both sides of the line.
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Cut along the marked line: Cut along the marked line with a rotary cutter or scissors to create two triangles.
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Press open the triangles: Press the triangles open with an iron, with the seam allowance towards the darker fabric.
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Trim the triangles: Trim the triangles to the desired size, making sure to keep them square.
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Arrange the triangles: Arrange the triangles in the desired pattern, either by color or randomly.
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Sew the triangles together: Sew the triangles together, matching the seams and using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
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Press the block: Press the block with an iron, being careful not to stretch the fabric.
Your half square triangle arrangement quilt block is now complete! Repeat the process to make more blocks and then sew them together to create a beautiful quilt.
This is a great technique for making half square triangles that eliminates the need to directly manipulate the stretchy bias of the triangle. It utilizes two easy to cut squares producing two half square triangles.
On the back of the lighter fabric, draw a pencil line, diagonally from corner to corner.
Stack a pair of light and dark squares, right sides together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance on each side of the line.
You will end up with something like this.
Now cut along the diagonal line.
Press the seam together to set the seam. Then press towards the darkest fabric.
To trim the block to the exact size line up the diagonal 45°angle with the ruler on your seam.
And then carefully trim your block with a rotary cutter.
The secret to the nine patch is all about ironing seams so that they butt when they are joined.
Cut 5 A squares and 4 B squares in the required size.
Chain piecing, join a B square to only 3 of the A squares, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. No need to press just yet.
The result will be:
Next, take the remaining A and B squares and, chain piecing, join them to these units, right sides together, with a one 1/4 inch seam allowance:
Your result will be:
To make this faster you can cut strips.
Cut A and B strips for the appropriate width, and join them into A/B/A and B/A/B units. Note you will need twice the length of B/A/B strips, as there are two of these units. Once your strips are joined, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press every seam towards the dark fabric.
Cut across your pre-joined strips to create the units needed for the nine patch:
You will achieve the same result as above, but this method is faster.
To make a standard 9 patch, the width of the unit cut from pre-joined strips is the same as the width of the original strips.
Press all the seams to the dark fabric so that all the seems butt up.
Join the B/A/B units to your A/B/A units with butted seams, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
The direction of the final, central seam is optional. But guided by the placement of the block in the larger scheme, and wherever possible, iron to facilitate budding the seam joints.
Wider Application:
Just as the 4 patch, you can apply this methodology to all kinds of 9 patch blocks. As long as the patch has an underlying 3x3 grid, no matter how many pieces, the basic principle applies. It is repeated over and over, each 9 patch laying adjacent to the next 9 patch. As long as you keep pressing seams in pairs of opposite directions, piecing will be smooth sailing.
Try these out. Each block has an underlying 3x3 grid, and can be pieaced as a 9 patch.
Sometimes it is not obvious which direction is the dark with complicated blocks like those above. Just remember the basic ironing plan is:
How to Resize Quilt Blocks: