Welcome back! Yesterday, I demonstrated how easy it is to make a Half Square Triangle (HST) by pairing two square pieces of fabric and sewing two straight seams. Today, we’ll make multiple HSTs at once using a different technique involving two strips of fabric.

I’ll use Clover Chaco Liners again to mark the fabric before sewing.

Today, I’ll also use Clover Quilting Pins – 48mm (1⁷⁄₈″) and the Clover Rotary Cutter – 45mm (1³⁄₄″).

We’ll work with 4” strips again today.

Step 1

Pair one strip of the blue and one strip of the red fabrics, right sides together.

Step 2

Yesterday, I dove right in and cut the 4” strip into 4” x 4” squares. This time, I won’t cut the strip just yet. Instead, I’ll start by drawing horizontal and diagonal lines on the wrong side of one of the paired fabric strips. When I used the 4” x 4” square method to construct HSTs yesterday, I cut the squares first, then drew diagonal lines on the wrong side of each fabric square from corner to corner.

Draw a horizontal line on the wrong side of the fabric at 4” intervals across the width of the strip. Next, draw a diagonal line from the end of one horizontal line to the beginning of the next. In the next photo, note I drew the lines in a sawtooth design down the length of the strip.

By pre-marking the lines, you can simply start sewing ¼” from the diagonal line at one end of the strip, pivoting where the lines meet, and continue sewing along each diagonal line until you get to the other end of the paired strips!

TIP I strongly recommend pinning often along the strip to keep the layers from shifting before and while sewing. I like using fine 1⅞” long Clover Quilting Pins. I know not everyone likes using long pins like I do, so, for those who prefer shorter pins, consider using Clover 1⅜” Patchwork Pins.

Step 3

 By pre-marking the lines, you can simply start sewing ¼” from the diagonal line at one end of the strip, pivoting where the lines meet and keep sewing along each diagonal line until you get to the other end of the paired strips!

Step 4

Next, using the Clover 45mm Rotary Cutter, cut along all the drawn lines.

Step 5

Press each HST open and trim so the unfinished squares measure 3½” x 3½”.

That’s it! Another easy technique to make HSTs using fabric strips. Think of all the HSTs you can make using all the 2½” strip sets you’ve purchased over the years. Two 2½” strips would make 16 HSTs! It’s a great way to use them up.

Tomorrow’s HST technique involves making a grid on a larger piece of fabric. Stay tuned!

Remember to keep the Clover Quilting Pins and a Clover 45mm Rotary Cutter close by, as they’ll come in handy again tomorrow.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: The secrets to accurate Half Square Triangles

Go to part 3: Make multiple Half Square Triangles from fat quarters? Absolutely!