8 Half-Square Triangle Units from 2 Squares

Half-Square Triangle units are the basis of many quilt blocks, so it's good to know some different ways to make them. This quick method gives you 8 units at a time!

Here's the formula so you can make the size you need:
Unfinished size of unit + 1/2"  x  2
Cut 2 squares that size..from different fabrics, of course!
Example : for  a 4 x 4 units 12" block (finished) you need 3½" unfinished units (includes the seam allowance)
3½" + ½" = 4" x 2 = 8" squares to cut to get 8 HST units.


On the lighter square, draw a big X from corner to corner:

Use a pencil (not pen) and make a line you can see. This will be a cutting line later.

With Right Sides together, sew 1/4" away from both sides of both lines:

Stitched in red thread for visibility!

Cut right through the middle of the block, but do not move any pieces!

Be sure the fabric is under the ruler...edge of ruler through middle of the X....line up across any marks at the bottom.
This is just cutting, not using marks to measure anything.

Cut through the middle going the other direction:

Working at the corner of the table, you can just move to the other side.

In case you want a better visual, you just cut where the green lines are in this pic...but don't bother to draw them, just use your ruler to cut....

After these two long cuts, it's OK to move the pieces.

Now you can cut on the lines you drew:

Now it looks like the usual set up for quick-piecing HSTs

Press the units open (usually toward the darker fabric).

They should be the correct size. If not, trim them to equal the size you need.


That was fast and easy...with minimal math, all the units can be used, and the bias edges are never on the outside.

If you have some pre-cut squares, do Reversed Math (divide by 2, then minus 1/2" for the unfinished size...minus another 1/2" for the finished unit size)
5" squares = 1½"  (2½ -½" = 2" unfinished size,  for 1½" sewn in)  tiny!!!
10" squares = 4½"  ( 5" - ½" = 4 ½"  unfinished, 4" sewn in)  another 12" block standard

OK, that's more "math" than I can take in one day. 
And to you Math Majors... I do acknowledge this is actually arithmetic! (Vocabulary I know...numbers, not so much!)

Another disclaimer: (Oh, I know there are a few sharp-eyed readers...)
the demo block squares were cut 12", leaving a rather odd size of 5½" units, but this was created for a large group demo and needed to be seen from afar!

Secrets of the Log Cabin Block

It's no secret that now I have a lot of scrappy strips!
Having a first project planned is a good way to easily switch from one huge activity (stripping my scraps) to another (actually sewing!). So as I was cutting the Pink fabrics, I decided to make a Pink & Brown Log Cabin quilt...and those strips went into a separate box, right from the beginning.

Better than a jelly-roll!

Log Cabin is the first pieced block I ever made...a good story for another time...and one I have often returned to. It's just strips, great scrappy or with planned colors, and can be arranged to create a wide variety designs: Barn Raising, Streaks of Lightning, Stars...even the sets have names! Any design you can make with Half-Square Triangle units can be done with Log Cabins.

The Truth About Log Cabin Blocks
It looks easy but it isn't!
If you've made this block, you know what I mean: All the strips are the same width...the seam allowance is 1/4"...why do they come out wrong?
The size is wonky, the strips are all mixed up...how can such a simple block not work?

Why, Oh Why?
It's because this block goes "round & round" from one side to the next. That pulls it out of square.
This is the same reason you don't put your borders on from one side to the next (do you?). Sewing borders on two opposite sides, then measuring through the middle and sewing the other two, will keep your quilt straight.
But the Log Cabin has to go "round & round"! 

How to Make It Work
One fix is to cut all the strips to the length they will be in the block...that works well, especially if all the blocks are colored the same, all the strips are the same length to start, and you keep everything in order.
I'm working very scrappy here (besides being immensely lazy). So I like to sew the strip on and then cut off the extra.

Let that strip hang out!

You can just chop it off with your scissors BUT give it a bit of extra...DO NOT cut it off even with the block edge because it will never end up square! I know it looks like it will, but it just won't.
You can see the extra bit, so when you line up the next strip don't use that part to match the raw edges.

Go ahead and sew 2 Lights and 2 Darks to complete a round, which makes the block look like a square. Don't count the center square, just the sides you sew on.
I made a Trimming List of the raw-edge sizes for each round. These are 2" wide strips, so my list was:
First Round- 5'
Second Round- 8"
Third Round- 11"
The finished block is 10.5", an odd size, but they only need to match themselves.
You can make blocks any size you want, wider or narrower strips, several more rounds.....figure your Trimming List by adding the finished size of each piece (include the center) plus the 1/2" seam allowance which is already there on the outside edge.
Here's how to trim:

First trim two sides...

This is my second round, but it works the same for each round. Just do this by eye...center in the middle, most of the seams pretty much parallel to the ruler lines, the edges under the ruler (light sides here) at or slightly beyond the Trim List (raw edge) size lines. Trim the excess on the right and top.
(Lefties! I love ya'! This is actually something you can just reverse "right" to "left" and it will work).

...then rotate and trim the other two!

Rotate the block so the trimmed sides are under the ruler...line them up exactly with the Trim List size lines, and then cut. Sometimes I like to mark the final size corner with a bit of tape, but didn't here.
Trimming at each round will help correct for the "not perfect" seam allowance. 

More Secrets!
Just two...I know you're ready to quit reading and start sewing!

1) Be consistent! It doesn't matter so much how you sew this block as that you do the same way each time: Light OR dark goes on first; last strip sewn on goes TOWARD you or AWAY; block OR strip is on top when sewing. This will keep the strips going around in the same direction...clockwise or not, they all do need to go the same way. And this keeps the direction from changing in the middle of the block!
Not being consistent will create many artsy or odd blocks...that's another choice, for a different quilt.

2) Press the seam before trimming. Open or to the side is your choice, continuing to be consistent either TOWARD the center or AWAY. If you have scissor-cut the excess strip length, this is where trimming evens it up to be exactly square (if it isn't already hidden in a previous seam allowance).

3) Chain-piecing is wonderful for these blocks. You really MUST press before trimming each "log" with this method. If you keep adding blocks until the strip is filled, the blocks start out the same, but eventually, as new strips are added, you end up with blocks at many different stages (rounds and values). See #1 above!

Very scrappy blocks are pushing the value placements!

Color choice can be a whole big deal, but I'd like to mention just a couple thoughts.
Quilt mythology has it that the center square is red for the warm hearth, or yellow for a candle in the window to guide someone home. You can make it whatever color you like, but its value will increase the amount seen on one side or the other.
I tried to stick just with using values, so the Pinks are both light and dark, as are the Browns. When using 2 colors, some people like to keep them on separate sides.
If you look at antique quilts, what seems "Pink & Brown" is usually loaded with additional colors. I think a touch of blue keeps it from being boring. For a scrap quilt, choosing prints that look mostly the color you want will naturally bring in additional bits of color to please the eye.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! There are lots of other ways to build a Log Cabin, and I'd like to hear your thoughts. too. 
And, of course, if you just want to avoid the whole "round & round" issue, you can make the block called Courthouse Steps...adding the strips to opposite sides!

Quilt Sleeve: Almost show style!

The infamous church quilt is done, and the sleeve has been sewn on!
There are many ways to put a sleeve on a quilt, and I thought I'd share mine with you. This will give you all Summer to get a sleeve on one of your quilts and be ready when Quilt Show Season starts up again in the Fall.

This sleeve is made with two fabrics from the quilt. A great tip is to make the sleeve with the leftover fabric, and then it will be available if the quilt ever needs a repair (that is a nice thought more than a requirement!).
These instructions will make a tube-style sleeve the generally required "show width" of 4" to allow for a hanging rod to easily slide inside. If you have ever hung a show, you know that a small sleeve can be hard to fit a rod through, and could cause damage to your quilt. The extra fabric against the quilt back provides another layer of protection.

The back of the sleeve

I cut a strip of each fabric 9.5" wide and then sewed them together on the short ends.
Fold one short end in twice and topstitch to make a good edge. Measure how long the sleeve needs to be (just inside the binding at each side) then add an inch and cut the long strip to size. Fold in that end twice and topstitch.
Fold the sleeve Wrong Sides together and stitch along the long edge to make a tube. This seam will go against the back of the quilt, so why sew a tube that is difficult to turn right side out? The thread is a good match, but you can see the seam there in the center...twisted! But it won't show, so I don't care. It's on the back!

It's the end of the sleeve, but not the end of the job!

Next is to add some room for the hanging rod, so when you quilt is in the show it doesn't have that stuffed roll along the top, just like a guy's too tight collar with a big fat tie!

The sleeve is flat on the back and has extra fabric on its front

I accomplish this by pressing the sleeve flat, then pinching up the center about 1/2" or so, and pressing again. That makes a crease at the top and bottom edges of the sleeve (and if you crease the pinched up part it's OK!).
Then I baste along the crease (see the stitches?) just to hold them nicely for the hand sewing part. That would be optional, and it all gets pulled out later.
If you are making a quilt for your own home and plan to hang it on a flat lathe strip or something similar, you won't need the extra poofy fabric built in this way.


If you forget to sew a finished end before making the tube, you can still fold the end inside. It's just easier to do when it's flat. But do stitch it down, so the hanging rod is easier to insert and also won't catch as it's coming out the other end.
Major Tip: If quilt show rules have you confused, you should volunteer for hanging the next one possible. You will learn why most rules exist, or wish that show had better ones! And sign up to help with the judging, too...that's a real education.

In a perfect world (please send location if you know where it is!) we would all have quilts just like the photos in magazines and the diagrams in books.
What I like best about the sleeve is that it is on the back!

OOPS! Who measured for THIS sleeve?

Did this quilt grow over night or what? This is also the end where I had to add some extra backing! But I try never to be stopped by own mistakes, hence I am The Queen of Fudging-It!
There probably is not a mistake I have not made, and will be making again at some time.
When you mess up:
1. Say "oh, darn" or other favorite phrase
2. Feel a bit disappointed for 30 seconds
3. Get on with it! Necessity IS the Mother of Invention, and it is also the Best Friend of Creativity!

The sleeve should go from the inside edge of the side binding right under the binding along the quilt's top (it makes your sewing guide) and end at the other side, just inside the binding.
This is hand sewing for me, as is the binding. You can use any stitch you like. There are methods of doing it all by machine, and if that works for you, have at it!

OK, so the sleeve is 4" short. I have a really good binding (double French fold) and quilting around that corner, so it will hang just fine.
And it's not going in a show, anyway!

If you are entering a show, you have the option of slapping on a sleeve that is meant to be taken off later.
Yes, I actually have long muslin tubes for that very purpose....one time I used a Sharpie pen and wrote "Show Sleeve" across it!
But then, I was not really trying to win a prize.
If the judge has to examine and comment on your sleeve, you have done well to get her/him to be checking that closely! If you really want to win a prize, everything about the quilt counts.
If you don't care about winning, then it's just fun to have your quilt hanging a show so other quilters can enjoy seeing it.