Good morning everyone! I am so excited for you to get started on this Quilt Along. It’s the start of Week 2 and time to make all the Half Square Triangles (HST) for the Scrappy Tree Block! You will need to make 18 HST per block, a total of 216 HST for the quilt. I know that sounds like a lot, but keep reading if you want to see some different techniques that I use in order to make this process a little easier (and quicker).
In the pattern you are instructed to layer 2 squares right sides together, draw a diagonal line, and stitch ¼” away on each side of the drawn line. Once cut and pressed, you will have two HST’s. Although this process is simple and still reduces waste, its time-consuming. What if I told you this process could get even simpler? Yep, that’s right! With Half Square Triangle Paper! With HST paper you and make multiple HST’s at once! Half Square Triangle paper comes in many different ways and can be called many different things, but at the end of the day, they all do the same job. I have several favorite types of HST paper and depending on what I’m making I choose the best one for the job. They can come in a roll, like Triangles on a Roll from Fat Quarter Shop, or come in sheets like those of Star Singles from Spinning Star Design, or from Primitive Gatherings. For the Christmas Tree Mix QAL I chose to use Triangles on a Roll. I have many different types of prints I want to use for this quilt to achieve a scrappy look, Triangles on a roll allows me to cut the fabric down into strips and get to stitching. It took me 30 minutes to make 80 HST's with the paper. See pictures below:
Never heard of Half Square Triangle paper before? That’s ok, check out this tutorial from Fat Quarter Shop showing you how to use their Triangles on a Roll Paper.
Want to purchase some HST paper? Check out these vendors! You will need 2” finished Half Square Triangle Paper for this quilt.
Later this week I will be posting my progress on my Instagram page @mysewquiltylife. If you're just now joining in, that’s ok. You still have plenty of time to get started. You can grab your paper or PDF pattern in my shop or in my Etsy shop.
Next week we will start to assemble these HST’s into the Scrappy Tree Block.
Quilt Along Schedule:
Did you know there will be some pretty awesome giveaways at the end of this QAL? Check out the sponsors and their prizes:
Bella Rose Quilts with a Fat Quarter Bundle of Pumpkins and Blossoms but Fig Tree & Co
Plain Janes & Co with a gift certificate to their online shop
My Sew Quilty Life with a gift certificate to my online shop
The Quilted Sunflower with $50.00 towards your quilting service
QuiltingwithLove with a free E2E quilting service of your Christmas Tree Mix quilt top.
See you soon!
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