BOW #28: Hourglass

You should have the hang of HSTs (Half Square Triangles) by now, and have used them in many blocks.  Now it's time to get started on QSTs (Quarter Square Triangles).   Take heart:  they start with HSTs!

Half Square Triangles are squares made of 2 triangles so, as you might expect, QSTs are squares made of 4 triangles; the Hourglass block is a single QST unit.

To make a 12" finished Hourglass block

(1) 13-1/4" light square
(1) 13-1/4" dark square

Use the squares to make 2 HST units. (Remember, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the light square.  Place the light and dark squares, right sides together, and stitch 1/4" inch on either side of the drawn line.   Cut on the drawn line, fold back the dark triangle of each and press.  Square up to 12-7/8"

At this point, there are 2 ways you can proceed:

Now, cut the HST units from corner to corner, at right angles to the seam of the HSTs:

Then put two resulting triangles together, making sure that dark is next to light:








Just as with the HST, there are many blocks that use QSTs, so it's a good block to have in your toolbox.  We'll be looking at some other blocks, in upcoming weeks, that use QSTs or easy variations of it.  By itself, though, the Hourglass makes a great filler block, or alternate block in quilts.    Hmm... Some Hourlgass blocks in baby colors or bright colors would make a great baby quilt....


MK: Right on cue -- ta-dah! I forgot I had this baby quilt, until Karen mentioned it.

Greek Cross Pairings

Did I see a request for some favorite pairings with the Greek Cross? I came up with about a dozen, but I'll limit it here to 2 from recent BOW entries. The Bear's Paws has a nice diagonal feel, and the Churn Dash creates an interesting secondary pattern with the HSTs in the corners. Do you have a favorite pairing for this block? Let us know!

BOW #27: Greek Cross

Greek Cross looks like it might be complicated, but it's just a few shapes, easily constructed.  It's an interesting block for playing with alternate blocks in another design.

For a 12" finished block you'll need:

(4) 4-1/2" Half Square Triangle (HST) units, red/green (choose colors that  you like!)
(4) 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" green rectangles
(4) 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" gold rectangles
(1) 4-1/2" red square

If you need to review how to make HSTs, see BOW #1

Arrange and sew all the pieces as shown:

You can use just Greek Cross blocks, and you get something of a secondary pattern going on:

or you could alternate with another block, especially another in a nine-patch configuration, such as...well, a nine patch!  You have choices in colors for the nine patches, and you may have to try a few to find one that you like.    Here's one with just red and green:

But that's a little too much red and green for me.  (And you'll do a better job of piecing than I've done with virtual piecing--Open Office and I are having "discussions" tonight...)  So, I'm going to add in a little gold, to coordinate with the Greek Cross block:

And I like that better.  It seems more balanced, color-wise.  But I think I could create more of a secondary pattern if I switched positions of the red and green in the nine-patch:

That's more pleasing and interesting--to MY eyes; you'll find what your eyes like best!

BlockFab is a great way to try out those secondary patterns with different alternating blocks (Monkey Wrench, perhaps?) and different colorways.  I think we might even persuade Mary Kay to try a couple, and share them.....

BOW #26: Slanted Diamonds

I have to confess that I have never made this block "for real," but I'm having fun playing with it virtually--and it means I'll probably have to make a quilt with it!   It's easy to make, using the ever popular HST (Half Square Triangle).

You'll need 3 HSTs each of 3 color combinations; for a 12" finished square you'll need:

(3) 4-1/2" HSTs, Color 1/Color 2 combination
(3) 4-1/2" HSTs, Color 2/Color 3 combination
(3) 4-1/2" HSTs, Color 1/Color 3 combination

Arrange them as shown:

Wasn't that easy?  You can make multiple blocks and put them together, without any turning of the blocks, and get a look something like lightning.  Might be an interesting border:

Or, you can keep turning 45 degrees and make a pinwheel out of 4 blocks:

And, you can keep putting those pinwheels together to make a very graphic design:

Yes, I just may have to make one of these.....maybe scrappy look; 3 colors but in scraps.  (That's a big surprise from me, eh?)

Enjoy!

Tip #6: Alternate Plain Blocks

Cherie asked about fabric requirements for the plain alternate blocks. You can see what they'll look like in the "w/Plain" layout option, but what about fabric needs? Here's a tip: use the Patch library, choose the Square shape, set the size, and there you have your plain alternate block!

Scrappy Spinning Spools

Did someone mention a scrappy Spinning Spools block? Here is an example from BlockFab-HD.

BOW #25 Spinning Spools

 We made the Spool block in BOW #3; this week we're going to turn it on its ear--and join it with some other spools in the thread drawer.

To make a 12" finished Spinning Spool block, you'll need (where would be without HSTs?):

(16) 1-1/2" Half Square Triangles, light/dark 
(8) 1-1/2" x 4" light rectangles
(8) 1-1/2" x 4" dark rectangles
(4) 4" dark squares

Arrange and sew 4 of the HSTs, 2 dark and 2 light rectangles, and a dark square as shown:













Repeat to make a total of 4 spools (each will measure 6-1/2" square at this point

Turn the spools to make them "spin," and sew together into the block.

I won't suggest again that this would be great in scraps, because you all know by now that I think most blocks look good when made with scraps.  You could make this one with a different color for each of the 4 spools, and use the same combination in each block of a quilt.

I like the spool block, and I very much like the spinning spools because it looks more like the spools in my house--they're sometimes in a bit of a jumble!