FQT Sewing Week 3

The next step is to arrange the layout and sew the blocks together and trim the half square triangles (HSTs) for the border. 

You can choose to lay out your blocks in any way you’d like, but I lay them out by offsetting each block two spaces to the right.  

You need 128 HSTs for the border. I went ahead and trimmed all of the ones I had because I will set aside any I don’t use to be used in another project. 

You want to trim them to 2-1/2″. I love my Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer because I only have to trim two sides, not four: 

If you don’t have this tool, you can use a small square ruler with a 45-degree line. 

First, place the 45-degree line on the seam of the HST: 

 

Trim two sides (the upper and right if you are right handed): 

 

Rotate the block 180 degrees, line up the two cut sides at 2-1/2″, place the 45-degree line on the seam again, and trim the remaining two sides:

As I trim these, I separate them into piles of the same fabrics, because I like to sew them together in the same order as I put together the top. 

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Christine Hunter

What size should each 4 unit block be?

Patti Laird

6″ x 12″