Moda Block Heads Block 6 {& HST Math}

Moda Block Heads Block 6

Welcome to week 6 of Moda Block Heads Round 3.

Today is Lisa Bongean’s block, “Magic”, to snag the pattern be sure to visit her site.  I have some helpful information for piecing this block ahead, so if you like tips, keep reading. =)

This block uses a lot of small half square triangles (HST’s).  So I am going to share some things that work for me when I am making them.

Tools:

Lisa Bongean is the queen of teeny piecing and she has some things that I can recommend to make small HST’s a bit easier:

1.)  Her triangle paper is wonderful.  It comes in all sizes (both on the roll and/or specifically made for pre-cuts) down to the smallest sizes (1/2″ finished).  This is a great tool for accurate HST’s.

2.)  Her itty bitty eights rulers.  I specifically like this size.  Having clearly marked 1/8″ marks on the ruler is so helpful.

The Math of HST’s

While we are talking about 1/8″ cutting, let’s talk about the math of HST’s just a bit to make things easier.  I like to make over-sized half square triangles using two squares and then trim them down.  You will have noticed that the patterns for Block Heads as they are written have us cut triangles to piece HST’s with.  If you are like me and prefer to use the two square method like this:

Here is how to know what size to cut your squares so they can be trimmed down.

You first need to know what size your HST will be when it is “finished”.  Finished means when it is completely sewn around all four edges (the size it will be in your completed quilt.  Using Lisa’s Magic block for this week, and the 8″ block size let’s figure that out.   If you haven’t yet printed out the block for this week–go do that now so you can follow along.  It’s available here.

We can easily see that the HST’s in this block are the same size as piece A.  In the 8″ block, we are cutting those at 1 1/2″ square.  This means it will be 1″ finished.  So we know that our HST’s will also be 1″ finished.

Add 1″ to the finished size of 1″–this equals 2″.  So, your squares will be cut at 2″.  You will notice this is just a little bit bigger than the B/C pieces called for in the pattern.  This will give you room to trim your HST’s down.  When you trim them, you will trim them to the same size as the A piece.

Let’s do the 12″ size. 

Our A squares are cut at 2″, so that means they will be 1 1/2″ finished.  Add 1″ and we come up with squares cut at 2 1/2″.

Let’s do the 6″ size.

Our A squares are cut at 1 1/4″, so that means they will be 3/4″ finished.  Add 1″ and we come up with squares cut at 1 3/4″.

And if you are doing the 4″ size.

Our A squares are cut at 1″, so that means they will be 1/2″ finished.  Add 1″ and we come up with squares cut at 1 1/2″.

If you wanted even more wiggle room for trimming down your HST’s you could add 1 1/4″ rather than 1″.  Whatever makes the process easiest for you.  And then, remember to trim them down to the same size as the A piece for whichever size block you are making.

There isn’t always a reference piece (like A) in every pattern to simplify things.  But, when there is a piece that you know is the same size as your HST, it is the simplest way to figure out the size of your HST’s.

For my block, I used a mix of Sugarcreek Prints and Wovens.  And I am making all of my blocks in the 6″ size.

Here are the rest of the designers (if you are ever unsure of whose blog to visit on what day):

2.19 – Lisa Bongean  <– we are here
2.26 – Lissa Alexander
3.4 – Laurie Simpson
3.11 – Vanessa Goertzen
3.18 – Stacy Iest Hsu
3.25 – Robin Pickens
4.1 – Janet Clare
4.8 – Jen Kingwell
4.15 – Joanna Figueroa 
4.22 – Corey Yoder
4.29 – Sherri McConnell
5.6 – Betsy Chutchian
5.13 – Jan Patek
5.20 – Brigitte Heitland 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!