Technique of the Week: Hourglass Block

Hi all! Just a quick blog post since I am on the road after a show in Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a really fun show. If you do not have Facebook or Instagram, here’s a few photos of my booth from the weekend:

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I had fun meeting quilters from South Dakota and, actually, all over the country since Rapid City is close to Mt Rushmore and is a great vacation spot. True story: a woman came into my booth here who lives in my sister’s neighborhood in Florida! Small world!

So on to the technique that I am covering in this tutorial. If you saw my post a few weeks back on making eight half-square triangle squares at once, this technique will come in handy turning those into hourglass squares! Here’s that blog post:

Piecing Techniques: Half-Square Triangle Squares

So now, once you have your half-square triangle squares (HSTs), here are the steps for making the hourglass squares. I am using two different color HSTs to show the hourglass design the best. First, lay two HSTs right sides together with the colors you want opposite each other laying opposite:

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Make sure to line up the seams. You may want to pin the units together in place so they don’t shift in the next steps. Next, draw a line perpendicular to the seam as shown.

Now stitch a 1/4″ on each side of the drawn line and cut the unit apart on the line:

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Now you can press each unit open to get two hourglass squares!

To get the correct size hourglass unit, you will want to start with squares     1 1/4″ larger than your finished hourglass square. For example, if you want your hourglass square to measure 3″ (3 1/2″ including seam allowance) you need to start with squares that measure 4 1/4″ to make the  HSTs you need for the hourglass square.

If you are unsure of the math, you can always make your beginning squares larger than you think you need and cut your hourglass squares down to size when you are finished. Of course this creates some fabric waste, but that’s OK if you do not mind. Be sure to place your ruler’s 45 degree angle line on the diagonal seam of the square for accurate trimming.

Well, hope you enjoyed this mini technique tutorial!

Happy Quilting
Deanne