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When planning your quilt blocks all seam allowances are 1/4 inch!!! Remember this number. Etch it permanently in your brain.
For a first quilt I do not recommend doing anything with a diagonal seam. Diagonal seam lines stretch and warp for beginners. The blocks do not turn out square.
You want to do the strip quilting techniques if you are determined to do this pattern.
The size of your quilt will vary by the size of your blocks and if you add any sashing. A twin quilt is usually is about 64 by 84 inches. There is a very easy way to make the block you are making. You do not need to cut triangles. On my site I give directions on how to make this block. Go to
The two triangles sewn together is called a Half Square Triangle unit, sometimes shortened to HST. Usually triangles are harder to work with because one edge is cut on the bias – diagonally across the grain. This is the weakest edge because it stretches easily. To demonstrate, hold a piece of fabric and try stretching it left and right, up and down, and diagonally. The diagonal has the most give.
However, there are ways to make HST units without leaving that diagonal exposed. If you sew before you cut, the seam reinforces the bias and you don’t have a problem with stretch. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One is to cut squares an inch bigger than you want the finished HST unit to be. Draw a diagonal line on the back of the lighter square, then draw another line 1/4″ away on each side of that one. Place your two fabric squares right sides together and sew on the two outside lines, then cut the center line. You’ll have two HST units. If you’re a beginning quilter, you might have some trouble with the 1/4″ seam so you HST units won’t be the same size. After sewing, cutting, and pressing, trim them to the size you want. It’s an extra step, but it helps with accuracy.
Another option is foundation piecing the HST units. Foundation piecing means sewing the fabric to something else, usually paper or another piece of fabric. In this case, you can purchase HST foundation paper. You sew large rectangles or strips of fabric together following preprinted sewing lines, then cut on cutting lines. Depending on the paper and the size of your squares, you could easily make 100 HST units in just a few minutes. There are three different kinds of triangle foundation papers: Triangle Paper, Thangles, and Triangles on a Roll. All three come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/2″ up to 5″ or larger. I prefer the Triangle Papers.
The pattern you are describing, all HST units, is often called Broken Dishes. The pattern can be done in just two colors, or two hundred colors. It’s important that you choose fabrics with a strong value difference – light and dark. Here are instructions for making a Broken Dishes block using a variation of the diagonal line method.
If you do a quilt with 6″ finished HST units, you would need 12 across and 14 down for a total of 168 HST units. With a 3″ border, your quilt would be 78″ x 90″, big enough for a twin bed. You would need 3 1/4 yards of light fabric (or fabrics) and 3 1/4 yards of dark fabric (or fabrics), plus 1 yard of border fabric. You’d also need about 6 yards for your backing and another half yard for your binding.
March 15th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
lombard
When planning your quilt blocks all seam allowances are 1/4 inch!!! Remember this number. Etch it permanently in your brain.
For a first quilt I do not recommend doing anything with a diagonal seam. Diagonal seam lines stretch and warp for beginners. The blocks do not turn out square.
You want to do the strip quilting techniques if you are determined to do this pattern.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
danny
The size of your quilt will vary by the size of your blocks and if you add any sashing. A twin quilt is usually is about 64 by 84 inches. There is a very easy way to make the block you are making. You do not need to cut triangles. On my site I give directions on how to make this block. Go to
March 19th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
proffitt
The two triangles sewn together is called a Half Square Triangle unit, sometimes shortened to HST. Usually triangles are harder to work with because one edge is cut on the bias – diagonally across the grain. This is the weakest edge because it stretches easily. To demonstrate, hold a piece of fabric and try stretching it left and right, up and down, and diagonally. The diagonal has the most give.
However, there are ways to make HST units without leaving that diagonal exposed. If you sew before you cut, the seam reinforces the bias and you don’t have a problem with stretch. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One is to cut squares an inch bigger than you want the finished HST unit to be. Draw a diagonal line on the back of the lighter square, then draw another line 1/4″ away on each side of that one. Place your two fabric squares right sides together and sew on the two outside lines, then cut the center line. You’ll have two HST units. If you’re a beginning quilter, you might have some trouble with the 1/4″ seam so you HST units won’t be the same size. After sewing, cutting, and pressing, trim them to the size you want. It’s an extra step, but it helps with accuracy.
Another option is foundation piecing the HST units. Foundation piecing means sewing the fabric to something else, usually paper or another piece of fabric. In this case, you can purchase HST foundation paper. You sew large rectangles or strips of fabric together following preprinted sewing lines, then cut on cutting lines. Depending on the paper and the size of your squares, you could easily make 100 HST units in just a few minutes. There are three different kinds of triangle foundation papers: Triangle Paper, Thangles, and Triangles on a Roll. All three come in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/2″ up to 5″ or larger. I prefer the Triangle Papers.
The pattern you are describing, all HST units, is often called Broken Dishes. The pattern can be done in just two colors, or two hundred colors. It’s important that you choose fabrics with a strong value difference – light and dark. Here are instructions for making a Broken Dishes block using a variation of the diagonal line method.
If you do a quilt with 6″ finished HST units, you would need 12 across and 14 down for a total of 168 HST units. With a 3″ border, your quilt would be 78″ x 90″, big enough for a twin bed. You would need 3 1/4 yards of light fabric (or fabrics) and 3 1/4 yards of dark fabric (or fabrics), plus 1 yard of border fabric. You’d also need about 6 yards for your backing and another half yard for your binding.
Good luck, and enjoy!