Join me tonight as we make two adorable quilt blocks using a fast half-square triangle (HST) method! I’ll walk you through squaring up for perfect points, share rotary cutter basics, and show the must-have tools that make piecing quicker and cleaner. We’re sewing with the super cute Poppie Cotton “Kitty Loves Candy” Fat Quarter Bundle—it’s a treat to stitch! You’ll learn: A speedy way to create accurate HSTs How to square up blocks without losing points Rotary cutter tips + ruler techniques for crisp cuts Pressing, trimming, and piecing for a flat, pro finish Supplies featured: Poppie Cotton “Kitty Loves Candy” FQB, rotary cutter, non-slip rulers, cutting mat, fine pins, 50wt thread.
Companion Guide: Pinwheel and Square-in-a-Square, Step by Step
This page is the companion to the first Block by Block episode (the same lesson also appears in Corey's How-To videos). If you're sewing along, here's the workflow in print:
- Make your HSTs oversized. Pair your squares right sides together using the fast method from the episode, sew both sides of the diagonal, cut apart, and press.
- Square up before anything else. Trim every HST to the same exact size with the diagonal seam running corner to corner. This one step decides whether your points survive assembly.
- Build the pinwheel. Arrange four HSTs so the feature triangles chase each other around the center. Sew in pairs, then join the pairs, nesting the center seams. Press the center seams in a circle — fan them open at the back — so the middle lies flat.
- Build the square-in-a-square. Add corner triangles to the center square, opposite sides first, pressing away from the center each time. Trim after the first pair of triangles, then again at the end, keeping the center square's points evenly spaced from the edges.
- Final measure. Both blocks should finish at the same size before they join a quilt — check with your ruler, not your hopes.
Three mistakes this episode saves you from
- Trimming HSTs before pressing — always press first, then trim, or the seam shifts as you handle it.
- Stretching bias edges while handling HSTs — carry units on a ruler or board, not by one corner.
- Skipping the center press on a pinwheel — an un-fanned center becomes a hard lump under the quilting.
