Sparklers Quilt-Along: Week 3
Welcome to Week 3 of the Sparklers Quilt-Along! It’s been so fun to watch your progress as you work through the steps for each week’s homework! I love it when you share on Instagram and tag me, and the Facebook group has been such a fun way to watch you ladies connect with each other, or throw ideas back and forth. I think it will be fun to highlight a few of you each with and share one of your photos from the week, so I’ll do that later in this email.
This week I’ve got all 5 of my kiddos home for spring break (3 in 3 different colleges, 1 in high school, and 1 in middle school) and I couldn’t be happier to have them all home again. The house is loud and bedtime is much later than my usual, but having everyone sitting around at night talking is worth the lack of sleep.
As far as the quilt along goes, this week is one of my favorite weeks because your quilt really starts coming to life. All those strip-pieced squares you made last week are about to turn into Half Square Triangles (and then into pinwheels next week!).
Here’s what we’re focusing on this week:
- Sew your Half Square Triangles (HSTs) and cut them apart
- Press your seams
- Trim your HSTs to their correct size (trim half this week and half next week)
Half Square Triangles (HST’s)
Half Square Triangles are one of the most common building blocks in quilting, and once you get comfortable with them, you’ll start seeing them everywhere. There are countless ways to arrange them and create different designs!
Sewing your HST’s
The 2 most important things to remember when doing this:
- Use a scant ¼” seam when sewing on either side of the drawn line. This helps your HSTs finish just a little larger so you have room to trim them accurately.
- Follow the illustrations on the pattern closely when completing Step 3. Make sure your strip-pieced square and your drawn line are oriented the correct way before sewing.
Sewing a Scant ¼″ Seam
When sewing your HSTs, be sure to use a scant ¼″ seam allowance when stitching on either side of the drawn line. A scant ¼″ seam is just a thread or two smaller than a true ¼″ seam. This gives you a little extra room so your HSTs come out slightly oversized, allowing you to trim them accurately to the correct size in the next step.
The way I think about it is this: I position my drawn line just slightly to the inside of the right edge of my ¼″ presser foot. That tiny adjustment gives you the little bit of extra room you need for trimming.
If you tested your ¼″ seam allowance back in Week 1, this is where that small step really pays off!
Cutting Apart Your HST’s
To save time, I often like to layer several units on my cutting mat and cut multiple squares at once. But if you’re still getting comfortable with rotary cutting, I recommend cutting them apart one at a time. It’s a little slower, but it helps you stay accurate and confident as you go.
Pressing Your HST’s
Typically, quilters recommend pressing the seam allowance toward the darker fabric, and that’s a good general rule that I try to follow most of the time.
However, for the Sparklers pattern it works best to press the seams toward the background fabric (regardless of color).
Doing this helps reduce bulk and allows your seams to lay as flat as possible when the blocks come together. You’ll also find this especially helpful when you move on to trimming your HSTs in the next step — helping your units stay neat and accurate as you square them up.
If you’d like to see exactly how I press my seams, this short video shows one small step many quilters were never taught that really helps seams lay flatter.
Trimming Your HST’s
Trimming HSTs can feel repetitive, but it’s what helps your blocks and seams line up beautifully when you sew your pinwheels — and when everything lines up the way it should, it feels like a million bucks!
There are a few different ways you can trim your HSTs, and several rulers that work well for the job. Over the years I’ve tried a number of different methods and tools, and eventually found one that really sped up this step for me.
To trim your HSTs, you can use a square ruler or a standard quilting ruler. Some quilters also create a guide similar to a Bloc Loc by placing a few layers of washi tape or painter’s tape next to the center diagonal line on their ruler. There are also several specialty rulers designed specifically for trimming HSTs.
My absolute favorite ruler for trimming HST’s is a Bloc Loc ruler. I truly believe it cuts my trimming time by about 40%! If you’ve never used one before, I’ve linked it HERE so you can take a look and see how it works. They come in several sizes, but if you have one of the larger sizes, you can use it to trim smaller HST’s as well. (Here’s a short video showing how I trim mine.)
When I bought my first one, I started with the 6 ½” size – which is the one you’ll need for this Sparklers quilt – and then I added other sizes later as I had need for them. The two I find myself using the most often are the 6 ½” and the 5 ½” rulers.
And remember — if your HST’s are coming out slightly smaller than 6″, that’s okay! Simply trim them to the next closest size down (for example 5¾”). What really matters is that all of your HSTs are trimmed to the same consistent size.
A Tip for Maximum Scrappiness
Here’s one thing I strongly recommend this week:
Sew all of your HSTs first before turning them into pinwheels.
It can be tempting to start assembling blocks right away, but waiting gives you the maximum variety when choosing combinations for each block. When you have all of your HSTs finished, you’ll have far more options when pairing them into pinwheels.
That variety is what creates that beautifully scrappy look in the finished quilt.
Trust me — it’s worth the patience.
Share Your Progress
As your HSTs start stacking up, I’d love to see them!
Share your progress in the Facebook group or tag me on Instagram so we can all enjoy the different fabric combinations coming together.
Next week we’ll start assembling the pinwheel blocks — and that’s when things really start to look like a quilt.
Have fun, and keep sharing!
Julia
