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have done a similar pattern and you do end up with diagonals on outer edges--helps to starch first.

So what is the difference if you sew all around your square and cut it on the diagonal. Either way you end up with bias. Sewing around the square is faster to me than drawing all those lines. Help me see the difference and the efficiency please.

Jan's directions make great HSTs which don't stretch because the diagonals are stitched before they are cut, thus stabilizing the bias edge.

Hey Jan where are you? I need your help understanding your hst drawing. I guess my dyslexia has kicked in but I still cannot see how this idea makes hst. Please come back and explain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLO (Post 7731693)

Jan, I may be missing something here or just plain dense (probably the second!) but don't you still end up with bias edges on the outer edges of the produced blocks?

No, the bias seams are the ones sewn together in the middle of the square.
The outside edges remain on the outside and they are not bias.

take 2 scraps and try it - it works!

I did try this with two squares of paper but I do not see how you can even open the pieces up let alone end up with four hst. I know I have used a similar method in the not so recent past but it seems to me that the sewing part might be wrong. I feel like the diagonal sewing should be in the opposite direction. Maybe I need to get new glasses .... or better yet a new brain. I am off to my studio to try this with fabric. Maybe it will all make sense to me by doing that.

Jan's drawing is correct. You need to cut on the vertical and horizontal red lines as well as the diagonal red lines. The result will be 8 HST. The outside edges of the blocks are all on the straight of grain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan in VA (Post 7731224)

Yes, it's simple. The diagonal of a 10" square is about 14" so the outside edges of the HSTs would be more than 6". BUT the reason I do not recommend this method for HSTs is because the resulting HSTs have bias edges along their outside edges, yuck!
Try cutting your basic squares at 10" -- or maybe even 10.5" -- draw a diagonal line in each direction and in half thru the middle both directions.
Sew 1/4" away from those two diagonal lines, on each side of them. Then cut on the drawn lines. Press and trim.
Jan in VA

Jan, I suppose by now you have realized that those vertical and horizontal lines need to be cut or you won't be able to open anything. That produces 8 HSTs as techsewer said. Now all we need to know is how big to cut the first two squares to make our HTSs big enough. And how big would our HTSs be if we used 10 inch squares. I say they will be about 4.5 finished.
To make a 6.5 finished HTS, you need squares at least 14 inches. Am I correct?