Yes that is right. Measure the template from the center to the point. That plus 1/2" is the width you need for each strip.

So a 4" HST = 2 -3 1/2" wide strips by as long as you want.
Sew strips together open and iron the seams.
Set the 4" template on the seam on point. Two opposite corners need to be on the seam. Rotary cut accurately around the template.

You will get a 4" HST. Pay attention to cutting accurately and you won't have to trim anything. Don't let the template move while you are cutting.

I use sandpaper strips glued on the back of my template to get a good grip so it doesn't move.

thank you for your patience. LOL I really appreciate it. Did you see my avatar? the borders had around 120 HST. I made them and then did the whole square up thing after sewing. I will definitely use this next time.

You're welcome! I hate to see people struggling with these HSTs when they are really pretty easy to do. Hope you enjoy it!

Great Tutorial, Rhonda!!

thanks Retrogirl

Hey Rhonda, I have a question about cutting the square out of the center. It looks like you butt them up against each other - so how do you keep the rotary cutter from overshooting the corner? (Hope that makes sense.) If you cut past the corner and don't maintain the same angle, then you will lose part of the next piece.

You can get a more exact cut utilizing the smaller rotary cutters.

Mad for myself I use a wider strip but I wanted to keep the waste down for everyone. I just do it carefully on the corners and don't go any farther than I have to. About a 1/4" from the corner or less and you should do ok. You can always pull the square up and out and run the blade over the bit of fabric still connected.

I've never had one but that would be a good idea too!

Rhonda, I happend to get one as a gift or free with a mat or something or I probably wouldn't have tried them...they are perfect for small/mini blocks and I find I'm using it far more often than I had expected.