16 Half Square Triangle Quilt Patterns
Some quilters may not consider a half square triangle an actual quilt block. After all, it plays a major part in many block patterns. However, I definitely consider it one, and I think it is one that stands quite well on its’ own. That’s why I came up with this half square triangle tutorial.
When laid out in an effective way, this simple two-color creation can produce stunning quilts. Just take a look at these nine of the sixteen half square triangle block layouts highlighted in this article.
Half square triangles are simple to make, and a quilt top, like one of these, can easily be made in a day. Just think of all of the color combinations that can be used. And don’t forget, you are not just limited to one of the layouts I’ve pictured here. The possibilities are endless.
Here are 27 Stunning Layouts
If you would like to try your hand at one of these half square triangle quilts, here are the instructions.
Quilt Top Specifications
The measurements provided in this tutorial make a finished quilt top that is 40 ½ inches square. It is made up of 64 half square triangles that are 5 ½ inches square.
How to Make a Half Square Triangle
Supplies Needed
- Fabric – 2 colors (or color families) – I used one grey fabric and various pink scraps
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
- Quilter’s Ruler
Items You Can Use To Make This Project
You can find many of the items that I used to make this project in my Amazon Store.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cutting
Cut 32 squares out of each color fabric (A & B) in the following sizes:
Color A (Grey in this example) – 6 ½ inches square – 32 total
Color B (Shades of pink in this example) – 6 ½ inches square – 32 total
Assembly
Place one square of color A on your work surface, right side facing up.
Next, place once square of color B on top of color A. Right sides should be facing.
Using your ruler, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other.
Using a ¼ inch seam allowance, sew down both sides of the line.
Once sewn, using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut the block in half, along the line you drew earlier.
Press open, pressing to the darker fabric.
Finally, trim the blocks down to 5 ½ inches square.
Now comes my favorite part of the whole process, choosing a design. Start laying out your blocks and try out different patterns. Once you have found the one you like, sew the blocks together.
16 Stunning Layouts
All of the patterns below are made up of 64 half square triangle blocks. Each one measures 5 1/2 inches square before sewing. Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, the quilt top should measure 40 1/2 inches square.
Tip: It can be hard to remember which layout you like best, so snap a picture with your phone of the various ones you tried. Then look at them later and decide which one is your favorite.
Simple
Placing all of the half square triangle blocks in the same direction is a simple, yet effective look. It is a good way to highlight the various scrap fabrics used.
Chevron
A chevron design is always a winner and quite striking. With these colors, the various pinks sparkle.
Diagonal Squares
When making my wall hanging I had a hard time deciding between this one and the chevron. This is another bold layout that makes the pinks pop.
Stripes
Stripes, always a popular layout, make a bold graphic design.
Virginia Star
Use the half square triangle blocks to create the traditional Virginia Star quilt block. Using bold colors really makes the design show. Can you find the mistake? Good thing this wasn’t the layout I decided to go with!
Pinwheel
Another favorite, laying out the blocks in a pinwheel pattern gives the design a lighter appearance.
Bull’s Eye
Bold and graphic, a bull’s eye pattern is striking. I can imagine all kinds of design possibilities.
Fractured Chevron
This block layout is a different take on the traditional chevron pattern, and would look really good with each pink arrow section being different color.
Spider
This layout reminds me of a spider with its’ long legs. The spiral effect is quite striking.
Swirl
A bit like the bull’s eye pattern, the swirl gives an interesting off-center look to the quilt top.
Wonky Diamonds
These wonky diamonds look like they are dancing across the design, and they show off the various fabrics.
Fractured Bull’s Eye
With just a few block rearrangements, the bull’s eye layout turns into this mesmerizing design. Using ombré fabrics would really make this pattern shine.
Topsy Turvy
A variation of the fractured bull’s eye, this layout resembles an individual quilt block. I think it would be quite striking in black and white.
Inverted Arrows
This pattern is powerful and quite eye-catching. When deciding which layout I wanted to use, this was one of the ones I was thinking about doing.
Squares in Squares
A bold design, this squares in squares layout presents a powerful graphic.
Fractured Flying Geese
These half square triangle flying geese are flying in all four directions and give the design plenty of movement.
Which Layout Will You Choose?
I decided to go with the chevron pattern, and I couldn’t be happier. It hangs over my desk. Which layout is your favorite?
These sixteen patterns are just the beginning. The design possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
Want More Layouts?
Here are 11 more designs for your half square triangles.
With this half square triangle tutorial, you can whip up 64 blocks in no time. The fun part is in laying them out and deciding which one you like best. Once you’ve done that, it’s an easy quilt top to assemble.
Happy Quilting!
35 Comments
Nancy Ann Belsky
April 5, 2019 at 9:11 PMWow!! What a nice selection of options for the humble Half Square Triangle. Thanks
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
April 6, 2019 at 9:47 AMThank you. It really is a versatile block. Half the fun is rearranging the blocks. It’s like coloring with fabric.
Brenda King
May 1, 2019 at 4:02 AMLove your work, Claudia! And your color sense. Thanks for sharing! : ) Brenda, Bend, Oregon
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
May 1, 2019 at 4:53 PMThanks so much Brenda! I really appreciate it.
Marion Fitzsimmons
October 7, 2019 at 3:25 PMYOUR great 1/2 square presentation came at time when I was pulling my hair out trying to get a good result with all my pieces. Thank you, so much. Still believe color combinations are what make or
break a quilt — except those made with scraps.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
October 8, 2019 at 7:49 AMThanks so much! I agree, color combos are important, but I also love scrap quilts. It’s fun to play with scrap colors too.
Dian
October 21, 2019 at 10:49 AMBeautiful options! New to quilting – questions on supplies. How many yards of fabric total does this size quilt require? Thanks!
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
October 23, 2019 at 6:39 AMThank you. That is a tough question for this quilt since I used scraps. If you were going to use the same fabric for one of the halves (for example the grey I used in the photos) you would need about 1 1/2 yards of the grey fabric. For the other color (like the pinks I used in the photos) you would need a total of 1 1/2 yards made up of various fabrics. That would be sufficient to make a quilt top this size. However that does not include fabric requirements for the back and the binding.
Jjljkeane
January 26, 2024 at 1:07 PM6.5 in square if you figure 42in usable is 6 per 6.5 wof strip for 32 squares you need 6 strips or 39 “inch plus a little in case it is cut off. so 1 1/3 or 11 /2 would work.
heiko chandler
December 9, 2019 at 1:24 AMMy problem is which way to press the seams
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
December 10, 2019 at 6:31 AMThe general way to press is towards the dark fabric, but that is not a rule. Sometimes I need to press to the light fabric, depending on the block.
Sandra Theal
March 12, 2020 at 1:52 PMYes love chevron.crisp and clean looking
Lora
April 18, 2020 at 4:43 PMDo you know about how many squares you would need to make a full-size quilt?
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
April 23, 2020 at 7:02 AMIt all depends on what size you make your half square triangles and your quilt. The ones in this article (pink & grey) are 5 1/2″ each so if you want a quilt about 80″ x 100″ (double/queen) you’ll need about 320 half square triangles. You can make the half square triangles larger so you don’t have to make as many. Thanks.
Patsy
August 31, 2020 at 6:55 PMThis is awesome, just what I was looking for! So many possibilities with HST. I can’t wait to experiment.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
September 1, 2020 at 6:37 AMI’m so glad you like it. Thanks for reading and have fun making your quilt.
Adriene
September 1, 2020 at 9:47 AMThank you, Claudia. I love hst and was looking for block patterns and found your blog. Well done. This will come in handy. I make oodles of baby quilts (not too babyish because I want them to love their quilt through childhood and beyond–LOL) and hst give me loads of options.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
September 2, 2020 at 5:18 AMThat is so great to hear. Thanks for letting me know. Glad you found lots of options. I have 11 more layouts in this article https://www.createwithclaudia.com/2020/01/more-half-square-triangle-patterns/
Joleen
December 6, 2020 at 11:38 AMShouldn’t you press your fabrics first?
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
December 6, 2020 at 12:14 PMYes
Dianne Nash
December 9, 2020 at 12:29 AMLooking forward your pattern bandanaquilt.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
December 9, 2020 at 9:14 AMGreat. Here is a link to the bandana quilt pattern. https://www.createwithclaudia.com/2020/12/how-to-make-a-bandana-quilt/
Quilting Tangent
December 28, 2020 at 3:31 PMThank you for all the wonderful layouts.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
December 28, 2020 at 5:21 PMThanks, I appreciate it!
Cindy Jones
January 21, 2021 at 4:19 PMWhen I lay the squares out the seams and angles line up. Once I sew them with 1/4 inch seams, some angles do not line up.
How can I fix this?
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
January 22, 2021 at 6:09 AMI’m not sure why they are matching up. You could try pinning where the two squares join up on the angle. Or try nesting the the seams and pinning. Good luck.
Cindy Jones
January 21, 2021 at 4:26 PMI used 3 inch squares
Bobbie Brandel
January 18, 2022 at 6:28 PMI cannot thank you enough for these patterns. I just had enough scraps to make the one with 5 stars. It is working out perfectly. Again, THANK YOU!!!
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
January 19, 2022 at 5:11 AMThat’s so great to hear. Thanks for reading and letting me know.
Kaitu'u
October 3, 2022 at 6:04 AMHi I’m new to quilting. Thanks for sharing. Love all the patterns.
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
October 4, 2022 at 6:20 AMI’m so happy to hear that. Thank you.
Peggy Holt
October 15, 2022 at 2:01 PMClaudia, I just watched your marvelous video. That was certainly a labor of love. Did you know that there are actually 256 different ways to create a four-patch block from hst? It is such a versatile unit. Your layouts are lovely and many show using more than one of those 256! The combinations appear to be endless. I love hst so much I had to write a book, and it barely covered the basics. Again, my kudos to you for such a wonderful video. Well done! I’m going to go explore here on your site. I like what I see. Then I may just have to go play with some triangles!
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
October 18, 2022 at 6:50 AMHave fun with your hsts. They really are fun!!
Renee Atkinson
March 8, 2023 at 5:06 PMGreat article Claudia!
createwithclaudia_7j76hs
March 22, 2023 at 8:12 AMThanks Renee!