Hourglass Quilt Block – Any Size You Need
The hourglass or quarter square quilt block is another foundation quilt block. You find them not only on their own but also in many other quilt blocks. Being able to easily make them and in any size you need can really expand your arsenal in the quilting world. When you master this method you won’t have to worry about those pesky points in the middle they will line up without any problems. There are no bias edges to deal with here and no triangles to cut. The hourglass quilt block is all based on sewing squares.
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Making An Hourglass Quilt Block
This quilt block goes by both hourglass and quarter square triangle but don’t worry if you can make a half-square triangle you can make this quilt block too.
So it’s pretty easy to do right? The secret is nesting the seams together so that your points match when you cut them apart. But what if you need a different size block? I’ve got you covered with simple math formulas!
Hourglass Quilt Block Math
I’m going to give you two methods for making the hourglass quilt block depending on how many you need to make.
Hourglass Quilt Block Method 1
If you only need a few blocks or if you will be doing a lot of variety use this method. This is based off of the two at a time half-square triangle method. You need to know what the block needs to finish at and add 1 1/2“. That is the size of squares you need to cut.
For example, if you need a 3-inch hourglass quilt block you will need to cut two 4 1/2″ squares.
Hourglass Quilt Block Method 2
If you need a lot of blocks with the same color scheme you can use the magic 8 method to make your half-square triangles. To figure out how big your half-square triangles need to be your need to add 1/2″ to your finished hourglass block. Use that measurement to figure how big you need to cut your squares following the method in the half square triangle tutorial.
For example if you need 3-inch quarter square blocks you need to start with 3 1/2″ half-square triangles.
Making Quarter Square Quilt Units
Like I said earlier if you can make a half-square triangle you can make these because it’s the same method. Once you make your half-square triangles you pair them together, nesting that center seam and use the two at a time method to sew again.
It truly is that easy to sew these units together.
Projects With These Units
There are a ton of quilt blocks that use this unit.
Card Trick – You would only use one half-square triangle and a solid square.
