Welcome to Stitchin Heaven’s Journeys Month 2. My helper for Month 2 is Amy Lemke, a talented graphic artist for Studio 180 Design. This month you are going to learn to make Half Square Triangles (HSTs) and Combination Units with your Tucker Trimmer I with Prints 1, 2, 5, 10, & 11. Label your fabrics and use your best cutting skills when cutting your starter squares.
Tip: I use plain paper plates and write on them what it is I have cut out. For instance, if you are new to using a Tucker Trimmer, I would label 6 paper plates: one for each print. Using a pen or pencil label the first plate “Print 1, Combination Units (unit D)”, and so on.
Half Square Triangle Construction
Note: For more information and left handed cutting and trimming directions, refer to the instruction that came with your Tucker Trimmer.
Step 1 – Mark two stitching lines ¼” on either side of the center diagonal. Draw the lines on the wrong side of all the 7” squares from Print 11. I like to use my Quilter’s Magic Wand™ for this task.
Step 2 – Layer the 7” Print 11 squares right sides together with the 7” squares from Prints 5 and 10. Stitch on the lines, then cut down the middle. Press away from Print 11 or open.
Layer.
Press.
Step 3 – Trim the units to 6½” using the Tucker Trimmer® I. Align the 6½” Sizing Diagonal with the seam and trim the first two sides.
Step 4 – Rotate the unit 180 degrees and align the 6½” Sizing Diagonal with the seam as well as the 6½” cleanup lines with the outside edge. Trim the remaining two sides to create your precise Half Square Triangle units. Label the units made with Print 5 Unit C, and label the units with Print 10 Unit B.
Make 8 each from prints 10 & 11 and prints 5 & 11.
Combination Unit Construction
Step 5 – Repeat steps 1 and 2 using the 7½” squares from Print 1 and Print 2 to make 4 Half Square Triangles. Press away from Print 2 or open. Do not trim!
Step 6 – Mark two stitching lines ¼” on either side of the center diagonal line of the pieced Half Square Triangles.
Step 7 – Position the pieced squares right sides together with the 7½” Print 11 squares. Note that the edges are not intended to match. Stitch on the lines, then cut down the middle. Press toward the large triangle.
Step 8 – Trim the units to 6½” using the Tucker Timmer® I. Align the 6½” Sizing Diagonal with the long seam and the Common Diagonal with the short seam. Trim the first two sides.
Step 9 – Rotate the unit 180o and align the Sizing and Common Diagonals with the seam as well as the 6½” cleanup lines with the trimmed edge. Trim the remaining two sides to create your precise Combination units. Label them Unit D.
Congratulations, you have learned to make half square triangles and combination units using your Tucker Trimmer I.
If These Threads Could Talk 
I am loving it! I am truly not trying to make it more difficult, but after reading the FB entry, I wondered if there was another way to construct the blocks so that if a person was going for show quality piecing, they had that option. I have too many projects to do and none of them for shows to worry too much about this, but was just curious! This is after all a learning experience with Deb’s tools!
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I too like my fabric to be straight in the units, but it is not always possible. Deb’s tools are the best. I drank the cool aide over 7 years ago and never looked back!
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Yes, I saw this. I have made other quilts and found I could correct this by turning the directional fabric 90 degrees. Wondered if that would work here.
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I’m not sure, you just have to be careful because you have a limited amount of fabric. When I tested the pattern I did not have the fabric you have. But I agree that in the end the fabrics tend to blend well. I wish you luck and hope you are happy with your quilt. Jason Yenter has created a beautiful line of fabric.
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Does it matter which direction Fabric #5 is facing when layering to make the 1/2 square triangles? Someone posted on FB how disappointed they were that the fabric was directional and didn’t like how the units turned out with the design going in different directions. Should half face the other direction when layering? i notice in the quilt picture, they are all going in the same direction.
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In response, this is what was posted in the Journeys BOM, I hope it helps: Hi, Joan – I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with Journeys, and do understand where you are coming from. When you’re designing a quilt using a line of fabric, generally you are looking to get the right color and value fabric in the right place. Sometimes these things happen, and for that reason we often try to avoid obviously directional fabrics when we can. Sometimes when you need a particular value and/or color in a spot, and you are limited with the fabrics you can choose from, it can’t be avoided, especially on a quilt as complex as this one. With a line of historical feeling, reproduction type fabrics, that issue is even more difficult because of the nature of the small designs, often directional in one or more ways. And, of course, not all angles in this quilt are going to be 45 degrees either, so that means this could happen in other places in the quilt even with some of the fabrics that are working with these diagonals in these first months. Many quilters find that characteristic of quilts that use reproduction style fabrics charming and that it adds to the emotional warmth of the quilt. They do not consider it a construction or quality issue. When the quilt is done, if the colors and values are placed correctly (which you can already see in the photo they are) what the eye will usually see in the finished quilt is the design and interplay of colors. That said, I understand your position and hope that you are able to find a way to enjoy this Journey.
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can you email me the cutting instructions for month 2 please? I have misplaced them somewhere.
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Bonnie, you need to contact Stitchin Heaven.
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