Hi everyone!
It’s Fran from Cotton and Joy and I’m back with the third and final block on my HSTs 3 Ways series! The Hourglass block is a quintessential quilting block – and yet, somehow in all my years of quilting this is my first time making it! Just like the Pinwheel block, and the Dutch Windmill block, the Hourglass block is ideal for beginners since it comes together easily and quickly!
Fabric and Notions Required
Now, let’s get right to making this block! Like the two previous blocks, the Hourglass block finishes at 12”. Here’s what you’ll need to make it –
● [8] 4” x 4” in background fabric
● [2] 4” x 4” squares in four different colors
Instructions
1. Using this tutorial make four HSTs in each color, for a total of 16 HSTs, four in each color.
2. Start making each hourglass unit by sewing two HSTs together, making sure the HSTs are facing the correct direction. Press seam open or towards the left HSTs.
3. Next, sew the two remaining HSTs together, once again making sure the HSTs are facing the correct direction. Press seam open or towards the right HSTs.
4. Align the two units from Steps 2 and 3 so the middle seams line up, nesting together if seams were pressed to the side. Sew the top unit to the bottom unit. If necessary, trim your block to 6.5” square.
4. Repeat steps 2-4 with remaining colors.
5. Sew full block together with windmill units in a 2 x 2 arrangement. If necessary, trim your block to 12.5” square.
And that’s it! I love how quickly it comes together, with just some HSTs. And now we can get down to the reason I started this series to begin with – I love how we’ve created three entirely different blocks, with the same amount of HSTs in each one!
Hope you enjoy this quick tutorial! I’ll be back later with a quick pattern/tuturial on how to put all three blocks to use in a fun table runner!