OMG! heart the above quilt! The beautiful ocean colors, with the “Sailboats” Motif (which is what I like to call this design that resembles a sea of sailboat sails gliding by), and the free-motion “wavy” quilting stitches all give it a lovely nautical yet modern theme and looks really good coincidentally. And the way the polar bears peak out over the white. It all converges into an exquisite quilt. One of those things where everything just falls into place. And it’s super simple!
The above quilt is made entirely of “Half-Square Triangle” blocks to form a simple “sailboat” motif. These blocks are the one of the most basic building blocks in Quilting!
It’s a “2-patch” block, meaning the block or tile itself is made up of 2 patches of fabric sewn together. 2 triangular patches that are exactly half the square it makes. Therefore, a “Half-Square Triangle” or “HST” for short.
This basic quilt block, the “HST”, is a quintessential building block for an infinite number of design motifs.
Below are some examples of how one set of quilt blocks can be used to make a variety of different designs. Not just the same fabric pack but the same quilt blocks. Just moved around to form a different pattern. Borderline “on the spectrum” but also a very fun way to see what designs these shapes and colors and form.
Here are 4 quilts, each using the same set of quilt blocks, each forming a completely different design. Below are Log Cabin, Simple, Log Cabin(?), and Chevron by Polka Dot Chair.
Here is another set of 4 quilts using another set of quilt blocks to form 4 completely different designs by Material Girl Quilts. 4 quilts in Diagonal Stripe, Chevron, Hourglass, and Herringbone.
Below are 34 more examples of the myriad of motifs and designs a simple Half-Square Triangle quilt block can create. They include classic motifs like Flying Geese, Pinwheel, Chevron, Hourglass, Sawtooth, 8-Pointed Star and more!
Flying Geese
Herringbone
Chevron
Pinwheels
Hourglass
Various Motifs
More Variations and Tutorials
Overland Fabrics has a wonderful tutorial all about “Half-Square Triangle” Blocks including some great tips and tricks for quilting! I wished I had found this before I finished my quilt tops!
https://www.overdalefabrics.com/half-square-triangles/
Missouri Quilt Co. has a great free tutorial on creating a Chevron Motif Quilt using HSTs. It includes a list of all materials and tools needed as well as a how-to video. Find it here-
https://www.missouriquiltco.com/blogs/missouri-star-quilting-tutorials/chevron-quilt