A Gateway Drug

For folks who like precision piecing I firmly believe that half square triangles are the gateway to improv.

Work with just two fabrics or two colours or two values, just pick some contrasting fabrics for each side of the square then sew. Use the method that you love or are comfortable with and make a pile of HSTs. Don't worry about what they will become or how many you make. Just make for the sake of making. 

This kind of sewing is mostly mindless. It's repetitive and soothing. It requires very little in the way of decision making  (only in picking your fabric), Just cut, sew, press, repeat. This is the kind of sewing you should do when you need the activity but your brain is dead. Like when you know you will feel better if you exercise but can't do more than go for a walk. Walking is better than nothing. HSTs are definitely better than nothing.

After a time you get a stack of HSTs to play with. And boy oh boy, there are so many options for HST play! You can pick from a number of traditional blocks based on HSTs or HSTs in combination with squares and rectangles. You can make lines and shapes and geese and diamonds and so much more. Let the fabric be your guide, it will tell you want it wants. 

Here are a few examples of my own play with HSTs. Spirals. Galaxy. Geese. With Circles. Giant Pinwheels. A maze. A point. Concentric. Background two ways.  

And if you need more HSTs to get what you want, then just make more. Cut, sew, press, repeat.