Bat Disco Quilt Along - Week Three
Half-Square Triangles
Welcome back to the Bat Disco Quilt Along! We’ve chosen our fabrics, we’ve cut our pieces, and now it’s time to start sewing. This week, we’re diving into our very first building block: the half-square triangle (HST).
HSTs are the backbone of the Bat Disco design — they create movement, sharp lines, and the silhouette of the bats. If you’ve never made them before, don’t worry: they’re simple, satisfying, and a great skill to master.
All my prints ready to trim.
Making Half-Square Triangles
Here’s a quick reminder of the steps (the pattern gives you full details, of course):
Pair your squares – You’ll match your background squares with your accent squares.
Mark the diagonal – Draw a line corner-to-corner on the back of the lighter fabric.
Sew ¼” on both sides of the line.
Cut apart on the marked line.
Press open (I like pressing to the darker fabric, but pressing open works too!).
You need the large squares for your HSTs.
Draw a line horizontally & sew 1/4” each side of the line.
I trim my HSTs before I press them open to save cuts..
Tips for Neat & Accurate HSTs
Chain piece – Sew a whole batch at once for speed and rhythm.
Trim for perfection – Even if it feels like an extra step, trimming your HSTs to size will make your quilt top so much easier to assemble.
Starch if you like – A light spritz of spray starch can help tame bias edges and keep everything crisp or just simply steam ironing.
Square them up – Any quilting ruler will help you square, you don’t need a fancy one. A rotating mat is handy too.
Keep up the moves - Good tunes and substance will help you keep your HST trimming groove.
Different Versions
For the six colour version, you will have six piles of HSTs in bright vibrant colours, tirm a colour at a time to keep the momentum going.
For my Liberty version, I’ve arranged the six floral piles by print and trim in batches.
For the monochrome version, you will have a big stack of two tone HSTs to trim up, I do mine in little batches and have a break inbetween.
A finished HST!
Your Task This Week
Sew up your half-square triangles.
Trim them to size according to the cutting chart in the pattern for your chosen size.
Share your stacks (or your trimmings pile!) with the hashtag #BatDiscoQuiltAlong so we can admire your progress.
Next week, we’ll tackle our second block: the snowball to create super cute bat ears.
Bat Disco Quilt Along Schedule
Here’s what’s coming up over the next 6 weeks:
Week 1 – Fabric Pull
Show off your spooky (or not-so-spooky!) fabric picks.
Week 2 – Cutting
Get those fabrics prepped and organized.
Week 3 – Half-Square Triangles
Lots of HSTs = lots of disco magic!
Week 4 – Snowball Blocks
Cute, simple, and oh-so-satisfying.
Week 5 – Quilt Top Assembly
Layout + rows = Bat Disco starting to shine!
Week 6 – Quilting & Finish
Quilting, binding, and celebrating your Bat Disco!
Use #BatDiscoQuiltAlong so we can all follow along and cheer you on!
🦇 Bat Fact!
Far from being spooky, bats are heroes of the night sky — a single bat can eat thousands of insects in one night, making them nature’s pest control experts.
