Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Hourglass units shrink in two stages.

First, you lose space when creating the half-square triangles. Then those HSTs are sewn together — costing you another half inch in seam allowance. By the time the unit is complete and trimmed, you’ve lost a full inch from the fabric size you started with.

If your hourglass blocks are finishing smaller than expected, this compounding seam loss is usually the reason.

Understanding where the space goes makes the math far less frustrating.

#HourglassBlock #QuiltingTips #HalfSquareTriangles #QuiltBlockConstruction #PatchworkPrecision #SewingPartsOnline