Sweat Shop Sewing

Tiny paper hats? Nope, HST trimmings

A few months ago I agreed to participate in a a half-square triangle (HST) swap. I'm always envious of the online swaps and Instagram challenges I see (I'm still contemplating a scrappy Trip Around the World quilt, although the speedy quilters of Instagram seem to have that one wrapped up already). So I naively thought this might be a good way to get into a little collaborative quilting.

Little did I know when I said yes that the required number of HSTs was 1400! We're using Laundry Basket Quilt's 2" HST paper, which helps because you can make 28 at a time. And I'm enjoying mixing up a lot of fabrics from my stash--a dark and a light for each. But it's amazing how many I still have to do. I'm past the halfway mark, but still face more nights in my sweat shop...er, sewing room...before I finish.

Next I'll be stressing over what I'll do with all those HSTs. That part has been fun to think about, though. The variety of possibilities is endless. When I can't face making any more HSTs, I fool around with layouts to keep myself motivated. With 1400 HSTs, I might just make two smaller quilts.

Any suggestions for great HST layouts?