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Techniques

Stitch and Flip

A piecing method where a small square is sewn diagonally onto a corner, then flipped and trimmed to create a triangle corner.

Stitch and flip (also called 'sew and flip' or 'folded corner') is a fast technique for adding triangle corners to squares or rectangles without cutting triangles. A small square is placed right-sides-together on a corner of a larger piece, a diagonal line is drawn (or an angled seam is sewn by eye), the small square is sewn along the line, flipped open, and the excess trimmed away. This method is used to make snowball blocks, flying geese units, and numerous other shapes. Saving the trimmed corner triangles — called 'bonus HSTs' — is a popular way to reduce waste.

Related Terms

Flying GeeseA rectangular unit consisting of one large triangle (the 'goose') and two smaller triangles (the 'sky').Snowball BlockA square block with triangular corners cut away, creating an octagonal shape.Half Square Triangle (HST)A square unit made from two right triangles of different fabrics sewn together along the diagonal.

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