Great HST Caper - ready to assemble

Today, I'm going to write my post backwards.  Instead of starting from the beginning of my day, I'm going to start with the end result.  And here it is.  A box full of 4-patch components, all ready to be joined into the final blocks.  Is it not a thing of beauty?!

It's hard to believe this all started out as a box of untrimmed unsquared ten year old half-square triangles made with fabrics I didn't like.  When I opened the box 2.5 months ago, I thought there were 1,000 or more, but it turned out there was a little less than 900.  While still a jaw dropping number of HSTs, it left me short of my goal, by 250-something which I pieced together in a marathon session yesterday.

And this is what I'm going to make with those components.  I have enough to make 30 12.5" blocks (5 x 6) resulting in a quilt top 60" x 72" (before borders).

I had to trim all the flying geese units I made today.  But I was right about trimming 70 four-patches being preferable to trimming the 280 HSTs I made yesterday.  The four patches I made today were almost 1/4" bigger all around than all the ones I made with trimmed HSTs.  I think there's a lesson in that for me.  My habit of working with trimmed perfect components is not just a manifestation of OCD.

I trimmed off quite a bit to make them square.

And this was the pile before trimming, just after ironing and twirling the back seams.

And this was the string of flying geese after I finished sewing them this afternoon.

I think I've earned an evening off.  No ironing.  No cutting.  No trimming.  No sewing.  I might take my new box of tidy 4-patch components and start laying them out as blocks for chain piecing.