Card Trick Method

There are lots of tutorials on the Internet that demonstrate this method better then I can. But here's a quick overview of how I made the blocks. 

This method allows you to speed piece HSTs and combinations blocks to make two Card Trick blocks at a time. One appears to spin clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. If you use the same color in the same place in each block, this difference is minimized.

Cut: 4 - 5 ½” squares each in 4 different colors

4 - 5 ½” background squares

2 – 5” background squares.

Cut one 5 ½” square of each color in half on the diagonal. Then cut one of those triangles in half. See diagram. The large triangle will be used to make a HST for the second Card Trick. The two small triangles will be pieced together to form center units, one per block.  

Draw a diagonal line on the back of each 5 ½” background square. Place right sides together with one of each of the four colored 5 ½” squares. Sew ¼” on both sides of the line to make two HST. Cut apart on the line. Square up one set to 4 ½”, using the Eleanor Burns HST triangle. Press seams open and away from the background. Set the 4 ½” HSTs aside.

Take one of each color of the 5½” squares and place them on the table right side up. Move them around until you like the look. Place the matching untrimmed HST on top of the 5½” square, right sides together. Then move each HST one space clockwise to ‘shuffle the deck’.

Place the HST in the middle of the square with the background in the lower right hand corner. Draw a line diagonally through the middle, and sew ¼” on both sides of the line. Cut apart on the line. Square up using the Eleanor Burns HST triangle, aligning both the ¼” seam at the base and center of the pieced triangle with the lines on the Square Up ruler. Press open with seam to the small triangles.

These are called combination units. There are two sets. To sort the like units into two groups, open each and place the background at the top. If the fabric to the left is a big triangle, place it in set one. If it’s two small triangles, place it in set two.

The combinations units will be placed in the middle between the HST corners. Place 1 combination unit with the background up, the big triangle on the left, and the small on the right. Take another combination unit with the same fabric as the small triangle and place it on the right, continue with the other pieced units

Take the trimmed HSTs from Step 2 and place them in the matching corner.

Take the small triangles from step 1 and match them up by color. Sew together and square up to 4 ½”, aligning both the ¼” seam at the base and center of the pieced triangle with the lines on the Square Up ruler. Press open. Place the square in the middle.