Block 4 of Andrea Smith's A Snowy Day Sampler is more of a challenge than last week. Lots of Half Square Triangles make up this block which means lots of points and lots of bulky seams to deal with. The directions say to cut 5.25" squares from all of my fabric choices. Working with triangles will be much easier if I take the time to starch my fabric first. By now we all ought to be getting pretty comfortable with making those HST's (Half Square Triangles) so let's get started sewing.... Download directions for Block 4 here. I will start by drawing a diagonal line on all 8 of my light colored fabric D squares. Placing a D piece on top of each of my A, B, and C fabric squares I begin stitching 1/4 inch from my diagonal line. Chain-piecing makes this a smooth and quick process; I just butt up the next two pieces I want to sew together right up to my needle and keep on sewing. Flipping those pieces I have just sewn I stitch 1/4 inch from the other side of the diagonal line. By the way, I really like this method of making HST's as I am able to trim them to the exact size needed for my project and I do not have issues with the triangles stretching out of shape trying to sew two bias edges together if I started with two triangles. (I am including a handy chart later in the post for knowing what size squares to start with to achieve the desired finished size of a HST.) Using a ruler I will cut on the diagonal line of the squares to end up with two HST's. As in previous blocks I need to trim all of the Half Square Triangles to 4 1/2 inches. It is important for this step to make sure the diagonal line on my ruler lays right on top of the diagonal line where the two fabrics meet in my squares. After the first two cuts are made I line up the ruler with the 4 1/2 inch marks as well as the diagonal line on the fabric. Now to lay out the pieces on my design wall. (A flannel sheet hung on my wall though you can just as easily use a tabletop for these blocks as well.) I was very tempted to replace these HST's with a simple square, but where would the fun be in that? lol. As I looked over the pattern after printing it off I did think to myself, "Why, oh, why, Andrea?" Since, however, I approach every pattern as an opportunity to learn and stretch my abilities I quickly squashed that rebellious spirit. Just like I have done on the previous blocks, I begin by sewing the rows together. Here the first two columns have been done and I am laying the next one in place, ready to sew. Chain piecing as I stitch the rows together. I want to make sure that my stitching has been accurate and my seams will line up so I check to see that my middle square measures 4 inches then add the final squares to my rows and check my measurements again. With my rows completed it is time to sew them together. Pin, Pin, Pin is my motto and as I come to those pinned seams I slow way down and wait until I am a stitch away from the pin to remove it. It is rare for me to not break a needle and bend a pin if I do not take them out as I come to them, but others seem to have no problem. Perhaps my slightly smaller stitch length is the culprit. At any rate, I Pin, pin, pin, those seams where they meet and aim for the intersection of the previous stitching lines to achieve sharp points on my quilt block. Block 4 is done-and if you look closely you will see I have some seams that do not quite match up even after a couple of redo's. Sometimes they just do not cooperate and that is alright. I am usually the only one who will notice these things. But oh our "mistakes" can be glaring to our own eyes. Do not be too hard on yourself! As promised, here is a handy little chart for Half Square Triangles. My mathematician husband helped with the formula that works for whatever size you need. So algebra comes back to taunt me, but basically all you need to do is add 7/8 inch to the desired finished size of your square. Happy Quilting Debra
It feels great to be back at the sewing machine this week. I missed it while I was doing some all-day workshops last week. Andrea Smith has another block from her Snowy Day Quilt Sampler for us. There are several thousand quilters around the world taking part and you can find us all on Facebook chatting, sharing photos of our blocks, asking and answering each other's questions at NQC Quilt Block Challenge. Digital tech is great until it doesn't work so you will notice my tutorial is using the fabrics from my snowman version of the quilt. This is the same quilt, I am just doing two versions of it. Because, well, I just did not have enough projects going right now-lol. That's what I tell myself. Let's get started My fabrics are all cut and starched and ready to go. Using a sandpaper board I once again need to draw diagonal lines on all of my Color D 5.25 inch squares. Using the chain piecing method I sew a scant 1/4 inch from the drawn line. My machine has a quarter inch foot so I know that when I have my drawn line aligned with the edge of the foot I will have a quarter inch seam. Notice I have my "leader" going and position my fabric so it touches my needle. It also helps to make sure you are sitting straight on at your machine rather than off to the side one way or the other. I learned this tip a few years ago and it does make a difference in getting the edge of the fabric lined up with the edge of my foot. Have you ever had a problem with the beginning few stitches or ending few being less than straight? These two things solved that issue for me. Time to turn the blocks around and do the same thing sewing down 1/4 inch from the other side of the diagonal line. Once the three 5.25 inch blocks are sewn it is time to cut them apart and press the resulting triangle squares open. (Refer to my post on block 1 for more details on this process as I forgot to take photos of that step-I was just a having such a grand time cutting these apart I guess. Block 1 Tutorial) After the triangle squares are pressed I need to trim them to 4 1/2 inches. I am back to using my favorite ruler for this by Creative Grids. They just do not slip so I am slowly replacing my rulers at this time, but this 6 inch square is very versatile for now. It is important to line up the diagonal line at the seam where the two fabrics meet. Notice I have given myself more than the 4 1/2 inches here. Trim the side and top. Rotate the block and trim the remaining two sides. I need to be sure that my diagonal line on the ruler is lined up with the seam again, and that the 4 1/2 inch lines are right at the edge of my triangle square unit. This is the finished look I want: nice crisp corners where the two fabrics join. Now that all of my units are ready I put them up on the design wall and step back to make sure I have everything in place correctly and turned the right direction. It is kind of like putting a puzzle together. Andrea's instructions now direct me to sew the rows together. Here I have flipped the blocks from the second column on top and will carefully move them to my machine in order. Once again I am going to chain piece and begin my butting up each new set of squares right up to where they touch my needle. All of these units need to be pressed, first by setting the seam and then by carefully opening them up, being careful not to stretch them. The directions state to press the seams-some to the right and some to the left, so I have laid out my pieces in such a way to remind me which is which-top to the left, next to the right and so on. Pressing technique-again check out my previous post for more detail. Back up on the design wall I have laid the pieces from the third column on top of the previously stitched rows and sew those together in the same way. And press. This is a good point to check my 1/4 inch seam. Since I have been sewing 4 1/2 inch squares together, that means I have lost 1/4 inch on each side which equals 1/2 inch. I can measure the inside square to see if it is 4 inches now. This will help all of my seams go together nicely when I put the whole block together. The last of my pieces in place for sewing...and pressing. Now time to sew the four rows together. I am joining the top two and the bottom two first-that way I can chain piece these as well. Even though the seams will snug up against each other nicely I find my seams meet better if I put a pin in, so I pin at each intersection. I have also learned to slow down when I come to bulky seams. The final step is to join these two sections together. Block 3 is done-well, except that I will be adding a snowman or two to this one. Happy Quilting!
Block 2 looks like fun. This is Aunt Dinah designed by Betsy Chutchian and you can find the pattern on her blog here: http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/2017/03/moda-block-heads-block-2-aunt-dinah.html All of my pieces have been cut and starched and I am ready to start sewing. I usually try to avoid sewing triangles, but I am feeling brave so will follow the directions and... gulp...cut my A squares on the diagonal. Betsy directs us to sew two A triangles to a B square-okay then, a chain-piecing I will go. One side is done. Just need to lay the second triangle in place and sew together. Before pressing I trim off the little extra bits. A word on pressing. In the first photo I am "setting" the seam. Simply set the hot iron on top of the piece I have just sewn without opening up the piece. Since these triangles are sewn on the bias I need to take care not to distort the seam by aggressively ironing. Instead I gently press the triangle open in the second photo. Looking good. The C squares need to be cut into triangles too. They will then be sewn to the units I just made. (My C triangles look a little more green here, oh well-they really are that cheery yellow.) By sewing with the pieced unit on top I can watch that my needle goes right over the X made by the previous seams ensuring perfect points. At least when all goes as planned. Those little bits will be trimmed off and then I check to see if my unit measures 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches. It is always exciting to start putting the block together on my design wall. Here the units I just made are in place. I lost the photos I took of Step 2 somewhere in my computer sadly. I just followed Betsy's directions for sewing these units together and here you can see them in place with the previous units and my cute little butterfly center. Excitement mounts as I start to join the units together in rows. I pressed the rows in opposite directions to better line up my seams later on. Before proceeding I also checked to make sure that my middle squares measured 2 inches across. Good-that means I am having success with my scant quarter inch seam and everything will fit together nicely. Time to pin the rows together after laying them out to check that I have them the way I want. "Nesting" the seams. I place a pin at this point to ensure my seams stay locked together. When I reach the pin I stop with my needle in the down position and pull out the pin before continuing. Since I use a fairly small stitch length I am always hitting pins if I leave them in. Broken needles and bent pins do not make me happy. Just like in Block 1 I am nesting the seams to reduce that lump where they all come together. I am very happy with how my Aunt Dinah came out. Here it is joined by Block 1. Are you joining in on the fun? All of the photos being shared on the Moda Blockheads Facebook group are really inspiring. It is like a virtual quilt guild; full of wonderful people from all over the world who have come together to share a common love of this artform. I am looking forward to several weeks of learning new things and being challenged to improve my skills with every block. So, until next time... Happy Quilting! |
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