Friday, July 17, 2015

Block of the Month–Month 6–Flying Kite

Sorry for the delay posting block 6 this month.  I’ve been vacationing for the last 2 1/2 weeks, but now I’m finally back home and excited to get sewing again!

Flying Kite Quilt Block

I’ve always loved this block and I’ve made it in a few different sizes, but never in a 12 inch block and not using paper piecing.  I figured it wouldn’t be hard to write a pattern in the size I wanted, so I gave it a try and was not happy with the results.  The measurements were odd sizes and the instructions difficult to follow. So, I tried it again and it turned out better, but it still wasn’t quit right.  What I finally ended up doing was using a pattern that is written for a larger quilt block and cutting it down to the right size.  With this method, there is a little more fabric wasted than I would like, but the results were much better than the previous two tries.  I’m sure you would agree if you went through the process with me!

Fabric Requirements

Block 6 Fabric Requirements

Fabric 1 – Background – Cut 1 – 8 1/4 in. square and Cut 4 – 2 3/8 x 7 7/8 in. rectangles

Fabric 2 – Pinwheel – Cut 1 – 8 1/4 in. square

Fabric 3 – Pinwheel  - Cut 4 – 6 x 7 7/8 in. rectangles

Step 1

Flying Kite Step 1

Cut the Fabric 1 and Fabric 2 squares in half diagonally each way creating 4 triangles.

Step 2

Flying Kite Step 2

Take a Fabric 1 triangle and a Fabric 2 triangle. Lay them right sides together and sew together to form one large triangle. Repeat to form 3 more triangle units.

Flying Kite Step 2b

Press towards the darker fabric.

Step 3

Flying Kite Step 3

Using the Fabric 1 rectangle and the Fabric 3 rectangle, sew right sides together to make one large square. Repeat 3 more times.

Flying Kite Step 3b

Press towards darker fabric.

Step 4

Flying Kite Step 4

Lay a ruler across the square from bottom left to top right and cut into two triangles.  Discard the bottom triangle (or save for another project).

Step 5

Flying Kite Step 5

(Forgot to take a picture without the ruler here. Sorry!) Sew triangle units together to make a square unit. 

Step 6

Flying Kite Step 6

Trim block to 6 1/2 in. making sure the seam from the triangle unit is in the center of the block.  If you don’t have a 6 1/2 in. ruler.  Press diagonally each direction to find your center point and use that as your cutting guide.

Step 7

Flying Kite Step 7

Sew together the top row then the bottom row.  Press the center seam for each row the same direction.  Then when you flip the 2nd row upside down the seams will nest together for better accuracy in seam matching.  Pin well and sew rows together. Press.

Flying Kite Quilt Block

Make one more Flying Kite block and you are finished!

Again, this method is not the most economical, but is the easiest and most accurate method I found.  I love the way it turned out!

Stormy