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!

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

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

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

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.

Press towards the darker fabric.

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.

Press towards darker fabric.

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

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

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

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.

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

Niner Quilt Finish

Years ago I saw a quilt at an antique quilt show I fell in love with.  It was called ‘Nine Patch Cross’.  I planned on writing my own quilt pattern so I could make a copy of the antique quilt.  A few months later Camille from Thimble Blossoms released a pattern very similar to the one I was working on! Instead of finishing my pattern I bought hers and waited for the right fabric line to come along.

I fell in love with ‘April Showers’ by Bonnie and Camille and bought the fabric to make my quilt.

It took me a while to get started, but once I did it went together fairly quickly.

I tried a new quilting pattern that I really like. I’ll definitely be using it on other quilts.

And of course, I had to use striped binding….

Stormy

Block of the Month–Block 5–Churn Dash Pinwheel

I’m a little late posting this month’s block.  It seems all the pictures from this block have disappeared!  So, I started from scratch, made a new block and took pictures along the way. 

I’ve recently become a fan of the churn dash block and thought it would be fun to include it in this quilt with a bit of a twist…. a pinwheel in the center!

 

Fabric Requirements

Fabric 1 – Blue Dot – (2) 5 in. squares, (1) 4 1/2 in. square

Fabric 2 – Aqua print – (2) 4 1/2 x 5 in. rectangles

Fabric 3 – Background – (2) 5 in. squares, (1) 4 1/2 in. square, (2) 4 1/2 x 5 in. rectangles

Step 1

Using  4 1/2 in. squares from fabric 1 and background fabric, layer squares right sides together.  Sew 1/4 in. around all four sides of square.

Step 2

Cut sewn square diagonally twice.

Step 3

Press open to darker fabric.  Lay out pinwheel on table making sure it is spinning in the direction you like.

Step 4

Sew together top row then bottom row.  Press. Then nestling the center seam, sew the rows together.

Step 5

Press open and trim to 4 1/2 inches. (I make the pinwheels a little larger than normal to ensure plenty of room to trim to the perfect pinwheel.)

Step 6

Lay fabric 2 rectangle right sides together with background fabric rectangle.  Sew 1/4 in along each 4 1/2 in. side.

Step 7

With the sewn edges running along the sides, cut rectangle in half (2 1/2 in.)  Press open. Repeat for remaining 3 rectangles.

Step 8

Draw a diagonal line on the back of the background fabric 5 in. squares.

Step 9

Layer background square right sides together with Fabric 1 – 5in. square.  Sew 1/4 in. along both sides of the drawn line.

Step 10

Cut along drawn line and press open.

Step 11

Trim half square triangle to 4 1/2 inches. Repeat steps to make 2 more half square triangles.

Step 12

Lay out squares to form blocks.  Sew together in rows.  Press seam on top and bottom row towards the center block.  On middle row, press seams outward away from the pinwheel.

Step 13

Nestle seams and pin.  Sew rows together.  And your are finished with month 5!

Stormy

Butterscotch and Rose Quilt

I’m super excited to be posting about this quilt.  The pattern is called “Dream Big” from Camille Roskelley’s book “Simplify”.   The fabric is “Butterscotch and Rose” by Fig Tree Co.  I cut the fabric out three or four years ago, but because of little feet running in and out of my sewing room across my ‘design floor’, I never managed to sew it together.  Now that the little feet are all in school, my quilt could sit safely on the floor while I pieced it together.

The problem with sewing projects years after buying the fabric is that you can’t remember which fabric is supposed to go where.  Maybe I’m the only one to have that problem…. I finally figured it out and started second guessing my earlier decisions.  I wasn’t sure if I was happy with the border and binding fabric.  But, after sewing it all together, I loved it!  (I never should have doubted myself!)

When I was laying out my quilt squares, I realized I was missing three rows of rectangles and would have to shorten the quilt from the original pattern.  I looked everywhere and could not find the missing rectangles…….. until.

I spread out the finished quilt across my bed and wallah! I had a matching pillow! How did that happen? Somehow I must have thought the rectangles were extras and used them to make my pillow.  Even though the pillow has been on my bed for years, I still didn’t realize.  I’m such as space cadet these days.  But, it all worked out in the end. Yeah!

Stormy

Block of the Month–Block 4–Pinwheel on Point

The last month flew by so fast, I can’t believe it is already time to post the next block!  This block is called ‘Pinwheel on Point’ for obvious reasons. It’s a fun block that goes together quickly.

Fabric Requirements

*Note – The fabric requirements picture for this block went missing somehow, so I found the closest picture that would work.  The only change is the size of the cream squares.*

Fabric 1 -  Stripe pinwheel – (2) 4 in. squares

Fabric 2 – Star triangles – (2) 4 in. squares

Fabric 3 – Background – (4) 4 in. squares and (2) 7 in. squares

Step 1

Draw a line from corner to corner across the back of two cream background squares.

Step 2

Layer two squares right sides together with two stripe squares.  Sew 1/4 inch away along the line.  Turn and repeat along the other side.

Step 3

Cut squares along line and press open to make four half square units.

Step 4

Trim squares to 3 1/2 inches.

Step 5

Sew squares together into two rows, then sew the rows together making sure to pin the center carefully.

Step 6

(Sorry!  Must have missed a picture here!)

Cut remaining 4 inch blocks and both 7 inch blocks in half diagonally. Set aside larger triangles for later.

Step 7

Sew fabric 2 triangle together with background triangle forming a larger triangle.  Press open.

Step 8

Sew triangle units to pinwheel units, making sure to pin center seams together.  Sew on the top then bottom, then the two sides. 

Step 9

Press open. Trim.

Step 10

Finger press the large triangles in half to find the center point.  Match that center point to the center of the pinwheel block.  Pin and sew the large triangles to the pinwheel block the same method as Step 8.  Press open and trim block to 12 1/2 inches. 

Repeat all steps to make a second Pinwheel on Point block and you are finished with month 4!

Stormy

Finished Blossom Quilt

I’m so excited about my newly finished Blossom Quilt!  I pieced it together about two years ago and never quilted it because I couldn’t decide on a quilting pattern.  A few days ago, I got in the mood to finish something and there it was, patiently waiting after all this time.

The wind wasn’t being very cooperative during the photo shoot and my two kiddos holding up the quilt were on tiptoe with tired arms.  But, we did manage to get a few decent pictures. 

The quilt pattern is from the book “With Fabric and Thread” by Fig Tree Quilts and is called ‘Blossom’.  It is the whole reason I bought the book.  I’ve seen a few variations of this quilt and all of them are so pretty. The pattern is simple and classic.

For the backing and binding I chose fabric from the Bonnie and Camille line ‘Marmalade’.  The greens matched perfectly and stay with the two tone theme.

I tried out a new quilting pattern on this quilt also.  It’s a busier pattern, but I really like the contrast with the simplicity of the quilt.

And it’s kitty approved, so we’re all happy!

Stormy