Week 10 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL Segment D3

Wow, are you ready? This is the last week of making blocks! Yippee! As a content creator, I can say whew, glad the hard part is over! This was a gob of work, and in the end worth every minute. And welcome new visitors, followers, readers, and subscribers. I am overjoyed you have taken time out of your day to be here, curious about my blog. Thank you, Thank you!!

Lets start with blue and the nice eight pointed star block. You will need to download and print out the templates I provide below.

d3Download

Here are my blues I selected.

Lets start with the kite block, you will need pieces N, I, and G. I and G pieces will be of your background fabric. I have chosen a blue background that contrasts enough against my neutrals, but also contrasts enough with my blues to use. Be very careful in your fabric selection for the background.

You will take your medium blue piece and cut a strip that is 2 1/2 inches, lay piece N on that strip and cut 4 kites. On your back ground fabric, 2 1/2 inch strip you will cut out pieces I and G qty 4 each.

Using your N, I, and G pieces lay them out as pictured below. If your pieces are not looking like this, make sure pieces I and G are laid out correctly.

Sew all of your I pieces to your N piece, and press towards the dark. Repeat this step for your G pieces. It may be better for this side to press to the light.

My kite was not pressed, sorry forgot to snap that photo. Repeat this block 4 times and ensure your kite measures 2 1/2 inches. Set these blocks aside, you are now ready to make the triangle in a square.

Here are my fabric selections and templates. You will reuse pieces I and G, but also use piece H. H will be cut from your background fabric and piece I and G will be cut out of darker blue fabric, or whatever you assign to your 8 pointed star.

Again, cut 2 1/2 inch strips of the fabric you will be using. Place piece H, so that the tip of the triangle and the short base of the triangle are even with the edges. For some reason piece H printed out layout wise wrong when reading it. How I have it on the screen is how it needs to be on the strip.

Cut 4 pieces of G, H, and I.

Sew piece G to piece H in the layout shown above, and Sew I piece to H. Press to the dark side on both of these seams. Measure your triangle in a square block and ensure it measures 2 1/2 inches.

Cut one 2 1/2 inch square of your dark blue or whatever color you have chosen for your 8 pointed star. You have completed the gathering for the 8 pointed star BOM.

Layout your block as so. Sew your 9 patch nesting seams and spinning seams (optional). Pressing direction does not really matter on this block.

I love how this block turned out!

Next we will be doing the drunkards path block. I made this way harder in the video. I recommend using the pattern pieces and 3 fabrics not 2.

You will need the following pieces cut from your templates: A, B, J, K, L, M, and O.

I opted to use two fabrics. I recommend cutting piece M out of a third fabric.

Layout your pieces so that the slight curve of the piece will be on the bias. You will need forgiveness while sewing the curved seam. How do you make sure of this? Find a straight edge of any of your paper pieces and lay that with the grain or running parallel to the selvedge edge. Can you lay it against the grain? Yes. The fabric weave that runs parallel with the grain has no stretch. The fabric weave that runs parallel against the grain has stretch. Carefully layout these pattern pieces on your scraps. Your cutting of your pieces is key to the success of this block.

Sew together pieces M, L, and O. M being in the middle. You have created the moon of your block. Now sew pieces B, A, K, and J in that order. You have created the path in your drunkards path block.

And here is the hard part. I recommend finding the center of your moon by folding your piece in half. Pin the center of the moon to the center seam on the other half of the block. I then recommend pining the raw edges of the moon to the path.

The key to sewing a drunkards path block, is not aligning the fabric before your presser foot. I recommend ensuring that the seam allowance and raw edges are even at the needle. Having raw edges even at the front of your foot, will mess this up. I know you are used to making the alignment before it goes under the foot, but the key to the seam allowance being correct for this curve, you must keep the raw edges in alignment at almost the needle position. I do recommend watching the portion of the video that covers this on my youtube channel for clarity. And I did show how to flub this up. It is okay if you flub up. It is about 3 inches of seam ripping. When you get this block right, it is sooooo worth it!

After sewing your curved seam, I recommend placing some ease into the seam but cutting out little triangle notches in the seam allowance. Do not cut into the thread of your seam. And I recommend pressing this how the block wants to lay flattest. I pressed my moon outward.

You can see the wonkyness in this block. Just make sure it measures 6 1/2 inches and trim as necessary. This block was made to fudge a bit. As quilters, we know how to fudge, eh?

The hard part of this whole quilt is done. Now onto some easier neutral blocks!

Lets make the double pinwheel, you will need three fabrics.

For the darker/larger portion of the pinwheel you will need to cut two squares at 4 inches which is piece F in your templates. Cut those from corner to corner. You will need 2 different colors for piece 3 cut to three inches and again cutting those down the middle from corner to corner.

Layout as shown, Notice the placement of my darkest neutrals. I recommend this for your scraps.

Sew piece E to piece E and then sewn pieces E to F.

Trim each block to 3 1/2 inches and Sew this 4 patch together, nesting seams and pressing as you wish.

And lastly, lets make a 9 patch friendship star.

Here are my fabric choices, and yes, I am putting pink into all this blue!!!

Of your background in your block you will need to cut 8 squares at 2 1/2 inches. for the colorway in the 4 patch you will need four 1 1/2 inch squares of one neutral, and four 1 1/2 inch squares of a different neutral.

First, lets make the center of the 9 patch, and actual 4 patch.

Use 2 of one stack of your 1 1/2 inch squares, and use 2 from your other 1 1/2 inch squares.

After sewing your 4 patch, makes sure that this measures 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches.

Next you will need to layout your background pieces surrounding your 4 patch. This will assist you in knowing what corners need what fabrics for folded corners or snowballed corners.

On the remaining four 1 1/2 inch squares, draw a line from corner to corner placing right sides together on your background, and sew just on this side of the line. Open corner and press outwards. Measure your square. it should still measure 2 1/2 inches. If it does not, ripout seam and resew with a better 1/4 inch seam. Trim off unused portion of square to remove bulk in the seam.

Nest your seams, and spinning of seams is optional. Now we are ready to construct the very last 12 inch block of this QAL.

Pressing kind of matters in this block because of all the bulk up in that 8 pointed starburst block. I recommend pressing those seams away from the block. In the construction of the quilt, the pressing does not really matter. Do what you think is best. And notice my blocks are not in the order of the pattern? I switched them up a bit because I wanted dark and light, and the contrast of the surrounding blocks to work and play well with one another better. Ensure this block measures at 12 1/2 by 12 1/2. Trim accordingly.

I am very excited that the next step in this, is sewing all the blocks together and adding a narrow border. I am not sure if I will be able to go live for this on youtube. I guess we will wait and see.

Interested in the video portion of this with different details, make sure you head on over to my youtube channel and check that out. You can find all the blocks under the #ScrappyChurnDashQAL playlist. And you can always refer back to a page you may have missed by visiting my very first post with fabric requirements here. I have also been posting in the QuiltSpace App. Although I am limited to 500 characters, so I have been most referring back to this blog for instruction. And instagram will get you the pics in this blog, but no instructions. You are welcome to follow me on instagram to see what else I am working on in the background.

May your bellies be full, your body warm, your quilting spirit is pieceful. Thank you sew much for reading my blog!

Advertisement

Week 9 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL ~ Segment D2

Welcome to the freebie block of week 9! Can you believe that this quilt top is nearing completion? Time flies when you are having fun. I hope your tummies are ready for Thanksgiving, this weeks block is an easy one. It will be easy to catch up later, or sew when you have a houseful. This is probably the quickest block.

Here are the downloadable templates, always available to print and download when you need them most. This is an easy week, and you probably will not need them.

D2Download

This may print upside down, but after it prints you can just turn the sheet around. 🙂

Lets dive in a create a 6 1/2 inch HST. All you need are two squares that measure 7 inches.

Due to fabric waste, I am only going to demonstrate the draw a line method.

Chose one of your neutral fabrics and draw a line from corner to corner. Sew a 1/4 inch on each side of the line. Cut on the line. Press to either side. Retain one HST for the quilt. This method will give you two HSTs. Place the second HST with your other orphan blocks to be used in another project.

You will then trim to 6 1/2 inches.

Next quadrant is a simple 9 patch. Select two neutral fabrics that compliment each other with a little bit of contrast between the two.

I selected a gray white print and a white for my neutrals. Your BOM will depend on where you want your emphasis. Do you want your standard nine patch to have emphasis in the corners and middle? Cut 5 pieces of your darker neutral fabric. And your lighter fabric will be assigned to the other 4 squares. All squares in this block are 2 1/2 inches.

BOM

• Five 2 1/2 inch darker neutral squares
• Four 2 1/2 inch squares of light neutral

Layout your 9 patch and start sewing your pieces together, just like in all of our other 9 patches we have built already in this quilt.

Pressing instructions, press your first and last row of blocks outward. Press the middle row inward. Spin your seams if you desire, but definitely nest them as you sew your rows together!

Lets get some color going. Our next block is a simple rail fence. In the video tutorial for this block, if you will note where you have been in this sew along, alot of the 9 patches are neutrals. If you want to make a color 9 patch and make your rail fence neutral, go for it!

I have selected three prints, you could get away with only using 2. I went from light to dark. I think my lightest print was a tad too light. Keep this in mind for value in your quilt. You want it to look blue next to all the surrounding blocks. Contrast is key.

You will cut your strips 2 1/2 by 6 1/2 and sew them together. Press as you wish! Easy so far eh? Don’t forget to trim this to 6 1/2 inches.

And the last block is an hourglass block. We have already made this block in week 5. We made it in blue then as well. This would be a great time to decide if you want another blue block or make this one neutral. I went ahead and made mine blue, but changed the layout of the darks and lights. This transformed the block and made it look completely different.

Here are my fabric choices, you could jazz this up anyway you wish. I kept mine a bit more formal and less scrappy.

BOM

• 2 dark blue squares measuring 4 1/2 inches
• 2 lighter blue squares measuring 4 1/2 inches

Place right sides together of a light and dark print. Cut from corner to corner.

Cut from corner to corner again.

Layout your hourglass, and sew each quadrant of this block.

After sewing hourglass blocks or QSTs, trim to 3 1/2 inches.

Layout and sew your 4 patch. The way I have laid this block out, I am calling it a Harlequinn pattern.

Press as you wish!

Trim block to 6 1/2 inches.

Let’s sew all the 4 quadrants together.

How are you all coming on this sew along? Are you keeping up? Are you enjoying the challenge? Like using scraps? How are you deviating the pattern? Any questions, comments, concerns, clarifications? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

And as always, thank you for reading my blog!

Scrap Happy Nov Edition 2022

Greetings scrap fabric lovers, and everyone else! I have been diligently working behind the scenes working my scraps and not posting much.

For those of you who are wondering how my Quilt Along is going, here is a picture of what I have accomplished so far. All of these blocks have not published yet, I am still working on those directions and posts. Here is #ScrappyChurnDashQAL

And, I am debating some logistics of how I finish this off. Stay tuned for that. For those of you who are here for the #ScrappyChurnDashQAL, please follow this link to all the patterns all linked on one page.

And as I sewed ahead, trying to beat the time continuum, between editing video content and writing instructions, and scaling photos for the blog, it left a bit of down time as I got ahead. The itch to sew was high.

After watching a video, I decided to follow instructions on construction of a HUGE 9 patch, made with 18 inch squares, which then got trimmed to a disappearing 9 patch. I did this matter 4 times, used up my stash of Kaffe fat quarters, and pleased that I figured out how to use them.

And then this weekend, I really had to urge to start purging my 2 inch squares. I sewed about 75 nine patches in a couple of evenings. I will eventually lay these out and sew them as a spinning 9 patch, based on an antique quilt picture I have saved on Pinterest.

And then, #Sewcialites2 started, and I thought to myself, I have so much fabric, why not join in. I have a bolt of black, and knew instantly I wanted to deviate from their light background to the dark side. Having fun playing with my various bright scraps too.

Make sure to check out all the Scrap Happy muse in the links below:

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, 
Jill, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol,
Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin and Viv

And thank you for reading my blog.

Week #8 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL ~ Segment C4

Hello quilters! Today’s pattern has dropped and here it is free for you, also free for you to share and pass on to other quilters if you so choose.

We are going to start off with the sailboat block. This will require you to download and print off the free pattern paper templates.

c4Download

We are going to dive right in and build the sailboat block. I made many mistakes doing this block because the paper templates are tricky to use.

Now that you have the templates cut out, you can see that the two sails would be impossible to sew as they are. So, take a ruler and cut through the strip at the bottom of the sail on pieces J and K. Align ruler on the dotted line and cut.

Cut a strip of sky fabric that measures 1 inch by greater than 6 1/2 inches. Set aside. The fabric you select for your sails you will cut next with paper templates. Cut your triangle sails out of your darker blue fabric. After you have those shapes, then sew the inch strip to the bottom.

Take pieces J and K, measure those with a ruler and cut two rectangles that measure 3 1/2 by 4 1/2. Use those templates to remove the portion for the triangle.

Using the J and K templates, cut off the portion for the sails, just like we did on the paper. Place the paper templates on the sky fabric. Just like we removed the paper sails on those templates, we are going to remove the fabric in those same spots. You will need to review the video for this portion of sewing. It tells you how to align your sail pieces to your sky pieces.

After sewing, trim block to 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 for each side sail.

Sew these pieces together. I would have added a dark strip for the sail post, right down the middle. If you opt to do this, I recommend a 1 inch strip by 4 1/2 inches. If you chose a side to add this, you will then need to trim down the block to 3 1/2 by 4 1/2. Ensure you are cutting on the opposite side of the mast you just added.

You will now need a dark piece of fabric for the bottom of the boat. Cut a strip that measures 6 1/2 by 2 1/2. Lay piece “I” on the fabric strip and trim. Or you can opt not to do this and just cut two squares of sky fabric and do covered corners over the edges.

You can either cut out piece H twice or you can cut two sky color squares 2 1/2 inches. If you use the templates, cut those out exact one piece I and two pieces H. Sew. Or you can draw a line on the squares and stitch on the line to achieve covered corners on each end of the boat hull. Because I sewed this block with so many mistakes, I failed to snap photos. I think this block took 4 tries. Sorry about that. And if any of this is unclear please check out my video on this, as it may answer a question or leave a comment below and I will better explain myself.

Sew the hull of the ship to the previously sewn piece. Feel free to press this however you wish. Verify your block measures 6 1/2 inches. Trim if necessary.

And the next blue block is a 16 patch (sew much easier than the previous).

Select your fabrics and either cut a bunch of 2 inch squares, or, cut 2 inch strips.

I opted to sew my strip sets together and then sub cut at 2 inches.

Then you will sew your 4 patches. I spun all my seams. How you press this is totally optional.

Onto the first neutral block for the week. This block you can utilize your tri-recs ruler, or you can opt to use the templates. If you opt to use the templates, place your cut out pattern pieces on your fabrics and trim to the edge of the paper pieces. Regardless of cutting method, sew method is the same for either. I will be showing the tri-recs method.

cut a strip of fabric that measures 3 1/2 inches wide. Place large tri-recs ruler on fabric lining up the bottom of the fabric to the 3 1/2 inch line on the ruler. I opted to work smarter not harder (for a change) and am just cutting one side off at a time. After I sew the other small triangle on to the larger one, I will then cut from the strip a 3 1/2 inch square.

Repeat this process 4 times. Here is the layout.

Sew your 4 patch and press as you wish.

The next block is a string block. You can opt to chose a bunch of strips and just sew them together of random neutral pieces. Or you can cut out the templates and use precision. If you randomly sew pieces together, note you will have to cut and have overhang greater than 6 1/2 inches.

I took my 6 1/2 inch ruler and used that to make my cuts. Make sure you do not place the diagonal line on the ruler as your start point for cutting. Make sure you give yourself seam allowance when making this cut.

You will then sew some more strings and cut those horizontally with your 6 12 inch ruler. Notice how my diagonal line has extra behind it. If you do not allow for seam allowance, your block will be too small.

Trim your block to 6 1/2 inches square.

And now we are ready to sew our large 4 patch and bring this weeks block all together.

Make sure to visit my youtube channel and glean information from that as well. You can follow along on instagram as well. Just look for me @myquiltprojectsig. Well, this week had many bloopers, but again, we are using scraps and I hope you feel the same way as I do, if you flub up, it is now just a smaller scrap! Thanks for reading my blog!

Week #7 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL ~ Segment C1

We are just buzzing right along. If you have fallen behind, no worries. This sew along is SEW AT YOUR OWN pace. You can click on the title post, and bookmark the page, or you can go back to the page where everything is linked when I announced fabric requirements.

Lets get started by making a neutral block, the Ohio Star. To keep my eyes focused, I am only using two fabrics for this 6 inch segment. You can use as many fabrics as you like.

Making the hourglass sub units, if you have the companion angle ruler, time to whip it out and use it for method one.

Using two different fabrics, cut two strips 1 1/2 inches. Since we are making 4 sub blocks and each sub block uses two pairs, we will need to cut 8 pairs. With right sides together, lay companion angle ruler with the flat top of the ruler in alignment with the top of the strip set, and the bottom of the strips aligned at the 2 inch line (these units will finish at 2 inches). Sew your hourglass pairs.

Take your pairs of sewn pieces and make an hourglass shape with the dark fabrics and sew those into the QST block. Make 4, and trim down to 2 1/2 inches.

If you do not have the companion angle ruler, you can opt to use method two, cutting squares from corner to corner.

Take two squares that measure 3 1/4 inches. With right sides together, cut from corner to corner.

Sew your pairs, ensure you are sewing on the same side on BOTH sets. Press to the darker side, but this is optional, press however you wish.

Using the pairs you just made, place right sides together matching center seam (nest seam). Sew along the long edge. Make 4 hourglass blocks and trim to 2 1/2 inches.

Block BOM

• 4 QSTs
• 5 neutral squares

Layout

Layout your 6 1/2 inch block like so.

Sew your 9 patch and press as you wish. Make note of how you pressed this one, so the next 9 patch we sew, we can press those seams opposite. Set the ohio star block aside for now.

And our second neutral block this week is another sho-fly block. Because of the block we just made, I opted to go a different colorway than before. If you used whitish pieces, go with tans. But again, fabric selection is up to your discretion.

I chose to use a marbled tan with a super white. We will be building these using the easy angle ruler, or method one. Cut each fabric in to 2 1/2 inch strips.

Next using your easy angle ruler, having right sides together, hang black tip off edge and align the 2 1/2 inch line on the ruler with the line on the bottom of the fabric strip. Make your cut. You will need to cut 4 pairs.

Sew on the long edge, finger press to the dark side. Repeat until you have 4 HST blocks. Trim HST to 2 1/2 inches if necessary.

Draw a line method for HSTs.

Using 3 inch squares of fabrics (you will need two squares of each fabric), draw a line from corner to corner on the lightest fabric. With right sides together run fabric squares and sew 1/4 inch on each side of the drawn line. Cut on line. Finger press or press open to the dark side. Repeat this step one more time to get 4 HSTS. Trim HSTs to 2 1/2 inches.

Sho-fly BOM

4 hsts

5 background fabric squares that measure 2 1/2 inches

Layout your 9 patch and sew. Ensure what ever way you pressed the 9 patch before, you press this block the opposite.

Set block aside for now.

Chevron block construction

Select fabrics, it may help to down load the free printable to view this block and color it in. I am going to make this into a chevron style HST block.

c1Download

Method 1 draw a line method. Cut two squares of contrasting fabric to 4 inches. Draw a line on the lighter square and placing right sides together sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line. Cut on the line and press to the darker side. Trim HSTs to 3 1/2 inches. Make 4.

Method 2, easy angle method

Using 3 1/2 inch fabric strips, with right sides together, place Easy Angle ruler with black tip in alignment of top edge and bottom edge of fabric in alignment with the 3 1/2 inch mark. Make cuts, 4 pairs are needed.

Sew HSTs on the long side, press to the dark side and trim if necessary to 3 1/2 inches.

Chevron block layout.

Here is how I laid mine out. You can really take this in any direction as you wish with your fabrics.

Sew your 4 patch, you may need to reference the other blue 4 patch you just sewed earlier to ensure you are pressing in the right direction.

Pinwheel block

Select two fabrics that contrast but compliment one another

Because this unit size has already been covered, I am just going to give the details. If using the easy angle ruler, cut two strips of contrasting complimentary fabrics at 3 1/2 inches. Place right sides together, and make 4 cuts for 4 pairs of unsewn HSTs. Finger press to the dark side, and trim to 3 1/2 inches if necessary.

If using the draw a line method, cut squares at 4 inches. With right sides together, draw a line from corner to corner and sew 1/4 inch from the line on each side of the line. Cut on the line, press to the dark side, trim HSTs to 3 1/2 inches,

Pinwheel layout

You will need to now sew your 4 patch pinwheel block. You will want to pay attention how you just sewed your other blue block. Press the opposite way you pressed that block.

Construct the 12 inch block make a large 4 patch of all the blocks you have sewn this week.

And there is more!

For those of you, visiting my blog in search of my #ScrappychurndashQAL, click here to get all the released blocks. As I was making my churn dash blocks, and the hyper activitity involved in getting the pattern on the blog and editing the film for youtube, it left me wanting to sew at a faster pace than once a week. So, I snuck some things in along the way. 3 quilt tops have happened. One I have failed to snap a photo of.

On my very first video for the ScrappyChurnDashQAL, I pressed my fabrics and attached them to my design wall. That was quite the inspiration to see all those random pieces together. My thought process really wanted to just sew my blues and neutrals together as they were. But I had a whole quilt to build. So, I decided to grab my scrap bag of greys. Grey is something I might use occassionally. But, I don’t really use it. So I made a crumb quilt out of my grays. And I would not just call it a crumb quilt, I would call it a TEXAS SIZED Crumb quilt. I randomly sewed my fat quarters, and strips, and wonky pieces. I have a very useful throw sized top, that utilized fabric which was stagnated in the stash. I promise to get a picture of this up soon.

And for those of you who follow along on youtube, you have probably seen the Tesselating tabbies quilt pattern that I sewed in a weekend. All of the pieces were already cut in the kit from 2001. It involved a block where the cat was in color, and one that was a negative of that where the cat was black and the surrounding was color. I have since sewed borders on and have failed to take a photo of that. Soon I promise. I love how this turned out. My middle child wanted a cat quilt, and this kit was only $10 at the antique store. A score, and a win!

This took hours to layout, and while it was on the wall I wanted to sew it together, so I would NOT have to struggle with the color alignment again.

And then there was the fat quarter disappearing 9 patch. I took all of my Kaffe Fasset fat quarters and trimmed them into large squares. I made 4 very large 9 patches, and then cut those into a disappearing 9 patch and resewed together. I did this for 4 quadrants of the quilt. This took only an afternoon. I love Kaffe, but never know quite what quilt to use it in. This shows off the wild patterns and keeps them whole for the most part. This will make a nice bed quilt. I am looking for a backing and can’t wait to quilt this up with a few new pantos I have purchased.

And then I decided to join in on the #Sewcialites2 sew along hosted by fat quarter shop. It has been going on for two weeks, and the more I looked at it, the more I wanted a whirl at this. So I went to the stash and pulled a bunch of brights to pair with a black background. Pleased as punch how they turned out. I am making the 6 inch blocks, but there are 3 inch and 9 inch options.

Very traditional blocks sort of, but with modern appeal. And most of all, enjoying the scrap usage of all my scraps! This past weekend I filmed my last block for the scrappychurndashqal. And I must say, that is scrappy, but a very formal scrappy, I can’t wait to show you! Stay tunned for several weeks of instructions. I plan to go live on dec 3rd to piece it together. So for those of you sewing along, you can hop on youtube and ask questions on any block construction.

I have been having fun, how about you? What quilty fun have you been having? Please leave a comment.

And lastly, I would like to thank everyone who supports me by liking, and commenting on my blog, or on youtube. It makes my day! Thank you sew much for reading my blog!

Week 6 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL ~ Section B4

Boy oh boy, this quilt along is moving right along! We only have 4 weeks to go, to a finish! Today we will be making a 12 inch block that I refer to section B4 in the grid. None of these blocks are hard, and I hope I can teach you a new technique, which is how I am going to start.

We are going to build the Argyle block. This block will measure at 6 1/2 inches unfinished and 6 inches in the quilt. You will need to select two neutral fabrics (recommendation). You can go scrappy with this and make each piece a different fabric. First things first, in order to sew and cut this, you will need to download and print the templates.

b4Download

I have opted to go completely to use the templates, not sure how to do this any other way. So cut out your templates, ensuring you are trimming your corners properly and lay these pieces of the fabric and either trace with a frixon pin (wrong side of fabric), or, place template on fabrics and trim using a straight edge template in alignment with template. See video on my youtube channel for clarification.

BOM

Cut one piece for G

Cut two pieces for D

Cut 4 pieces for E

I first cut the white fabric into a strip that measures 3 1/2 inches for piece E. And I also cut a tan strip that measures 3 1/4 inches for pieces D and G. Now I lay the templates on the fabric and proceed to cut out the shapes. Take note that the triangles are not the same size if you turn them the wrong way. While cutting your pieces the letter on the template signifies the direction of the triangle. Make sure how you read the letter is how the triangle is to point upward, otherwise you will have to call a divorce lawyer and have the seam ripper divorce the marriage of fabrics (funny and not funny…)

Because we sewed this diamond with the triangles, we have created a straight line, so no Y seams, yay!

Next you will sew the remaining triangles to piece D.

No matter what pieces you are sewing, the templates have three points on each end. If you align the middle point of each of these pieces, it will guarantee your seams will match up. If they do not match up, readjust your seam allowance and try again.

Now the argyle block is ready for its final construction, just two more seams to go. Again, align the middle point on the starting and ending edge when you sew. This will allow your diamond to be perfectly nested to its mate next door.

If you pressed to the dark side on the large diamond segment, you will also press towards the half diamond segment. That way your seams will nest beautifully. You can always press towards the triangles too. Pressing is totally up to you on this block.

Trim block to 6 1/2 inches. Argyle block complete. Set aside.

Onto the 9 patch

This block I used three fabrics. Use as many as suitable for the style you are going for.

Of these fabrics I am opting to use the darker prints for my HSTs. We will be making 4. There are two methods, Easy Angle ruler and draw a line method.

If you are drawing a line, cut two squares of 2 fabrics that measure 3 inches. Draw a line from corner to corner on the lighter of the two prints. Sew on each side of the line. Cut on the drawn line. Press to the darker print. Trim HSTs to 2 1/2 inches square. Set aside.

If you are using the easy angle ruler, cut two strips of fabric that are 2 1/2 inches wide. With right sides together, place template on the strip at the 2 1/2 inch mark with black tip hanging off the edge. Cut 4 pairs. Sew a scant 1/4 inch. Press to the dark side and trim to 2 1/2 inches if necessary. Set aside.

If you are using the draw a line method, you will need to cut your neutral squares qty 2 each of two different fabrics at 3 inches. Draw a line and sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line, cut into to pieces. Press to the dark side and trim to 2 1/2 inches.

BOM

4 HSTs

5 Blocks light fabric 2 1/2 inches

Make a 9 patch with your pieces.

Press as you wish. I recommend spinning your seams and nesting all seams.

Now onto the blue broken dish block.

Select your fabrics, I opted to go with two blues. You could certainly make this scrappy as you want.

Above I have selected my fabrics for the next block which is going to be making QSTs. I opted for using two fabrics total for this block, you could certainly go very scrappy with this. If you chose to go scrappy with this, I recommend cutting your pieces to the template pieces that you can print out. We are only going to be using one method for this and that is cutting 2 squares of each fabric that measure 5 inches square.

With right sides together cut the square from corner to corner. Sew on each long edge. Place the HST on top of the other HST matching light fabric to dark fabric and dark fabric to light fabric. Cut again from corner to corner and sew on the long edge. This gives you two QST blocks. You will repeat this method to make two more blocks. Trim to 3 1/2 inches. Make a 4 patch. Sew your 4 patch and press as you wish. I chose to spin my seams on all pressing of making the QST blocks. Ensure your block measures 6 1/2 inches. Set block aside

And now lets make the friendship star block.

I recommend only three fabrics for this block. I made this block twice. Both were fails. I recommend picking a common background fabric for the HSTs as well as the 4 patch blocks. I also recommend your darkest fabric used for the friendship star part of the block.

First you will make your 4 patch segments. I would cut strip sets at 1 1/2 inches from two fabrics, a light fabric and a medium blue fabric. Then subcut those sewn strips into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sew together making a 4 patch with dark and light corners opposing one another.

Here are mine. I do not recommend going scrappy. Open and spin seams.

If you chose to make your HSTs using the draw a line method you will start out with 2 squares of 2 different fabrics at 3 inches. Draw a line from corner to corner and sew on each side of the line with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Cut on the drawn line. Open seam and press to the dark side, trim to 2 1/2 inches. Make 4 HSTs.

If you are using the easy angle method, cut two strips of two different fabrics at 2 1/2 inches. With right sides together cut 4 pairs of triangles. Sew on the long side. Finger press seam open to the dark side. Trim to 2 1/2 inches if necessary.

Layout your 9 patch, notice the circles on these fabrics. I recommend your 4 patches made of two colors, make where the circles are, the darker fabrics (in example of hst above, make it the lighter blue background fabric), and where the circles are not, use an even lighter fabric.

I made another block, and still am dissatisfied with it.

Place all your blocks together and sew them in a 4 patch

Congratulations, you have made it through another week of my torturous patterns. 🙂 I hope you will continue along with me next week, (next week is a way easier quadrant of this quilt along). And if you would like you might get to see a blooper reel on instagram so make sure to follow along there as well. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!

Week 5 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL ~ B1

Greetings and happy Saturday, or whatever day you manage to make it here. Welcome to week 5 of the #ScrappyChurnDashQAL! This weeks 12 inch block is going to be on the second row on the left.

First block we will be delving into, is a neutral scrappy 9 patch called sho-fly!

I have made mine with three different neutrals, but you could get away with just using 2. Select a light back ground fabric and a neutral fabric that contrasts and shows itself against the background fabric. You can also chose a 3rd fabric for the very corners of the sho-fly, or you can make these from your neutral background fabric.

And before any cutting happens if you wish, you can download the free paper templates to assist you in cutting your pieces.

b1Download

Method 1 draw a line method.

To make your HSTs you will need to cut 2 squares of darker neutral and 2 squares of light neutral background fabric at 3 inches. Draw a line on the lightest fabric. Sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line. Cut on the drawn line, open HST and finger press to the darkest fabric. This will give you 4 HSTs. Trim these down to 2 1/2 inches.

If you are using Method 2 the Easy Angle method, you will cut two strips of fabric at 2 1/2 inches. With right sides together, place Easy Angle ruler on strip sets and cut 4 pairs. Sew a scant 1/4 inch, finger press open and press to the dark side. Trim to 2 1/2 inches if necessary.

Sho-fly BOM

You will need the 4 HSTs you just made above, plus 4 background squares and qty 1 Medium neutral print that matches the darker fabric in your HSTs.

Layout in a 9 patch and sew your pieces to form rows, and press towards the HSTs in the 1st and last row, the middle row, press towards the center square. Again pressing this by nesting seams is optional, but I highly recommend it with spinning your seams. Your seams will lay flatter and be less thick which is easier for your machine, and quilting later.

Now serving sho-fly pie!

Ensure your block measures 6 1/2 inches. Trim as necessary. Set aside.

The next neutral block we will now make is a fancy pinwheel. You will need three neutral fabrics for this block. I recommend making the part of the pinwheel a little louder volume fabric, or not. That is what is great about this quilt, the fabrics you select will be totally unique to everyone else’s.

If you will be using method 1, draw a line method you will need to cut 2 different fabrics into squares that measure 4 1/2 inches. Draw a line, sew a 1/4 inch on each side of the line, and cut on the line.

Open HST and finger press to the darker fabric. Trim the HST blocks down to 3 1/2 inches.

If you are using Method 2, the easy angle method, you will need to cut a strip of two different neutrals that measures 3 1/2 inches. With right sides together, using your easy angle ruler, at the 3 1/2 inch line, cut 4 pairs. Sew a scant 1/4 inch, finger press open to the darker fabric. Your block should measure 3 1/2 inches, trim as necessary.

Layout your pinwheel HSTs in and make that pinwheel spin in a 4 patch block.

Sew the HSTs together, and nest seams if desired. I have spun my seams. Measure block and make sure it measures 6 1/2 inches.

After you build your pinwheel block, we still have one more step, to clip the corners. You will need to cut a third fabric into four 1 1/2 inch squares.

Method 1 for clipping your corners, draw a line on all 4 squares.

Sew just on the side of the line closest to the actual corner that is about a thread distance on that side of the line. Clip off the excess fabric, and press seam outward.

Or if you will be using your covered corners ruler, Place a 1 1/2 inch square on a corner aligning all raw edges with the block and the lines on the ruler. Trim your corner. Sew a scant 1/4 inch. Open and finger press outward.

Repeat what ever method you will use 4 times.

And after all corners are clipped, remeasure your block and verify it is still 6 1/2 inches. Trim as necessary.

Set this block aside. We are halfway through this weeks block. Now onto the blue blocks!

Rail Fence block

I find selecting fabrics in a gradient movement for the rail fence is hard, especially if you are working from scraps. If this does not work for you, just place any blue fabrics you wish as your strips in this block. I like the appeal of a gradient block, but in the end, it does not really matter.

You will need to select 6 different blue fabrics. And cut strips that measure 1 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches.

Sew your strips together and press all your strips in one direction. This block was easy to sew, but for me, hard to pick out fabrics! Measure your block and ensure it measures 6 1/2 inches square, trim as needs. Set block aside.

The Striped QST block is last. This block and math for me do not get along. I used the templates to cut my pieces. The paper templates are at the top of this post.

Using 4 blue fabrics, and the template, cut each trapezoid figure out. It might be a good idea to go view the video on my youtube channel to see how I did this. A photograph can only capture so much.

In addition to the trapezoids you will also need to cut a square of blue fabric. I made mine a navy blue, you could opt for a lighter blue at this point as well.

Cut 2 squares of dark fabric at 2 1/2 inches and cut each square once from corner to corner.

Sew onto the narrow side of the trapezoids by finding matching centers. I folded my pieces to find this. There is enough fabric for this, to eyeball it. I chose to press every other sew middle segment outward to ensure nested seams.

Join your QST pieces by sewing quadrants together to make a half, and then sew the halves together. Nest seams. Press the remainder of this block however you wish.

And now we are ready to bring all the blocks together and sew a 4 patch.

I recommend spinning your seams. Press as you wish.

Folks, if you are up to date on your sew along, layout your blocks. It is starting to look lovely!

This concludes the quilt along until next week. Tune in and see an epic block fail! Thanks for reading my blog!

Week 4 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL Section A3

Welcome to week 4 of the #ScrappyChurnDashQAL! This week will be tough, but I think easier than last week. Here is the youtube video. You may glean useful details for that.

INsert video here.

Lets start with making a neutral block, the flying geese block.

Flying Geese Block Bom

You may want to go a tad lighter on the darker fabrics. I recommend going lighter than mine.

• 2 rectangles 3 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches
• 4 squares 3 1/2 inches

Method 1 draw a line method

On the 3 1/2 inch squares draw a line from corner to corner and place over one end of your rectangle unit. Sew just a thread distance on the side of the line, and when you fold out your corner, it should come pretty close to being a rectangle in shape. Measure and ensure your newly sewn piece actually now measures 3 1/2 by 6 1/2. If it does, yay! Trim away the extra fabric in your seam allowance and press your corner out. Repeat on each corner of both rectangle pieces.

Method 2 Folded Corners Ruler

Place a square of fabric onto the rectangle, and align all edges of all fabrics on the folded corners ruler. If your raw edges do not line up, scootch that fabric square until everything is true. Cut on the bias from corner to corner. The great thing about this ruler, it provides the correct seam allowance so you cut once and you should not need to trim up after sewing. There are no dog ears to contend with either. Less work, working smarter not harder. Repeat on the other corner of your rectangle, and repeat these steps for your second rectangle.

Regardless of method, after sewing your flying geese, verify your unit measures 3 1/2 by 6 1/2. If it does not trim. Sew both rectangles together.

Onto the QST star block.

Again I want to apologize. My photos went poof, so I have tried to snip pictures out of the video. They are grainy, but better than nothing.

Fabric selection, I recommend a very light white print, a light gray or tan print, and a print that could be white or ecru that has a dense print or volume to get the desired look you will need.

Of your White lightest print, cut a strip at 2 1/2 inches. Using the Easy Angle ruler, cut 4 pieces and set aside

If you are not using the Easy Angle method, cut 2 squares that measure 3 inches, cut both squares from corner to corner and set aside.

Using your tan and higher volume print, for the Companion Angle method, cut a strip of each fabric 1 1/2 inches. Cut 4. Sew these with the correct orientation where your tan or darkest print is on the left side of your QST sub unit

Now sew your white or lightest print to the half unit you just sewed. Make 4 and always ensure your darkest print is on the left side of your QST. If you are not using the companion angle for for this part of the block you will need to cut 1 squares each of tan print and high volume print at 4 inches. With right sides together, cut those from corner to corner, and again from corner to corner.

Sew these together on the short side of the triangle. Make sure when you open your sub unit that the darker print is to the left. If you sew this on the wrong side of the triangle, you can just seam rip and then sew on the other short side. When trimming, place the 1 1/4 inch mark on the dead center where all seams meet and trim your block to 2 1/2 inches. Repeat this process 4 times.

Make sure all your QST blocks match with the different prints in the right locations.

QST Star BOM

• 4 QST blocks
• 5 high volume squares cut 2 1/2 inches (mine are a bluish tint)

9 Patch layout

Sew your 9 patch with nesting seams. I use the spinned seam method. Use whatever pressing you like to use on 9 patch blocks. Because of the block surrounding this in the design, you may press as you wish.

Alright, let sew a couple blue blocks shall we. First block today will be the economy star block. You will need to select two blue fabrics that compliment one another. You can use a larger print for the larger square.

There is only one method for making this block.

Economy block BOM

• Center square 4 3/4 inches
• surrounding back ground 2 squares cut 4 inches
  • Cut these back ground squares from corner to corner

Fold your square in half and finding your center. Do the same with the long side of your triangle. Match centers and sew. Repeat this step on the opposite side of the square. I finger pressed my seams to the dark side.

Do the same on the remaining sides, matching centers and sew. Press to the dark side. Trim your economy block to 6 1/2 inches.

9 Patch HST block

Fabric selection, you will need two blue prints that compliment one another, I used a darker high volume print with a lighter country blue print.

Method 1 Easy angle ruler

Cut a strip of each print that measures 2 1/2 inches. Place right sides together and place Easy Angle ruler on strip set at the 2 1/2 inch mark. Cut 9 sets. Sew your HSTs and press to the dark side. Trim to 2 1/2 inches if necessary.

Method 2 draw a line

Cut a 5 squares of each print at 3 inches. Draw a line on the back of the lighter squares. Sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line, cut on the line.

Open your HST and press to the dark side. Trim your HST to 2 1/2 inches. Repeat this 8 more times. You will have an HST left over.

Make the 9 patch.

Sew your block together in rows and join rows. Press as you wish. I nest all my seams and spun my seams. Measure your block, it should measure 6 1/2 inches. If it does not, trim as necessary.

All your quadrants are sewn for segment A3, yay! Now lets combine them into a 4 patch block.

I am very pleased with how this section of the quilt turned out. If you are unsuccessful at any point you can always build the block again, or even better. If there is a block you just absolutely refuse to do, or you do end up with a block fail, you can always select a fabric to put as a place holder for your block. If you are building a neutral segment and it does not turn out, or turns out too small, whatever the reason, you can always cut a neutral piece of fabric at 6 1/2 inches and skip it entirely. You could opt to do this for any block at any point in the quilt, it is your quilt. You can make this however you wish. This pattern is to be followed or not. And by all means if you can get to the same point using your own method which works for you, go for it.

And for grins you can always check out my instagram page or my youtube channel to get the latest digital media on this sew along. If at any time you get lost in this quilt along, you can always get all these posts in one location, linked as they come out for ease of finding instructions. Click here for my blog post on fabric requirements all the way through the current weeks block.

And if you are interested in the templates, here you go. You can download this pdf just below the image.

a3Download

This has been fun, and I am looking forward to sharing the next 12 inch block. Seeya in a week! And thanks for reading my blog!

Week 3 #ScrappyChurnDashQAL section A2

Good morning quilters! Can you believe fabric wise we are over halfway done with this quilt? Yay!

I am not going to lie, section A2 is not easy, but as long as you cut properly and use a proper 1/4 inch seam, you will expand your quilting horizons.

First things first, I am going to take this block by block. This week we are building 4 subsets to equal 1 twelve inch block. So basically we are building 4 six and half inch blocks that will be sewn together in a 4 patch. I am going to list the tools required for all of this weeks work and then will break it segment by segment.

You will need to download the A2 PDF form here.

a2Download

If you do not have the tri recs ruler, you will need to down load the templates so you can make our first block the 8 pointed star.

Chose your fabrics. Chose two neutral fabrics that compliment one another, or chose one where the volume of print is busier than the other. Here are the two that I chose. We want to show our star in the quilt, but we do not want it to be loud. A soft star will work best. But it is your quilt, chose your fabrics however you wish!

*sigh* I had taken a gob of photos and they all got deleted. So you will have to rely on the video solely for using the tri recs ruler or using the templates for triangle in a square. Sorry, this is most frustrating.

If you are using the tri recs ruler you will cut your two neutrals into 2 1/2 inch strips. The lightest of the neutrals you will cut 4 large wedge 60 degree triangles. And of your busier or darker neutral you will cut pairs of ears using the other part of the template. If you fold your fabric onto itself, with one cut of the ruler will equal a mirror image. If you do not mirror image the ears, it will not work. Make 4 units, and square up to 2 1/2 inches.

Please watch the begining portion of this video which shows how to use the tri recs ruler. And if you do not have the tri recs ruler, watch the video, it shows how to use the downloadable paper template from above.

Insert video here.

After you have assembled your triangle in a square regardless of method, you will need to cut the remaining fabrics to make your 6 1/2 inch block.

BOM:

• 4 triangle in a square blocks made above
• 4 lighter neutral squares
• 1 darker neutral square that matches the 8 points on your star.

Layout:

Lay your blocks out in a 9 patch formation, and again you will have to refer to the video because all my pictures got erased.

Sew your 9 patch pieces together, nest your seams (or not that is optional) and press however you wish. Set aside.

It appears I have lost my files for the neutral half square triangle block, jeepers. Too much media, and a trash happy operator apparently. Sorry.

Chose neutral fabrics again that compliment each other and have slight contrast to one another.

There will be two methods for making the HSTs. Method 1 is using the Easy Angle ruler

Cut your two selected fabrics at 3 1/2 inch strips. Using your easy angle ruler, point tip hanging off the edge of the fabric, and 3 1/2 inch line, on the fabric, make cuts that will yield 2 pairs. Sew a scant 1/4 inch. Press to the dark side.

Or if you will be using method 2 which is draw a line method, Cut your selected 2 neutral fabrics and cut one square of each at 4 inches. Draw a line on the back of the lighter fabric. Sew a 1/4 inch on each side of the line. Open and finger press to the darkest print. This method yields 2 HSTs. Square these two HSTs to 3 1/2 inches.

Regardless of method, you will need to cut two squares that measure 3 1/2 inches. Use the lighter fabric. Make a 4 patch make a small bow tie with your HSTs. Sew your 4 patch together, spin your seam (optional). Set aside.

Regardless of method, you will need to cut 4 rectangles that measure 2 by 3 1/2 inches of a blue print. I have chosen a busy line blue print. You could go darker, but I would not go lighter than this. Make sure your rectangles have a nice saturation of blue. For your secondary fabric, chose a darker fabric than your rectangles. Above you can see I chose a navy. Cut 16 squares 2 inches.

Method 1 is draw a line method. Take your 16 blue squares and draw a line from corner to corner on the back of each square.

And I just want to cry, because these photos are also gone. Please refer to the video for method 1 draw a line for the folded corners, or use the folded corner ruler as method 2 following the pictures on screen.

Sew just on the side of the line using method one. Press outward, and repeat 15 more times for your flying geese units.

Using the folded corners ruler, place square exactly over rectangle on one end. Align top and sides of square and rectangle, as well as 90 degree edge of square. All these lines should line up perfectly on this ruler, then make your cut and sew a scant 1/4 inch, press to the dark side. Repeat 15 more times for your flying geese units.

Sew two flying geese units together, one on top of the other, and repeat 3 more times. You are now ready to make your 4 patch.

I have chosen to turn my flying geese units going north, south, east, and west as a layout option. You can lay these out in any format you like.

Press as you wish, I have chosen to spin my seams. Again refer to video for images. And trim your block down to 6 1/2 inches if necessary.

And for the last block you will need to select three blue fabrics, a light, a medium, and a dark. Make sure these compliment one another on the hue scale.

Make HSTs using method 1 draw a line.

Take your light blue and your medium blue and cut into 2 inch squares. Cut 4 each. Draw a line on the lighter square, and sew a 1/4 inch on each side of the line. Cut on your drawn line, open HST and press to the dark side. This will give you 8 units. You will need to trim down to 1 1/2 inches. Set aside

If you are using method 2 and the easy angle, you will cut strips at 1 1/2 inches of the light and medium blue fabrics, and cut 8 pairs with right sides together. Sew the cut pieces a scant 1/2 inch, open HSTs and press to the dark fabric. Square fabric at 1 1/2 inches if necessary. Set aside.

Block BOM:

• 8 HSTs made in the step above
• 4 Light blue 1 1/2 inches squares
• 4 Dark blue 2 1/2 inch squares
• 1 Medium blue 2 1/2 inch square

Layout your 9 patch sew, and press as you wish

Now take all 4 blocks you have built this week and sew them into the twelve inch block. As far as layout is concerned, it does not really matter in which quadrant you sew what block as long as your two neutral blocks form a line and your blue blocks form a line.

Sew your 4 patch, and press as you wish. I chose to spin my seams, which is optional. And make sure this measures 12 1/2 inches, if it does not, trim as necessary.

Congratulations, we did it! And folks I do apologize for my tech failure. There is much going on behind the scenes, and let it be known I swear I did take photos, they just disappeared!

Well, I am hoping that my virtual teaching skills helped you make and master each block. As I do all of this, it is becoming easier and easier on the tech side of things. So, lookout blog world, I am going to shine like a new penny in the coming weeks, hahaha.

Don’t forget to catch me on instagram or if you missed any instructions for this quilt along, you can find them all linked right here.