Whew! Wasn’t sure I’d get this T&T post typed up! August was a busy month, and adding Tropical Storm Irene to the mix last weekend, well, all of a sudden August was over. I actually finished sewing this block during the tropical storm – used it as an excuse to take my mind off of what may happen. Of course, I remembered to take photos, you’ll note they are a little wonky as the lighting in the house wasn’t great that day, but I so totally thought I’d already typed the directions. Surprise! I forgot to do that one small step {sheepish grin}.
We’re doing the block Louisiana this month. I found it on quilterscache.com and adapted the directions a bit.
Pick out your fabrics:
I used my stash again, and wasn’t completely thrilled with the end result, but hey, it’s going in a sampler quilt, right? I am confident these colors and their combination will work out fine. TIP #1: Sometimes you just have to say, “what the heck” and roll with it.
Small pinwheel fabric: 4 each 3-1/2” squares
Large pinwheel fabric: 4 each 3-1/2” x 6-1/2” rectangles
Background (here I used the muslin): 4 each 3-1/2” x 6-1/2” rectangles AND 4 each 3-1/2" squares
TIP #2: Aim for contrast not only in color, but also in scale. See how the background is a solid, the small pinwheel fabric is a marble (much like a small print) and the large pinwheel fabric is a large print. Say I were to use all large scale prints for this block – they’d fight each other and the block pattern wouldn’t stand out well at all.
This is another quick block. Take out your squares, all 8 of them. On the back of the squares, mark a diagonal line from corner to corner.
Place the background square on the left side of the large pinwheel rectangle…
and sew 1/4” away from that line. TIP #3: And another repeat of the same ole’ tip…sew a second line 5/8” away from your first seam. This will result in an extra HST and not wasting the “unwanted” corners in the sew and flip method
Cut apart 1/4” away from the drawn line. Set the extra HST aside (we’ll use it in the final quilt top layout or maybe even a bonus block along the way).
Press open the corner...
Now place a small pinwheel square on the opposite corner of the light square noting that the guideline is now opposite the first square. Repeat what we just did above…
Cut apart 1/4” along the drawn line, set the extra HST aside and press the corner open.
Make 4 of these flying geese units and press well.
Next, take a background rectangle and a flying geese unit, layout and sew as shown. Wait! Don’t sew yet until you read Tip #4…
TIP #4: When sewing these together, sew with the flying geese unit on top so that you can see the stitching lines…you’ll want to sew your seam so it’s not only 1/4”, but also so it falls just a stitch width ABOVE the “X” formed by the previous seams…see my close-up below:
If you do this, you’ll end up with a nice sharp point like this…
Make 4 of these unit and then layout your block. See? It’s a simple 4 patch to piece together now. Easy peasy, with one more tip before you sew….read on….
TIP #5: When placing these units rights sides together to sew your 1/4” seam, take time to match the seams as I have below. When you do this, your pinwheel center comes out perfectly. Also remember to sew one stitch width away from any “X” stitching to ensure sharp points.
And here’s my completed block
Don’t forget to post your block in our group photo album! Enjoy your September and back to school and apple picking season. I’ll be back soon with a BONUS block for you. Thanks for sewing with me!
©2011, Carrie Graziano, crickets studio
