Snuggles Quilts

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Block of the Week – Block 8

Welcome to week 8 of my Block of the Week project! I hope so far that this has been fun and you’ve learned a bit also. All the block instructions are still available by going to the previous blog posts here: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4, Block 5 , Block 6 and Block 7. We will be making one more block after this and then a cute wall hanging from the blocks in week 10. This week’s block has a lot of half-square triangle squares and quarter-square triangle squares. You will be an expert on piecing these together when we’re done! 

Puzzle Star

I named this block “Puzzle Star” because the center unit and the outside borders reminded me of putting a puzzle together to achieve the design that extends the pinwheel motif to the edges of the block. You can find the instructions here: Block of the Week – Block 8.

The Importance of Aligning Seams!

With many blocks, including this one, there is an importance to aligning seams when piecing the block so the design is achieved. I press my seam allowances open on the back of my units, so the examples you see here will show this. However, if you press your seam allowances to one side or the other, make sure to press your seams in alternating directions for rows you are joining. Here’s an example using the block above:

If you press seams allowances open like me, then you can follow the tips below. The puzzle block in these photos is finished except for adding the last row. Here’s what my block looks like from the back:

When piecing blocks and aligning seams, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important pinning is. This will keep seams that you have aligned from shifting while you are stitching them. So, here’s how I align and pin. I lay the pieces right sides together with raw edges aligned. Then I pull down the edge of the row on the top a bit to see both seam lines:

This way, you can see if the seams will align at the 1/4″ point on the front. This works for diagonal seams also:

Now, once it’s stitched together and pressed, look how well the seams line up so the design of the block is achieved.

Here’s an example of how this works for joining blocks together like below with these two Jacob’s Ladder blocks below. You want the seams lined up so that the checkerboard and the diagonal seams of the HST units of the block align throughout your quilt.

The two blocks on the left are the ones I am stitching together. I lay one on top of the other and then I peel back the top one so I can align the seams. I pull it back where the 1/4″ seam line will be to make sure they are aligned. Once I am satisfied, I pin the unit there first so my alignment does not move when I pin other parts of the block. When I am done, the seams are matched perfectly on the front.

So there you go. Pin… pin… pin and practice this every time you are piecing. Before you know it you will have perfectly aligned seams and blocks throughout all your quilts!

There’s still time to enter the drawing for my quilt pattern, Follow the Stars! 

Simply leave a comment below about this or any of the other techniques I’ve covered in this Block of the Week series and you will be entered. The drawing will be on Monday, June 8th. Good luck! ***We have a winner! Congrats, Beverly Wood!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 7

Here we are at week 7 already! After this week there are only 2 more blocks to make and then I’ll provide the finishing instructions. When its done, you’ll have a fun, scrappy wall hanging! You can still join in the fun. All the block instructions are still available by going to the previous blog posts here: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4, Block 5 and Block 6. This week’s block uses a lot of techniques from earlier blocks so you should be able to whip this one up fast. I’ll also do a more in depth talk about secondary design, picking up from last week. So… ready?

Block #7 – Beacon

This block reminded me of a searchlight, especially with the bright gold in the middle, so I named it “beacon”. You can find the instructions here: Block of the Week – Block 7.

Secondary Design

Last week, we talked about secondary design that existed within a block when you changed the colors. This week, I’ll do that with this block and then I will show you how those designs can also emerge when joining two or more blocks.

Like the block last week, you can change the look of this block by simply moving the colors around. Here’s a variation that brings forth a design that looks like a churn dash: 

To achieve this look, all I did was flip the middle units so the gold was on the inside towards the center. A completely different look! This next variation I take out most of the gold. I change the 4 corner units to blue and the background fabric:

This variation makes the center star more prominent. 

So now we come to the other way to create a secondary design – by joining blocks together. The way to create a secondary design is to start with a block with interesting elements that, when joined with additional blocks into a quilt top, combine to make the secondary design. Look what happens when I join multiple versions of the original block:

All of the sudden, there’s a pinwheel block created where the four blocks meet. And the gold fabric creates an interesting lattice look. Look at what happens when we make a whole quilt from these:

The stars and pinwheels really stand out! A quilt that makes great use of secondary designs makes it hard for someone to figure out what the block actually is. Remember… the above is a one block quilt but it doesn’t look like it!

One of my quilt patterns that has a secondary design is Follow the Stars.

Notice how the black pieces in the quilt blocks create a fun criss-crossing design based on how the blocks are laid out. 

Leave a comment below on secondary design or this week’s block to be entered in a drawing for my pattern above! The drawing will be on Monday, June 8th.

Until next week…. Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 6

It’s already week 6 of this fun block of the week project! Time flies when you’re having fun! If you are just joining, all the block of the week blog posts are still available for you to read and get the patterns. Just click on the ones you have missed: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, Block 4 and Block 5. This block has half-square triangle squares so I will go over some tips on those. Also there is a secondary design that appears in the block so I’ll talk about that too. Let’s get started!

Block #6 – Air Castle

This block has a fun “twirling” effect to it and also a couple of secondary designs within. Here is the pattern for the block: Block of the Week – Block 6.

Half-square Triangle Square Tips

In my patterns that don’t have a lot of half-square triangle (HST) squares, I will have you make them using the method that makes them two at a time. The following are a few tips to help make these accurately.

First, for this block, I’m going to use the squares the size I need to make HSTs that measure 2 1/2″ when I’m done. So start with your squares either  2 7/8″ x 2  7/8″ OR, if you don’t mind wasting a tiny bit of fabric and want to make sure your finished squares are the correct size, you can start with squares that measure 3″ x 3″.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of one of the squares. I usually choose the square that has the lightest wrong side so it’s easy to see the line:

Then place the squares right sides together with the square with the drawn line on top so it is visible. Make sure the raw edges of the squares are lined up.

Now that you have the squares lined up, it’s time to stitch. I stitch a scant 1/4″ on each side of the line. I sew a “scant”,meaning a tiny bit less, because I can always trim a pressed open square down to my preferred side, but I obviously can’t make it bigger! Once it’s stitched on both sides of the line, then you cut the unit apart on the drawn line.

Finally, it’s time to trim the HSTs. Do not press the units open yet. We will actually trim them before pressing. The great thing about that is you are only having to make two trimming cuts instead of having to trim all four sides individually! This is where the tool I like to use for the trimming comes in handy. It’s called the Quilt in a Day® Triangle Square Up Ruler!

Here is how it works. The numbers on the measurement lines are the size of the HST you want after it’s pressed open. Ours are going to be 2 1/2″ after trimming so we use the 2 1/2″ line on this ruler. First place the ruler on one of the units from above with the 2 1/2″ line on the stitch line, then trim:

Now you can press the unit open for a finished HST that measures the size you want!

Secondary Design

Notice in the Air Castle block that there is a monkey wrench design and a pinwheel design in the middle. That’s a secondary design. A secondary design is a design that is created within a block when the pieces are assembled or in a quilt top when the blocks are joined. I’ll be covering secondary design in a block in this post.

Since my black accent fabric is what creates the monkey wrench, the design is a bit more subtle. However, here’s some examples of how you can make that design stand out. In this first example, I have changed the colors so the accent is gold and made both the purples in the block the same. This makes the monkey wrench stand out.

In this second example, I kept the accent fabric black and changed the placement of the medium and dark purple fabrics. This makes the pinwheel design more prominent.

So, have fun with colors and placement in this block depending on what design you want to feature!

You can still enter the drawing for my pattern, Star Struck. Comment below to be entered in the drawing.

The drawing will be on next Monday, May 25th! We have a winner! Congrats, Julia S!

Good luck and Happy Quilting!
Deanne