Block of the Month - Row 6

By Sandra Schlagel

This is the last row - Cups and Saucers.  I made three of each pattern.

Refer to the pattern above, along with the photos below, for piecing and connecting placement.  Press each seam as you sew it, according to your preference.  Use different fabrics for each piece, with no repeats.

Cups, Color A, cut:
Twelve 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Background, Color B, cut:
Twelve 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Two 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Layout the cut pieces in an arrangement that you like.

Make six cup bases.  Place one B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece at each end of one A 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on the B units from lower, inner corner to opposite outer corner to form a triangle.

Sew along the lines, trim excess fabric.  Open, press.  Repeat for remaining 5 cup base units.

Pair one cup rim (an A 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece) to one cup base unit from the previous step to form six cup units.

Sew each pair together as shown.

Sew two cup units together at the sides.  Layout in three rows of two cup units each.

Sew the rows together as shown.

Sew a background B 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to both the left and right sides of the saucer unit.  Sew one background B 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the top and bottom of the cups unit to complete the block.  Make three cups blocks and then follow instructions below to make three saucers blocks.

Refer to the pattern above, along with the photos below, for piecing and connecting placement.  Press each seam as you sew it, according to your preference.  Use different fabrics for each piece, with no repeats.

Saucers, Color A, cut:
Six 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Background, Color B, cut:
Twelve 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Two 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Layout the cut pieces in an arrangement that you like.

Make the six rows that form the saucer unit first.  Place one B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece at each end of one A 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on the B units from lower, inner corner to opposite outer corner to form a triangle.

Sew along the lines, trim excess fabric.

Open, press.  Repeat for remaining 5 rows of saucers.

Sew the six rows of saucers together.  I don't have a photo of the next step, but it is similar to what we've done in every block, including the cups block above.  Sew a background B 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to both the left and right sides of the saucer unit.  Sew one background B 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the top and bottom of the saucer unit to complete the block.  Make three saucers blocks.

Make three saucer blocks and alternate them with three cups blocks; sew the six blocks together to complete the row.  Sew the Cups and Saucers row the top of the previous five rows.

Add a border of your choice.  I thought that this colorful quilt needed a colorful border, however, I think it is too bold and detracts from the individual blocks so I will remove it before quilting.  I may add a charcoal or black border first - I'll have to audition some fabrics first.

Block of the Month - Row 5

By Sandra Schlagel

I don't have any pets, and I couldn't decide whether I should use cats or dogs, so I thought, why not use both?  And have them facing different directions, too.  I posted the instructions for one cat and one dog - it's up to you which direction they face and how many you use (or don't) of each!

 

Refer to the diagram above, along with the photos below, for piecing and connecting placement.  Press each seam as you sew it, according to your preference.  Use different fabrics for each piece, with no repeats.  Or, if you'd like, you can do as I did on these blocks and used one fabric per "row" in both the background and each cat and dog unit.

Cat, Color A, cut:
Five 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
One 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece
Two 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Three 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Background, Color B, cut:
One 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece
Three 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
One 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece
Two 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces
Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Layout cut pieces in an arrangement that you like, facing the direction you prefer.

Make the six rows that form the cat unit first.  For row 6, place one B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the left edge of one A 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on B from lower, inner corner to opposite, outer corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open, press.  Row 5 requires no piecing.

For row 4, place one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the right edge of one A 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on smaller piece from lower, outer corner to opposite corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open, press.

For row 3, sew one A 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one B 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.  Repeat for row 2.

For the first unit of row 1, place one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to each side of a B 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line of the A pieces as shown.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal completed rectangle, press.  (The images are upside down, don't let it throw you.)

For the second unit of row 2, place one B 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one A 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece as shown.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner of the intersecting pieces.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal the completed rectangle, press.  Connect the two units.

Your rows should look like the photo above.  Sew the rows of the cat unit together to look like the photo below.

 

Sew a background B 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to both the left and right sides of the cat unit.  Sew one background B 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the top and bottom to complete the block.

 

 

Make six blocks in your choice of colors and pets and sew them together to complete the row.

 

 

Refer to the diagram above, along with the photos below, for piecing and connecting placement for the dog blocks.  Use different fabrics for each piece, with no repeats.  Or, if you'd like, you can do as I did on these blocks and used one fabric per "row" in both the background and each cat and dog unit.

 

Dog, Color A, cut:

Six 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Two 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

One 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

One 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

 

Background, Color B, cut:



Five 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Four 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

One 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

One 5-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

Two 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces

 

 

Layout cut pieces in an arrangement that you like, facing the direction you prefer.

 

Make the six rows that for the dog unit first.  For row 6, sew one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one B 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one B 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.  Do the same for row 5.

 

For row 4, make  flying geese unit (see earlier tulip block instructions) from one A 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece and two B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces.  Sew the unit to one A 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.

 

For row 3, place a B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the right edge of the A 5-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on B from lower, outer corner to opposite corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal the completed rectangle, press.

 

 

 

For row 2, place one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the left edge of the B 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on A from lower, inner corner to opposite, outer corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Place one A 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece as shown at right edge of B piece as shown above.  Draw a diagonal line on A from lower, inner corner to opposite outer corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open both edges to reveal the completed rectangle (shown below), press.  Sew a B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the right edge.

 

 

For row 1, place one A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to a B 5-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on A from lower, inner corner to opposite, outer corner.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal completed triangle, press.  Sew a B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the right edge.

 

 

The completed rows will look like the photo above.  Sew the rows together to look like the photo below.

 

 

Sew a background B 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to both the left and right sides of the dog unit.  Sew one background B 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the top and bottom of the unit to complete the block.

 

 

Make six blocks in your choice of colors and sew them together to complete the row.  You'll notice that I chose dog + cat + cat + dog + dog + cat, and that I reversed direction often.









 

 

 



Sew the completed row to the top of row 4.  The final row will be announced at the June 12 meeting.

Block of the Month - Row 3

 

 

 

By Sandra Schlagel

 

My house would not be a home without books, so Row 3 is a row of books, with the books on each end turned on their sides.  Feel free to line them up any way you like, mix up the sizes and colors if you choose.  If you are not a book person, think of them as stacks of fabric instead!

 

I have a confession to make about this row by row mystery quilt - it is a mystery to me, too!  This is the first time that I'm making this quilt, just one row ahead of you.  I started with my hand-drawn original pattern on grid paper, but have already changed two of the blocks.  I love to design quilts and most of my quilts, both traditional and art, are my original designs.  However, while making this block-of-the-month quilt, that is the responsibility of each past president, I discovered that writing patterns is not my strong suit.  So, thank you for sticking with me on this one, and letting me know right away when I've made a mistake or omission.  I just found out that I didn't have the cutting instructions on the blog, so those were added today - sorry!

 

Anyway, here we go ... those of you who thought the tulips were too fussy, may enjoy this easy-peasy block.

 



Refer to the diagram above, along with photos below, for piecing and connecting placement.  Press each seam as you sew, according to your preference.

Background, Color A, cut:

Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

Two 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

Two 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

Two 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

One 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

Books, Color B, cut:

One 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

Two 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, using different fabrics for each piece

Two 5-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, using different fabrics for each piece

One 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece

Layout cut pieces in an arrangement that you like.

1.  Sew one Color A 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one Color B 5-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.  Sew the other same-sized pair together.
2.  Sew one Color A 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to one Color B 4-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.  Sew the other same-sized pair together.
3.  Sew the Color A 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to the Color B 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece.

Sew the six book/fabric units together, including the Color B 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece, as above or in any order you prefer.  Feel free to mix up the sizes to suit your scraps.  Sew the two Color A 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces to each side of the book unit as illustrated.

Sew the two Color A 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces to the top and bottom of the unit as illustrated to completed the block.

 

Make six blocks and sew them together side to side in a row.  Sew the row to the top of row 2.  The next row will (hopefully) be posted the week of our next guild meeting, which is April 10.

Block of the Month - Row 2

By Sandra Schlagel

Here is row 2 for our current Block of the Month project, called "Scrap Happy Home."  We're building from the bottom row up.  I used a different tulip flower bud color family for each of the six blocks, but maintained the same color family (green) for the stem/leaf pieces throughout the row.

 

Refer to the diagram above, along with photos below, for piecing and connecting placement.  Press each seam as you sew, according to your preference.

 

Tulip Buds, Color A, cut:

Six 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Tulip Buds, Color B, cut:

Six 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Tulip Buds, Color B, cut:

Three 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Tulip Buds, Color C, cut:

Twelve 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Tulip Leaves, Color B, cut:

Nine 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Background (leaf units), Color C, cut:

Twelve 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Background (flower bud units), Color C, cut:

Two 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

Background (top/bottom), Color C, cut:

Two 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces using different fabrics for each piece

 

 

When working with scraps, I will usually cut more pieces than I need of each color so that I have several to choose from.

Make flower buds first.  Start a flying geese unit by placing a color C 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" square to one edge of a piece A, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on C from outer corner to opposite corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal the completed rectangle, press.

Finish the flying geese unit by placing a color B 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" square to opposite edge of the A piece, right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line on B from outer corner to opposite corner to form a triangle.  Sew along the line, trim excess fabric.  Open to reveal the completed rectangle, press.

Make a flying geese unit for the bottom of the flower bud using a color B 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece and two color C 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" squares.

Sew the three flying geese units together to form the flower bud.  Make three flower bud units and sew together in a row.  Sew one color C background 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece to each side of the flower buds.

Sew one color B 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" square diagonally (as in half of a flying geese unit) to nine of the color C background 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces.  Trim excess, press open.  Three of the C background 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces will not have leaves sewn to them.  Arrange units as above, sew together to resemble photo below.

Sew remaining background color C 8-1/2" x 1-1/2" pieces to top and bottom of the units.

Finished 8-1/2" x 8-1/2" block is above.  Sew six blocks together.  I decided to have the colors follow a diagonal pattern, but you could keep the colors in rows of vertical stripes instead.

Sew the row of tulips to the row of houses.  Row three will be posted soon!