January Block of the Month

 

Annie, our cyber friend in Vashon, WA has shared a pattern with us for our block this month.

She made this quilt last year for a veteran:

FROM ANNIE:

Unnamed January Block of the Month  

Finishes to 12”

I saw a picture of an antique quilt made in this unidentified pattern and drafted it to make this scrappy quilt.  It is a very easy block to make, and is composed of just three units – one plain 4-1/2” (finishes at 4”) square for the center, four units with triangle corners to make the center star, and four units with background fabric corner triangles for the outside squares.  The key is accurate quarter inch seams to assure blocks match when quilt is assembled.

Piecing directions
Cut one contrasting color 4-1/2” square for center

Cut eight 4-1/2” squares of primary fabric.  If using directional fabric, adjust your cut squares to accommodate the placement.  Easier and uses less fabric to use non-directional fabric.

Cut eight 2-1/2” squares of contrasting (same as center) color.  Draw diagonal line across wrong side of each.

Cut eight 2-1/2” squares of background fabric.  Draw diagonal line across wrong side of each.

Star maker units – make 4:  Right sides together, align one contrasting square so drawn diagonal line runs from center of one side of unit to center of perpendicular side. (Remember there are seam allowances, so pieces will be slightly above exact center). Sew along drawn line.  Leaving a quarter inch seam allowance, cut along outside of drawn line.  Discard extra triangle. Press attached contrasting triangle toward outside. Repeat on other side.  Make four units.    

 

Corner Diagonal Units – make 4: Employing the same method, align background fabric squares on opposite sides of primary color fabric square.  Stitch along diagonal lines, trim and press outward.

Assembly: Layout nine units, rotating the corner pieces to create crossed effect.  Sew top three units together, press connecting seams toward right.  Sew center three units together, and press toward left.  Finally, sew bottom three units and press toward right.  Nesting seams, sew top, middle and bottom units together, pressing seams open.  You’re Done!

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This block offers so many ways to use color and design to create great quilts. So very nice of Annie to have seen the antique quilt, draft the block and share it with us.

CSQ had a good amount of batik fabric left over from the raffle quilt we donated to W.H.E.A.T. last year, so we are going to make a veteran quilt using some of that fabric. Miriam brought her Go! Cutter to Saturday Sewing and we used it to cut the fabric and make kits for the quilt. Please sign-up to take and make a block and bring it back to the February meeting.

The design may appear to be difficult to piece, but sewing it with squares to create the triangles is really quite easy. Only 2 sizes needed for this 12" block: 4-1/2" and 2-1/2" squares.

 

This is the block we are going make. There were a lot of left-over pieced squares, so we decided to cut them wonky to 4-1/2" and use them for the center. The light background fabrics will vary from block to block so we will have somewhat of a coordinated scrappy look.  ALL the 2-1/2" squares are cut from the same fabric, although the batik fabric contains various colors of green/blues. Place them color-wise as you like.

 

 

Kits have been made and will include:

1 pieced square for the center

8  4-1/2" squares

16  2-1/2" squares

 

The cast of characters for one 12" block.

 

Draw a diagonal pencil line from corner to corner on all the small squares.
Align one small square to the corner of a large square.

 

Stitch along the pencil line. Trim away the corner leaving a 1/4" seam.
(sew just a hair away from the pencil line on the side that will be trimmed)

Do the same to the opposite corner.



Make 4 units like this.

Add corner square, sew, trim press as before.

Add second square in this position, sew, trim and press.

Make 4 units like this.

Position units to look like this - sew in rows and sew rows together,
pressing seams in opposite directions.

Two blocks to show how the quilt will look.

This pattern offers so many possibilities in color placement and the 12" blocks make a really nice veterans quilt. - hint, hint ;-)  Two color, three color, or totally scrappy, this makes a nice quilt.

Thanks again to Annie for sharing it.  If anyone can find the name for this pattern, please let us know; otherwise we will call it Annie's Star.

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Vicki designed several quilts for us - here are the first ones,
and there will be more posted over the next several days.

The end. 

:-)