Friday, October 30, 2009

Eight-pointed Star

This block uses Collection # 2
Finished size of block is 6"
More HRT, this time, with reverse printing. For tips and tricks on how to print shapes in the reverse, see here (link to Linda's blog)

Fabric 1 (background)
4 squares, (p. 59 of collection 1 or p. 52 of the POTC collection), 2" (or cut 2.5")
5.75" square

4 HRT (p. 132), 1 x 2"
2.5 x 6" (printed portrait)
OR 3.25 x 4.5", (printed landscape)

4 HRT (p. 132), 1 x 2", printed reverse (!)
2.5 x 6" (printed portrait)
OR 3.25 x 4.5", (printed landscape)

Fabric 2 (focus)
1 square, (p. 59 of collection 1 or p. 52 of the POTC collection), 2" (or cut 2.5")

4 HRT (p. 132), 1 x 2"
2.5 x 6" (printed portrait)
OR 3.25 x 4.5", (printed landscape)

4 HRT (p. 132), 1 x 2", printed reverse (!)
2.5 x 6" (printed portrait)
OR 3.25 x 4.5", (printed landscape)

Print your HRT both the reverse and the "straight" version, and your squares (if you are not just cutting them).

Keep the reversed and the straight HRTriangles separate for now.
Cut apart.
Trim the long end of each HRTriangle on the line provided.
Make 4 sets of Rectangles, using one focus- and one background-fabric HRTriangle for each.
Make 4 sets of reversed Rectangles, using one focus- and one background-fabric HRTriangle for each.

Make 4 squares, each being made up of one reversed and one straight rectangle

Lay out your block.

Join as you would a 9-patch.

Finished.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Halloween Coasters - The Bat


Here's a fun, fast and cute little non-square block to make into Halloween coasters.

Uses Collection 2 and (if you want to print squares and rectangles as well) the POTC-collection or collection 1.

Finished size of coaster : 5 x 6"

Barbara Brackmann # 217.5

Focus (bat)
One 6.25" square
Two 1" squares (cut 1.5")


Background
7.25 x 7.5" (for printing), Collection 2, p. 74
4 rectangles, each 1 x 2" (cut 1.5 x 2.5") OR print from the Lucy Boston / POTC collection, p. 68
3.5 x 5.75"

Batting
Two scraps, each 5.5 x 6"

Backing
Two scraps, each 6 x 6.5"

Make two units of rectangle-square-rectangle (picture)
Make 4 Flying Geese, using the method described in Collection 2, p. 34-35, or in the Triangle Tips p. 10-11

Join the units as shown in the picture

Repeat.

Cut the two scraps you have picked for backing, down the middle, making each into two rectancles, 3 x 6.5".

Using the basting-stitch on your sewing-machine, piece them back together again.

Press to one side.

Layer your bits as shown on the picture : Backing and Block with right sides together. The batting on top of the pieced square. Yes. This is important. You need to have the seam on the backing accessible, because next step is :

Unpick the basting-stitch you used to join the two halves of your backing.

Turn.

Hand-stitch closed ... and that is fairly easy, because you pressed the seams on the backing, so they have a nice crease on one side.

Quilt if / as desired.

Repeat for the other one.

Finished !

Friday, October 23, 2009

Rectangle Pinwheel

Are you ready to break into Rectangles and HRT (Half Rectangle Triangles) ?
This is a very simple block, shown on p. 52 of Collection 2, but I've been unable to find it anywhere in Brackman's Encyclopedia, so ... let's just call it "Rectangle Pinwheel.
Uses Collection # 2.

Fabric 1 (background)
4 rectangles, 1.5 x 3" (cut 2 x 3.5")
8 x 3.5" or 4 x 7"

4 HRT, (p. 134), 1.5 x 3"
3.25 x 8.5"

Fabric 2 (focus)
4 HRT, (p. 134), 1.5 x 3"
3.25 x 8.5"

Print and cut apart the HRT.
Cut away the points along the printed lines.
Layer one focus-fabric and one background-fabric HRT
Join on the long, diagonal seam.
Do this a total of 4 times.
Press.

Join a background-fabric rectangle to each HRT-rectangle, on the focus-fabric side.

Lay out as a 4-patch, and join as a 4-patch.

Finished

Friday, October 16, 2009

Hexagon bonus block # 7

Triangles Galore
Size of block : 3" finished side

Uses Collection # 3

Fabric 1 (background)
12 triangles, 1.5" (p. 143)
5.75" square

Fabric 2 (focus)
12 triangles, 1.5" (p. 143)
5.75" square

Print and cut apart

Make 3 triangles of each colourway.

Join the triangles, alternating the colourways.

Finish.

Garden of Eden

or Economy Patch

This block finishes at 5". Check here (link to the Cake Stand block, published September 4th), what measurements to cut strips, in order to make it into a 6" block

This block can be made exclusively with pieces from the Lucy Boston / Inklingo Lite # 4 collection. You can also make it with Collection # 2 and some old-fashioned cutting of squares and rectangles :-), or, if the cutting of squares scares you, use Collection # 1 to print those.

Using the POTC collection

Fabric 1 (background)
4 rectangles, (p. 68), 1 x 2"
3.5 x 5.75"
4 squares, (p. 54) 1.41"
4.25 x 4.5"

Fabric 2 (focus A)
1 square, 1" (cut 1.5")
... don't bother to print this one, just cut it out, 1.5"
16 HST, (p. 58), 1"
5 x 6.75"

Using collection 1 and 2

Fabric 1 (background)
4 rectangles, 1 x 2" (cut 1.5 x 2.5")
4 squares, (Collection 1, p. 59) 2" (or cut 2.5")
5.75" square

Fabric 2 (focus A)
16 HST (Collection 2, p. 62), 1"
4.5 x 8.5"
1 square, 1"
... don't bother to print this one, just cut it out, 1.5"

The way to make the Economy-patches that go on each corner of the finished block is different for the two collections.

2" Economy-patches using the POTC-collection
Join a triangle to each of two opposite sides of each 1.41" square.

Press.

Join a triangle to the remaining two opposite sides of the 1.41" square.

Press.

Repeat, until you have 4 economy patches.


2" Economy-patches using Collection 2 (and 1)
Lay out a 1" triangle on opposite corners of a 2" square, as you did when making the X-quisite block.

If you have printed the 2" squares, you can use the match-mark on the side as a guide for placing your triangle.

Join, trim and press.

Add a 1" triangle to each of the remaining two opposite sides of the 2" square.

Press.

Repeat, until you have 4 economy patches.

Making the rest of the block, is the same, disregarding which collection you have used to prepare your patches.

Take a rectangle, and add an economy patch to each side of it. Do this twice.
Make a long strip, adding the two remaining rectangles to each side of the 1" square.

Add the three strips, so the slim strip is between the two strips with economy patches.

Finished.

If you know of patterns or books that uses this block in this size, please let me know, and I'll make links to each of the ones I'm aware of. miz_pal (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Barbara Brackman's "Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns" # 1873 (5")

Friday, October 9, 2009

X-quisite

This is an all-over pattern, that can be made with any size square and any size HST, just remember, that the finished size of the HST (the size given in Inklingo) should be half the finished side of the square used.

Elly made the sample on the right.

Uses Collection # 2.

I have chosen to make it with four sections / as a 16-patch, but any size goes fine.

Fabric 1 (background)
16 squares, each 1.5" (cut 2")

Focus-fabric
32 HST, (p. 60) 0.75"

3.75 x 5.75" in two fabrics that are not the ones you used to make the BowTie block. With the left-over HST from last weeks block, you will have the 32 you need.

Print and cut apart.

Make all the square units, adding a HST to opposite corners of each square. Please note, that you are only adding triangles to two out of four corners.

Trim the excess from the squares.

Press towards the corners.

Join the squares in strips, each with 4 squares, and with the triangle-corners all facing the same way.

Make a total of 4 strips.

Join the strips.

Finished.

If you know of patterns or books that uses this block in this size, please let me know, and I'll make links to each of the ones I'm aware of. miz_pal (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Barbara Brackman's "Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns" # 3250

Friday, October 2, 2009

BowTie


This is another way of using the HST in Collection # 2.

Block on the right is Elly's version of the Bow Tie.

Check Linda's Triangle Tips, p. 14-15 on how to make "fast corners" with Inklingo.

OR check Linda's short video on the same subject, found on her All About Inklingo blog.

Fabric 1 (background)
8 squares, each 1.5" (cut 2")
4 x 8"

Fabric 2 (focus A)
4 squares, each 1.5" (cut 2")
4 x 4"
4 HST, (p. 60) 0.75"
3.75 x 3.75", or 3.75 x the smallest lenght your printer will print (this will yield at the least 8 HST, but do not worry about the 4 HST you will have left over, save them for next weeks block)

Fabric 3 (focus B)
4 squares, each 1.5" (cut 2")
4 x 4"
4 HST, (p. 60) 0.75"
3.75 x 3.75", or 3.75 x the smallest lenght your printer will print (this will yield, at the least 8 HST, but do not worry about the 4 HST you will have left over, save them for next weeks block)

Cut the squares, print the HST, and cut 4 HST from each focus-fabric.
When using HST to corner a square, it is very important to trim off the points on the lines provided in the program. You need the un-pointy points in order to be able to align the triangle to the square.

Add a triangle to one corner of each of the 8 background-fabric squares.
Trim off the excess.
Press.

Join each of your pieced units to a focus-fabric square. Make sure that you join the right "cornered squares" to the right focus-fabric squares. They should all be joined along the same edge, making four identical sets of each focus-fabric.

Press, and check that you have them turning all the same way, relative to each other.

Join the sets in pairs, making a total of 4 BowTie blocks, two from each colour.

Join the BowTies as you please, the mock-ups below, are the options that are, apart from the one I have chosen ... and if you make a full quilt out of it, doll- or person sized, these two turn out the same in an all-over.

If you know of other patterns or books that uses this block in this size, please let me know, and I'll make links to each of the ones I'm aware of. miz_pal (at) hotmail (dot) com



Barbara Brackman's "Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns" # 3608

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Hexagon bonus block # 6

Texas Star

Finished size of block : 3" to the side.
Uses Collection # 3

The version on the right is made by Linda, and she has added half-triangles as a setting, from the Inklingo KISS 101 collection.

Fabric 1 (background)
6 diamonds (p. 122), 1.5"
5.5 x 6.25"

Fabric 2 (focus A)
6 starpoints, (p. 97), o.75"
5 x 6"

Fabric 3 (focus B)
1 hexagon (p. 82), 0.75"
Small scrap, or smallest piece that priter will accept. With my printer, that is 3 x 5", which will yield 2 hexagons.

Another nice, traditional hexagon-block. It is basically a hexagon-flower with an attitude, and like the hexagon flower, it can be hybrid pieced, or you can use Cathi's tutorial.

Start by making the star.
The arrows on the picture on the left shows how I pieced mine.

First the green arrows, adding 3 starpoints to the centre hexagon
Second the orange arrows, inserting the remaining 3 starpoints into the mix, and finishing the star.
Finally the red arrows for the outside diamonds. They can be added with one, continuous thread.

























This block can be made in a version that is 4" to the side, if you use the 1" Starpoints and hexagon from Collection 1, and the 2" diamond from the KISS collection102.