Bonus-block - Spools

This month the square bonus-block is not made with the free collection or the LeMoyne star collection, but with Inklingo Lite # 4, the one you use if you are making your own version of Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses.

The block finishes smaller than 6", (actually, it finishes at the weird size of 4.82") but you can log-cabin it, and make it fit with the other 6" blocks.

Also, if you print the 1" squares for this block, you will waste some. You can get around that, by cutting squares, each 1.5". They will then finish at the 1" you need for this block.

As you can see, I have used scraps for centres, and have not coordinated the centre ("thread") part of the spools with the end of them. This is perfectly good with this pattern ... after all, spool-ends and colour of thread are rarely identical :-)


Fabric 1 (background)
8 Long half-hexagons (p. 48)
5.25 x 6"

2 strips, each 1.25 x 5.5" (for log-cabining the block, to make it 6")
2 strips, each 1.25 x 6.5" (for log-cabining the block, to make it 6")

Fabric 2 (Focus A)
4 Long half-hexagons (p. 48)
3 x 6"
4 squares, 1" (p. 28)
3.5 x 5"

Fabric 3 (Focus B)
4 Long half-hexagons (p. 48)
3 x 6"
4 squares, 1" (p. 28)
3.5 x 5"

Join a long half-hexagon of the same fabric to opposite sides of each square.

Inset a background-fabric half-hexagon to each of the remaining sides

Make a total of 4 spools

Arrange as a 4-patch

Join the squares as you would a 4-patch.

Log-cabining it : The shorter strips are longer than the block is. Just sew one on each side of the block, and then cut off the (small) excess.
Add the two longer strips to the remaining two sides.
Trim it down to 6.5". This is the unfinished size. It will finish at 6" when it goes into the quilt.

This is a great way to use your smallish scraps, and if you - like me - are slightly addicted to old quilts and pictures thereof, you can probably find at least one picture of an antique quilt, made from scraps.