Puss in the Corner

For those of you who do not celebrate the season and/or are feeling somewhat fed up with the whole thing, here's a nice, absolutely non-christmassy block.
... and anyway, with winter being in full swing in the northern hemisphere, a warm corner is where my pussies prefer to be.

... and yes, I do know that there are many blocks called "Puss in the Corner" and that this is probably not the one most frequently associated with the name, but I really like it, and it gives those of us who makes this block the opportunity to practice this kind of corner ... which is much used in quilt-blocks.

Uses either Collection 2 or the new, downloadable "Half Square Triangles 00B" collection.
The squares can be printed from either the Inklingo Lite # 4 (the smaller size of POTC), or Collection 1.


Fabric 1 (background)
1" HST (16 needed)
4.25 x 8.5"
2" square
Cut 2.5" square
3.25" square for Flying Geese

Fabric 2 (focus 1, dark)
2" HST (4 needed)
3.5 x 6.75"
1" squares (4 needed)
3" square, cut apart to make 4 squares, each 1.5"

Fabric 3 (focus 2, medium)
1" HST (8 needed)
4.25 x 5"
3.25" square for Flying Geese


Barbara Brackman # 1669

Make a total of 8 Flying Geese, 4 in each distribution of fabrics. Use the Flying Geese method, found on p. 10-11 of the Triangle Tips.

Join the Geese, two and two, to make a total of 4 squares (2" finished, 2.5" unfinished)


Make the 4 corner-units.
Start by joining a 1" HST to each side of the 1" square.
Join a 2" HST to the unit, to form a square (2" finished, 2.5" unfinished).
Make 4.



Lay out and join block as you would a 9-patch.

Finished

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.

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 !

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")

Churn Dash

Elly's block on the left, Martha's block on the right.
To see other interpretations of this block, look right here.

Using Collection # 2 for the HST and POTC for the rectangles.

UPDATE : Printing-table that refers to the downloadable collections (seeing that this post refers to a sold-out collection on CD)

Block finishes at 6".

Fabric 1 (background)
3.5 x 7" for printing HST
3.5 x 5.75" for printing rectangles

Fabric 2 (focus-fabric A)
One 2,5" square (for centre)
3.5 x 7" (for layering with the printed HST)

Fabric 3 (focus-fabric B)
3.5 x 5.75" for printing rectangles

From page 70 of Collection # 2, pick the ink-colour that will work best with your lightest fabric.
Cut a 3.5 x 7" piece of fabric and same size of freezer-paper.
Iron freezer-paper to the front / right side of the fabric.
Print 4 HST with a finished (square) side at 2"

From p. 68 of the Lucy Boston / POTC / Inklingo Lite collection # 4 (same thing), pick the ink-colour that will work best with your fabric.
Iron freezer-paper to the front / right side of the fabric.
Print 4 rectangles that finish at 1 x 2"
Do this both with Fabric 1 and Fabric 3.

Make 4 sets of HST

Make 4 sets of each 2 rectangles.

Lay out the pieces to form a Churn Dash block.

Join as you would a 9-patch

Finished !



This block, in this size, is used in the Shipshewana Blessings quilt.
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" #1646a

Double 9-patch - with 3" 9-patches

Elly's block on the left, Martha's on the right.
To see more interpretations of this block, click right here.

This block uses Collection 1 or POTC for the 1" squares, and Drunkard's Path collection for the 3" squares (or just rotary-cutter and a ruler).

If you ever considered making Calico Garden, using Inklingo to make the 3" (finished size) 9-patches that alternate with the applique blocks is a good alternative to measuring and cutting.

Or, if you have a set of 5" charms, that you really don't know what to make from, you could make 9-patches. You can fit 9 small squares on to a 5" charm, IF you cut your freezer-paper at 5.5" and place your fabric approximately in the centre

If you are a member of the Inklingo group at Yahoo, you can see Linda's pictures of how to strip-piece squares with Inklingo, right here.


Charm 9-patches For 2 blocks you need 2 charms.

On page 58 in Collection # 1, or page 28 in the POTC collection, pick the ink-colour/s that will work the best with your charm/s



Cut the freezer-paper 5.5" square when printing charms, and place the charm on the middle of the paper. Iron gently in the middle, so the fabric and paper stick together, turn over, and finish ironing from the paper-side.

Print both charms.

Cut each charm into 3 strips, each with 3 squares.
Join a strip from charm 1 to a strip from charm 2
Repeat.

On one of the strips, join a third strip, so the strip-set has colours 1,2,1
On the other strips, join the remaining third strip, so the strip-set has colours 2,1,2
Press both strip-sets to the darkest fabric.
Cut each strip-set into 3 sections.

Lay out the two 9-patches, one will have light corners, the other will have dark corners.

Piece the strips together to form a 9-patch.
Press.
Finished !

You could also make a 6" finished block, using two 9-patches, with same distribution of lights and darks, and 2 squares, cut at 3.5"
(for a finished size of 3") :

Fabric 1 (Background)
2 squares, each cut 3.5" OR
4 x 7.75" for printing two 3" squares
3.5 x 6.75" for printing 8 1" squares

Fabric 2 (Focus)
3.5 x 8" for printing ten 1" squares

From p. 24 of the Drunkard's Path Collection, pick the ink-colour that will work best with your fabric.
Iron freezer-paper to the front / right side of the fabric.
Print 2 squares that finish at 3"

From p. 57 of Collection # 1 OR p. 28 of the Lucy Boston / POTC collection, pick the ink-colour that will work best with your fabric.
Iron freezer-paper to the front / right side of the fabric.
Print 10 squares of focus-fabric and 8 squares of background-fabric. These layouts enable you to strip-piece the 9-patches.

Cut the printed fabric into strips that are 1 x 2 (printed) squares


Join the strips in sets of 3



Cut each strip-set in half, and lay out as a 9-patch



Join the new strip-sets to form two 9-patches


Lay out the solid squares and the 9-patches so they form the pattern you want.

Join

Finished !

9 patch - 6" finished size

Elly and Martha are helping me with this one, and are doing blocks with me, so you can see them made up in different colourways than the one I've chosen to make. Elly's block in 30'es repros on the right, Martha's in brights on the left.

Other interpretations of this block can be found here.















This one uses collection 1 OR the Patchwork of the Crosses / Lucy Boston collection. Both have a 1" and a 2" square.


One Block (6" finished)

Fabric 1 (Background Fabric)
5.75" square

OR, since you will be using at least 16 2" squares for this and the next couple of blocks, you might want to print 8 squares on a piece of 5.5 x 10.75" fabric (printed landscape), or 12 squares on an 8 x 10.75" fabric.

Fabric 2 (Focus Fabric)
5.75 x 8.25"

On page 59 in Collection # 1 or page 52 in the POTC collection, pick the ink-colour most suitable for your fabric. You have to print 6 squares of Fabric 2, and thus will have 1 surplus.

For machine-piecing you need to print only one of the fabrics, for hand-piecing you will want to print both.

Cut out the squares from both fabrics at the same time, by layering the printed sheet on top, and the un-printed one below.

Lay out the 9-patch.
Join 3 sets of AB
Press to the darker fabric.

Join another square to each set, so you have 2 sets of BAB and 1 set of ABA.

Join the 3 strips to form a 9-patch.

Finished !


Doll-quilt :
To make 12 blocks, each 6" square, the requirements are :

Fabric 1 (Background Fabric)
4 sheets, each 8 x 10.75" (portrait)

Fabric 2 (Focus Fabric)
5 sheets, each 8 x 10.75" (portrait)


This block, in this size, is used in the Shipshewana Blessings quilt.
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.

Brackman's Encyclopedia # 1601