Block of the Month
October-November
This month's block will be slightly more challenging, but if you follow each step carefully, you will be sure to meet with success. This is best accomplished when you are feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, so don't leave it until the night before the meeting!
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Choose center and background fabrics to coordinate with the dotted black fabric provided. |
You will need to add your own background fabric - a generous fat quarter, or a piece about 10" x 20". This can be any light or medium tone on tone that goes with the dotted fabric. You will also need to add one piece, 7" x 7" for the center octogon. A medium large-scale print works well. Choose colors that go with the dotted fabric and your background fabric.
Templates are given in order to increase accuracy (and to avoid the necessity of measuring in sixteenths of an inch). Trace them on to template plastic or on to freezer paper so that you can iron it on to the fabric.
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Cutting Instructions: From the dotted fabric, cut four 5" x 5" squares. Cut diagonally to make 8 triangles. Place the triangle template on a stack of four triangles and carefully trim the points, two separate cuts on each point. Repeat with the other four triangles. From your background fabric, cut two 5" x 5" squares, and cut diagonally to make four triangles. Trim the points as above. Then cut four squares, 4-5/8 x 4-5/8. Use your template to cut one octogon in a colorful print. Assembly instructions: Take the four squares and sew a dotted triangle to each one as illustrated. Pair up the other four dotted fabric triangles with the four background triangles and sew them together as shown. Press all seams to the darker fabric. Beginning with the unit marked 1 in the diagram, sew a partial seam (about 1.25"), triangle to octogon, beginning at the tip of the triangle. This leaves about 1.5" of the seam open. Gently press the seam (only the part that was sewn) towards the darker fabric. Next take the 2-triangle unit marked 2 in the diagram and sew it to the edge you have just created. Continue according to the diagram in order counter clockwise until you reach unit 8, the last 2-triangle section. You will now be able to finish the partial seam. Press all seams out from the center as you sew them. Thanks to Judy Martin's Ultimate Book of Quilt Block Patterns for this Waltzing Matilda delight. |