Hi everyone! Who's ready to start piecing their Block 2 pile? Don't worry if you're not, there's plenty of time to get yourself going. I know some people are still waiting for their fabrics to arrive - darn that pesky slow Covid post!
For each Block 2, you will need:
- 4 squares of scrap
- 8 squares of contrast fabric
- 12 half-square triangles (or 6 squares cut in half on the diagonal)
- 4 stripe triangles
All the measurements are in the pattern. Scroll down to see my earlier posts for information about the Sew Along as well as size adjustments or Block 1.
Cutting the triangles
First I wanted to talk about cutting the triangles. You can easily cut them from a square cut in half, or you can use a half-square triangle ruler. (Piecing the triangles onto a square and then cutting the square in half is NOT suitable for this block.)
My preferred method is to use a half-square triangle ruler. I have my own brand of ruler that's available here.
This enables you to cut half-square triangles from a strip up to 6 1/2" high. These rulers eliminate the need for the 7/8" on your triangle measurements, which saves you fabric - and one cutting step! They also give you a nice accurate cut with a blunt end that is easy to line up in the correct spot for piecing.
How to use a half-square ruler
I'm going to walk you through how to use a half-square ruler - mostly all brands work the same (I can't vouch for every single one!), and mine works the same way. Here is the strip with the ruler.
You will see that the dotted line at the top of the ruler is flush with the top of the strip. This is so that you don't have to cut that fabric. For the purposes of our triangles, the bottom of the strip will be on the 2 1/2" mark. If you ever want to use the ruler to cut another size half-square triangle, simply take the finished (sewn) measurement of the triangle - for example 4" - and add 1/2". You would cut your strip to 4 1/2" and that is where the bottom line would go on your ruler. You can cut the strip double, and you can cut several strips at once.
Here is what they look like cut - see the blunt top?
Piecing a half block
You need four of these half blocks to make one whole block.
Scrap, contrast, triangle.
Contrast, triangle.
Triangle.
When you have sewn the triangle to the side of the square, make sure to clip the "ears" off the triangle where needed for a neat finish. Then sew the three strips together to make a large half square triangle.
It's ready to be pieced to the striped triangle.
Cutting the striped triangles
Cutting the striped triangle is outlined in the pattern, but I wanted to give you an option if you do decide to purchase my half-square ruler, so that you don't also need a 1/4" triangle ruler for this one quilt!
It's a bit of a cheat, but I cut my striped strips to be 5" wide. I then turned my ruler onto its diagonal end, and made sure that edge was straight along the strip. I then cut the triangle, using the tip that's at the top of the triangle to line my stripes up in the same place each time.
This results in a triangle that is slightly larger than what you need. Find the centre of the diagonal edges and match them, then sew the too-large triangle to your pieced triangle. Square the whole square up to 6 1/2". This gives you a bit of leeway for making your points perfect.
MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS BIT!
Don't forget that if you cut your large triangles in this manner to get the stripes matching into the centre, your bias will be in the wrong place on your block. You need to be VERY careful when piecing and pressing so that you don't stretch your bias.
If you want to use the half-square triangle ruler to cut your large triangles from the strip in the normal direction, you can just cut your strips to 6 1/2" wide.
Finishing the blocks
Sew two pairs of half blocks together (carefully if you changed that bias!) and press. Then sew the two halves together to make a full block.
I have bought stripes in quite a few colours but, to be honest, when I made a few out of this stripe I'm thinking I might use the same stripe for all of them - it's such a nice colour. I'll make some other testers and see.
Have fun everyone!
