Intricate Stitches--Bonus Block 1

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Intricate Stitches block of the month quilt!  In order to have 12 blocks for this quilt, we have to double up on blocks for a couple of months.  This is one of those months!

Here's today's block:

This is a block of many names.  I found it as The Hunt, a 1939 block from the Farm Journal.  It's also sometimes known as Black Beauty and is just a tiny bit different from Nancy Cabot's Blackford's Beauty.  If you want to know more, this is number 1983 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia.  This is a really easy block and doesn't take nearly as long as some of the other Intricate Stitches blocks.

Let's get to it!

Cutting:

For this block you will need a darker color and a background color.  I know the RSC color for this month is green, but I wasn't feeling it, so I chose this lovely blue-purple.  I think it looks really good in just two colors, but you could substitute a different color to emphasize the interior star if you'd like.  My background is a plain Kona white.

From the purple, cut:

1 16-1/2 by 2 inch strip OR 2 8-1/2 by 2 inch strips
1 3-1/2 by 8-1/2 inch strip
4 2 inch by 3-1/2 inch rectangles
16 2 inch squares

From the background, cut:

1 16-1/2 by 2 inch strip OR 2 8-1/2 by 2 inch strips
1 2 inch  by 8-1/2 inch strip
8 2 inch by 5 inch strips
1 3-1/2 inch square

That's it for the cutting!

Make the units:

This block has only 2 units!  The first one is the 4-patch units.  First, take the 16-1/2 inch purple and white strips and join them on the long edge to make a long strip set. Press.  Cut into 8 2-inch segments, then join them together to make 4 4-patches.  These should measure 3-1/2 inches. (Sorry that I didn't get pictures, but you know what a strip set looks like!)

Take the purple 3-1/2 by 8-1/2 inch strip and the white 2 by 8-1/2 inch strip and join them along the long side to make another strip set. Cut this into 4 2-inch segments. Add the 2 by 3-1/2 inch rectangles and the units you just cut as shown to finish the 4-patch units:

This unit is done!  These should measure 5 inches square.

The second unit to make is what I'm calling double-flag units.  These essentially are chevrons made with strips and squares, but these are very easy with no weird cutting of the white strips.  Start by drawing a line from corner to corner on the back of each of the 2-inch purple squares.  Now take the 5-inch white strips and place the squares on each strip as shown:

Notice that the lines on each strip go in the same direction.  You'll need 4  pieces where the lines angle to the left and 4 where they angle to the right.  Stitch on the drawn lines, trim, and press.  Pro tip:  don't cut until you check to be sure that the stitched lines are in the proper direction!

This should give you 4 of each of these strips:

Join one "left" and one "right" to make a complete unit.  Make 4.

That's it for the units!

Assembly:

This could not be simpler.  Lay out the units you've made, plus the remaining 3-1/2 inch square, as shown:

Join into rows and then join the rows into a beautiful finished block!

That's it!  Your block should measure 12-1/2 inches square to finish at 12 inches in the quilt.  Here's the blocks for the quilt so far:

It;s turning out even better than I expected! Hope you have an easy time with your bonus block.  Come back on June 7 (eep!) for another exciting block.

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, and soscrappy for RSC16.