Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Constellations--Orange

Hi everyone, and welcome back again to the Constellations quilt!  We are starting the last part of the quilt today, can you believe it? This month's color is orange.  Orange can be a difficult color to use, but I think we've solved that problem with this month's block.  Here she is:


This block is called Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, which I find highly amusing since I have brothers named Peter and Paul (and several others, too!)  This is a Ladies' Art Company block from 1895.  For my block, I used the orange with a pale yellow green print for an accent.  You could use any color for the accent, or you could use the background in place of the accent, which would give you a very open and airy block.

This block is very easy to piece and goes fairly quickly, so let's get started!

Cutting:


Pieces marked with a * can be oversized if that's something you do.

From the background, cut:

4 2-1/2 inch squares
1 5-1/4 inch square*
1 5-3/4 inch square*

From the orange:

1 4-1/2 inch square
1 5-3/4 inch square*
4 2-7/8 inch squares*
2 2-7/8 inch squares*

From the accent:

2 2-7/8 inch squares*
4 2-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch rectangles

To complete this quilt section, cut from the background:

1 2-1/2 by 12-1/2 inch strip
1 2-1/2 by 14-1/2 inch strip

Construction:

You know how this goes-- first we make a bunch of units, then we put them together into a beautiful block.  Let's start with the flying geese.  Use the 5-1/4 inch square of the background and the orange 2-7/8 inch squares to make fast flying geese:


Your geese should measure 2-1/2 by 4-1/2.


Next, use the 5-3/4 inch squares of the background and the orange to make 8 half square triangles using the Magic 8 method.  These should measure 2-1/2 inches square.


Use the 2-7/8 inch squares of the orange and the accent color to make 4 half square triangles the old fashioned way.  These should also measure 2-1/2 inches square.

That's the end of the units!  Let's put this block together!

Assembly:

First, join the flying geese and the 2-1/2 by 4-1/2 accent rectangles as shown:


Press to the accent rectangle.

Next, make the corners.  Use the orange and background hsts, the orange and accent hsts, and the 2-1/2 inch background squares and lay them out as shown:


Make sure the orange triangles "kiss" in the middle and that the orange/accent hsts are correctly oriented.  Stitch together into a 4-patch, pressing to the orange hsts.

Time to put it all together! Lay out your parts and pieces as shown, including the 4-1/2 inch orange center square:


Join the pieces into rows and the rows into a completed block.  Your block should measure 12-1/2 inches square to finish at 12 inches in the quilt.  Give it a good press, stand back, and admire!

Is that a great-looking block or what?  I think a whole quilt made from this block would look great.  But it's a part of our larger quilt, so let's go finish putting this quilt section together--

Completing this quilt section:

This section is really simple.  Add the 2-1/2 inch by 12-1/2  background strip to the right side of the block.  Press well, then add the 2-1/2 by 14-1/2 inch strip to the bottom of the block.  Press well and admire!


This section is the first part of the final row of the quilt.  If you have come this far, the quilt center is 80% finished!  The big finish to our quilt is in sight.  Come back on October 3 for the next-to-last section of this quilt!


Sharing at Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, and soscrappy for RSC 17.

17 comments:

Danice G said...

Love this block. Such a catchy name. The orange is a great color as well :)

Jo said...

This quilt is coming together nicely.
I love how the dark background makes it look like the nights sky

Lisa J. said...

This quilt is coming together perfectly. I love the blue background.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Mari,
What a pretty block! Each version you shared is prettier than the next. I'm pinning this since you explained so nicely how to make it. ~smile~ Roseanne

Preeti said...

I gasped when I saw the bright shimmering star against the midnight sky. Have you considered a book, Mari? OK, an e-book on Constellations Blocks, is definitely worth considering.

Bernie Kringel said...

Great block - the quilt is coming along so nicely. It will be stunning -- how is this year winding down already???

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Absolutely love that star block

make.share.give said...

Beautiful! That is a fun orange print- love the bouncy dots.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Such a pretty block and seeing all of the stars together ; it looks awesome !

scraphappy said...

It is bneatiful! Love seeing all the blocks coming together.

gayle said...

I've really been enjoying your constellation blocks! (Always been a total sucker for stars...) I love the way you've used a dark background to really pop those colors. It's going to be a stunner!
And though I haven't started my own yet, it's high on my someday-soon list. I have a feeling that I'll see the perfect background color and I'll be off!

PaulaB quilts said...

That block is so alive and vibrant. It really works in the overall look. The whole thing is so great thus far. I can't imagine how the final piece will be, wow!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Nice use of ORANGE for the RSC!!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That orange is the perfect fabric for your Constellations quilt! I really like it with the dark blue background.

Kate said...

Very pretty! The orange looks very nice with that dark blue. It's a very dramatic quilt.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

this is so stunning!

Cathy said...

Oh my stars...your quilt is looking heavenly (even with orange)!