Squared Away Block 7

Hi all, and welcome to the next block for the Squared Away quilt project!  This is block 7, can you believe it?  If you have just found this quilt along or have missed a block, links to all of the blocks so far can be found on the tab at the top of this page and a tab on Angela's page at soscrappy. It's never too late to start!

Our colors for this month range from red to maroon, so grab a few festive pieces and come sew along.  Our block for this month is very easy:

Round the Corner, Nancy Page, 1920

This is Round the Corner, a Nancy Page block from 1920.  I made my blocks in just one red and a background, but Angela has some variations using more than two colors over on her page.

Let's make some blocks!

Cutting for 10-inch blocks:

I made my blocks using strip piecing, but if you have squares already cut, by all means use those! No reason to make more scraps.

From the red, cut:

1 2-1/2 by 13 inch strip
2 2-1/2 by 5-1/2 inch strips
1 4- 1/4 inch square OR 2 2-7/8 inch squares* (can oversize if you want some wiggle room)

From the background, cut:

2 2-1/2 by 13 inch strips
1 2-1/2 by 5-1/2 inch strip
1 4-1/4 inch square OR 2 2-7/8 inch squares*

Construction:

For this block, we need 4 half-square triangles.  I used a new-to-me technique to make 4 at a time.  These do end up with bias edges, but a little bit of spray sizing took care of that for me.  Also, the cut size I've given here is from a chart that I had, which is good if you sew really carefully, but you may want some room for error in case you aren't perfect. (Confession: I had to make mine twice.)  If you don't want to make them this way, cut 2 2-7/8 inch squares of both the red and the background and make the hsts using conventional methods.

To make the hsts, take the red and background 4-1/4 inch squares and place them right sides together.  Using a 1/4 inch seam, stitch all the way around the edges of the squares:

Do not leave an opening for turning!  There is no turning.

Take the stitched-together squares and cut from corner to corner twice to make 4 triangles:

Open the hsts, press, and trim to 2-1/2 inches. If you're worried about the bias edges, press them with a little Magic Sizing or the starchy stuff of your choice.

Next, take the 2-1/2 by 5-1/2 inch strips and stitch them together along the long edges, with the background strip between the two red strips.  Press to the red, then cut into 2 2-1/2 inch sections. (A little bit is included for straightening.)

Finally, take the 2-1/2 by 13 inch strips and stitch them together along the long edges, with the red between the two background strips.  Press to the red, then cut into 5 2-1/2 inch sections.

Assembly:

Assembly for this block is very simple! Gather all of the units you made and arrange them as shown, making sure that the red triangles face in to the block:

Join the units into rows and the rows into a finished block.  Press to the red triangles and to the sections with red on the top and bottom.  Give it a good press, stand back, and admire!

What a great-looking, quick block! If you pressed everything to the red, all of the seams should nest well and your block should measure 10-1/2 inches square. 

For this month, I stuck with simple two-color blocks, which I think look spectacular:

And that is our seventh block!  We are 3/4s of the way to a finished quilt top! As always, hop on over to Angela's to see some more blocks and some of her variations.  If you are so inclined, remember that Angela has a linkup at her blog every Saturday, and we would all love to see your blocks.  You can also link up Instagram posts there, and be sure to tag me (@academicquilter) and/or use #squaredawayquilt so I won't miss seeing your pretty blocks.

Our next block will be posted here on August 4th, so be sure to come on back for that.  Bring scraps!

Sharing at soscrappy for RSC18.