Intricate Stitches--Blue

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first block of the Intricate Stitches BOM!  This is going to be very exciting, so grab your fabrics and let's get started.  Here's our first block:

Isn't she a beauty?  This block is called Arrant Red Birds and is a Nancy Cabot block that dates to 1936.  I went searching for a pattern for this block and could only find ones that used templates, and the latest pattern I could find was from 1988.  Not to worry, though--no templates here!  There are some odd measurements, but I've done the math and it all works.  Just take your time and pay attention when cutting and you'll be fine.

Helpful tips:

Just a few things to note before we start sewing.  I'm going to assume that you all have some experience sewing and that you know how to make basic units like half-square triangles and the like, so I'll leave out those specific instructions.  If you need a tutorial for some units, I'll do my best to link to one.

*It's really helpful to read the whole tutorial before cutting anything.  

*I haven't ever pressed seams open, but this block has a lot of seams, so you may find that you get the flattest block by pressing your seams open.  Otherwise, press toward the darker fabric or toward the least-pieced units.

*It helps a LOT to square up as you go and make sure that each of the units is the correct size before proceeding.

*It also helps to use a slightly smaller stitch length since the pieces here are so small.

*Accurate 1/4 inch seams make life easier!

Cutting:

For this block, you can use just one color of blue with a background, but it looks best when you have two colors with some contrast.  I used a deep blue and a green with bits of blue and yellow in the dye. This block would also look great with a deep blue and a lighter blue, or even a deep blue and orange or yellow. I used Kona white for my background.

Tip: separate the pieces and label them as you cut to avoid confusion about the sizes later (ask me how I know that this is a good idea).

From the darker blue, cut:

1 4-1/4 inch square
2 3-7/8 inch squares
6 2-3/8 inch squares (for hsts, so can oversize to cut down later, if that's something you do)
2 2-3/4 inch squares (do not oversize)

FYI: This used up almost all of my fat eighth of fabric 

From the contrast color, cut:

1 3-1/2 inch square
6 2-3/8 inch squares (for hsts, so can oversize)
2 2-3/4 inch squares (do not oversize)

From the white, cut:

12 2-3/8 inch squares (for hsts, so can oversize)
12 2-3/8 inch squares  (do not oversize)
1 4-1/4 inch square

Take the two 2 3-7/8 inch blue squares and cut each in half diagonally to make 4 large triangles.  Do the same with 8 white 2-3/8 inch squares (use the ones that the instructions say not to oversize).

Construction: 

Constructing this block starts with making some basic units. First, use 6 of the 2-3/8 inch contrast squares paired with white squares to make 12 2-inch contrast/white half square triangles that will finish at 1-1/2 inches in the block.  Set these aside.

Do the same with 6 of the blue and white 2-3/8 inch squares to make 12 2-inch blue/white hsts that will finish at 1-1/2 inches in the quilt.  Set these all aside for later.

Next, take the blue 4-1/4 square and 4 white 2-3/8 inch squares to make 4 no-waste flying geese. (See this tutorial if you need instructions on this method.)  Make sure your geese measure 2 by 3-1/2 inches to finish at 1-1/2 by 3 in the block.

Take the white 4-1/4 inch square and the 4 remaining 2-3/8 inch blue squares and make 4 more no-waste geese, which will be the opposite colors of the ones you just made. Set all the geese aside for later.

Center unit:

Now that that's out of the way, let's make the center square unit.  Take the 2 2-3/4 inch contrast squares and the 2 2-3/4 inch blue squares and cut them each in half twice diagonally to make 4 triangles each.  Take 4 of the contrast and 4 of the blue and lay them out this way:

Stitch the center seam and press.

Take the other 4 of each color and lay them out like this:

Stitch the center seam and press.

Now take 8 of the white triangles that were cut from the 2-3/8 inch squares in the cutting step.  Pair these with the triangles you just made like so:

Stitch and press to make 4 of each of these units. These squares should measure 2 inches to finish at 1-1/2 inches in the block.

Join the units in pairs like this and stitch to make 4 units:

Almost there!  Take the 3-1/2 inch contrast square and join one of the units you just made to each side as shown. Pay attention to which way the blue squares point. (You can see that I had to un-stitch mine because I wasn't paying attention!)

Take the other 2 units and 4 of the blue hsts and stitch them as shown to make 2 rows:

Add these rows to the top and bottom of the contrast square unit.

Press and the center unit is done!  This unit should measure 6-1/2 inches square to finish at 6 inches in the block.

Side pieces:

The units for the side pieces have all been made and only need to be stitched together.  Take 2 contrast hsts, 2 blue hsts, and 1 of each of the flying geese units and lay them out as shown:

Stitch into rows and then stitch the rows together.  Press.  Make 4 identical side pieces that measure 3-1/2 by 6-1/2 inches each.

Corner units:

The corner units are small Birds in the Air blocks.  Take one of the contrast hsts and 2 of the remaining white triangles. Join the triangles to the hst as shown:

Press. Take the large blue triangle from the cutting stage (which should be the last pieces left) and join it to the unit you just made to make a Birds in the Air block:

Press.  Make 4 of these units that measure 3-1/2 inches square.

Final assembly:

The parts of the block are all done!  Lay them out as shown:

Stitch the parts into rows and then join all of the rows into a final block.  Give it a good final press and stand back and admire your beautiful block!

Wow, a bunch of work, but totally worth it, I think!  Just take it a step at a time and it will turn out fine.  If you're making the quilt as I am, you may want to take the scraps left over from the fabrics for this block and save them for making the center block down the road.  Just stick them in a Ziploc and keep them with the block and they'll be all ready!

Good luck with your block, and be sure to come back for the next one on February 2. I'd love to see pictures!

Sharing at Linky Tuesday,  Let's Bee Social and soscrappy for RSC16.

Classic Stitches--Indigo

Hi all, and welcome back to the Classic Stitches row quilt!  We are somewhere in transit right now, but this month's block won't wait!  (Thanks to everyone for your good wishes, by the way!)  The color for this month is indigo, gray, or black.  I don't have much of any of those colors, so I am using blues that tend toward royal blue for my row.  This block looks great in any color or even a mixture of colors, so grab whatever scraps you'd like to use up and let's get to it!

Here is our block for this month:

This block is traditionally know as True Blue. In her Civil War Sampler book, Barbara Brackman notes that this block dates to the Union side of the Civil War, whose supporters were "true blue." This block pattern was published in a book by Ruth Findley in 1929.  It is constructed of two very simple smaller blocks, with the particular arrangement of the parts giving the block its striking effect.  It goes together really quickly, which should kind of make up for last month's very "piecey" block.

Instructions are given for a 6-inch finished block.  Instructions for other sizes and variations are given at the end.

Cutting:

For one 6-inch finished block, you will need a background and your focus color.  In this case, I am using a royal blue.  From the blue, cut 2 2-7/8 inch squares and EITHER one 1-1/2 inch by 13 inch strip OR 8 1-1/2 inch squares.

From the background color, cut one 2-1/2 inch square, 2 2-7/8 inch squares, and EITHER one 1-1/2 by 13 inch strip OR 8 1-1/2 inch squares.

That's it for the cutting!

Construction:

First, use the 2-7/8 inch squares to make 4 half-square triangles that measure 2-1/2 inches to finish at  2 inches in the quilt.

That's all for the first block unit!

Next, use either the 1-1/2 inch strips or the 1-1/2 inch squares to make 4-patches that measure 2-1/2 inches to finish at 2 inches square in the quilt.

If using the strips, stitch the blue and the background together along the long edge, then press toward the blue.  Cut into 1-1/2 inch segments and then assemble into 4-patches.

And that's the second block unit!

All that's left is to lay out the block as shown and assemble.  Pay special attention to the orientation of the 4-patches because it's easy to get them turned around:

See? Easy-peasy! Seriously, these blocks go very quickly and look terrific. If you aren't making the row quilt, this would make a great alternate block in any quilt.  Ten 6-inch blocks will make a 60-inch row, and 6 will make a 36-inch row.

Variations:

There are a lot of color variations for this block.  First, you could switch the colors and make white blocks on a blue background.  (To do this, just replace the center white square with a blue one and turn the other pieces around.  Really easy!)

Another possibility is making the 4-patches in one color and the hsts in another color.  I did this for the 12-inch block--see the picture below.  Other variations are given in the Brackman book, which is completely worth checking out. (From the library--get it?)

Make a Prairie Queen variation, which uses the same units but has a solid center square:

This is from an older quilt of mine.  Always save your old pictures!

For a 7-1/2 inch finished block, cut 2 3-3/8 inch squares and 8 1-3/4 inch squares from the blue, and one 3 inch square, 2 3-3/8 inch squares, and 8 1-3/4 inch squares from background.  Assemble as above.  I chose to make my row from 7-1/2 inch squares, and 8 of them will make a perfect 60-inch row.

For a 9-inch finished block, cut 2 3-7/8-inch squares and 8 2-inch squares from blue, and one 3-1/2-inch square, 2 3-7/8 inch squares, and 8 2-inch squares from a background color.  Assemble as above.

For a 12-inch finished block, cut 2 4-7/8 inch squares and 8 2-1/2 inch squares from blue and one 4-1/2 inch square, 2 4-7/8 inch squares, and 8 2-1/2 inch squares from background.  Assemble as above.  Or make 4 6-inch blocks and combine them into one 12-inch block. This is what I did for my 12-inch block:

This block turned out okay (yes, I see the misalignment, thanks. I promise to fix it.), but I am not really happy with it.  I think the block pattern got lost with the color changes.  I'm not unhappy enough to remake it!  Exchanging the white centers for blue ones might be in the cards, though.

I confess that with the move I have fallen behind, but I promise that finishing my row is tops on my list.  Meanwhile, here are my two blocks together:

See what I mean about the pattern differences that come from the color choices?  Live and learn!

Have fun making your True Blue row, no matter which color you choose to use, and come on back September 1 (!!) for the next block. Happy sewing!

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, and at soscrappy for RSC15.

Classic Stitches--Red

Hi all, and welcome back to the Classic Stitches row quilt!  This month's color is red, a hot and snappy color for a hot and snappy month!

Here is this month's block:

This block has two common names:  Broken Dishes Variation, and The Chinese Block. According to Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia (#2065), the Broken Dishes name dates to 1930.  There is a reason I chose this block for the red month--this is the block that inspired this whole quilt. I hope you'll indulge me while I tell you about it. Look at this example of the block:

This block was made about 80 years ago by my great-grandmother and is one of my most treasured possessions. I keep it in a shadow box out of the sun in my sewing room because the muslin is fragile and I don't want the red to fade. It was hand-pieced with black and white thread and nothing in it is a "standard" size.  It is precious not just because it was made by my great-grandmother and it's lovely, but also because of its flaws.  Every time I start getting upset because my blocks aren't perfect or my seam allowance is off or my (modern electronic) machine is messing up, I try to remember to look at this lovely block and remember that it was cut with scissors, probably from leftovers, stitched by hand, has varying seam allowances, no two pieces are the same size, and yet is treasured so many years later over perfectly-sized, consistent, "accurately-pieced" blocks.  It's a humbling reminder that perfection can be seriously over-rated and a quilt that's loved is more beautiful than one that's technically perfect.

Thanks for indulging my little nostalgic episode.  On to the directions!

Directions are for a 6-inch finished block. Directions for other sizes, including a 12-inch block, are given after the assembly instructions.  There are a lot of pieces here and not a lot of room for simplification, but if you break it down into the steps given, assembly of this block should go fairly quickly. If you are considering making a bigger block for one of your rows, this could be a good month for it.

Cutting:

For a 6-inch finished block, you will need a red and a background color.  My background is white. From the red, cut 2 2-7/8 inch squares (not for hsts, so don't oversize), 4 1-1/2 inch squares, one 2-1/2 inch square, and an additional 8 1-1/2 inch squares.**  From the background, cut one 3-1/4 inch square, 4 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch rectangles, and 8 1-1/2 inch squares.**  (**NOTE: These 8 squares are used to make 1-1/2 inch half-square triangles using the method described below. If you prefer to make these differently, use 4 1-7/8 inch squares of each color.)

Construction: 

First, make the half-square triangles.  Each block needs 8 1-1/2 inch hsts that will finish at 1 inch.  Yikes! For half-square triangles this small, I like to make what I call "cheater" hsts.  These waste a tiny little bit of fabric but save a lot of time and fuss.  To make the cheater hsts, take the 8 background squares and 8 of the red squares.  Match them up and then draw a line diagonally from corner to corner of the background square.

Stitch right on that line. Really!  Trim 1/4 inch away from the stitching line, open, and press.  You should be left with 1-1/2 inch half-square triangles.

See that little bit that's wasted? I'm okay with wasting it for this fast, no-trouble method.  (Of course, if you'd rather, make 8 hsts that will finish at 1 inch using any method you want.)

Now that you have the hsts, match them up with the 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch rectangles. Lay them out as shown:

Stitch as shown.  Make 4 of these short sides.

To make the longer sides, take 2 of the short sides and the remaining red 1-1/2 inch squares. Lay the short side units and the squares out as shown:

Attach the red squares to make 2 longer sides. Put these aside until we get to the final assembly.

The next step is to make the center square-in-a-square unit.  Take the background 3-1/4 inch square and cut it diagonally twice to make 4 pieces:

Attach these to the sides of the red 2-1/2 inch square.  Finger-press the centers of each piece to make it easier to match up the sides properly.

Trim the dog ears and press well.  Your final unit should look like this and measure 3-3/8 inches:

Note: If you want to simplify the construction of this block, you can simply skip the center red square and begin with a background square that measures 3-3/8 inches.  As long as you complete the next step and add the red triangles to the background square, the general look of the block will be simpler, but the effect will be preserved. Here's what a modified block looks like:

The next step is to cut the remaining 2 red squares (2-7/8 inches) in half from corner to corner. Repeat the square-in-a-square process, attaching the red triangles to the square-in-a-square unit that was just constructed.  Finger-press the triangles to match the centers and stitch.

The completed unit should measure 4-1/2 inches square.

Okay, finally time to assemble the block!  Lay out the pieces as shown:

Stitch together carefully, taking special care with matching the triangle points in the corners to preserve the straight line in the finished block.

And here's a picture that brings tears to my eyes:

Made about 80 years apart!

Anyone else have something in their eyes?

Okay, your block should measure 6-1/2 inches to finish at 6 inches in the quilt. Ten of these blocks will make a 60-inch finished row, and six will make a 36-inch row.

Variations: 

You can always switch the colors for white blocks on a red background.

Try using a different color for the center square and/or the corner squares for a different look.

Larger pieces make this block much simpler. I chose to make 7-1/2 inch blocks. The cutting sizes are a little strange, but they turn out great. For this size, cut one 3-3/4 inch sqaure from background, along with 4 1-3/4 by 3 inch rectangles and 4 2-1/8 inch squares for making hsts.  From red, cut 2 3-3/8 inch squares, one 3-inch square, 4 1-3/4 inch squares, and 4 2-1/8 inch squares for hsts.  Eight 7-1/2 inch blocks make a 60 inch row.

This block looks great in a 12-inch size.  For a 12-inch block, cut one 5-1/4 inch square of background, along with 4 2-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch rectangles and 4 2-7/8 inch squares.  From the red, cut 2 4-7/8 inch squares, 4 2-7/8 inch squares, 4 2-1/2 inch squares, and one 4-1/2 inch center square.

Here are my three sizes--6-inch, 7-1/2 inch, and 12-inch:

And if you are just making a few of each block, here is an idea for a Christmas quilt:

Don't the red and green blocks look great together? 

Thanks for coming along on this emotional sewing experience with me! Enjoy making these blocks and come back on August 4 for our next row!

Linking to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday and also soscrappy for RSC15.

Classic stitches--Light blue

Hi, and welcome back to the Classic Stitches row quilt!  If this is your first time here, jump in! Make a block, a row, a short row, or a mini block. Add a row to a quilt you're planning. If you are planning to make some Row by Row Experience pieces, this month's block would be especially good to mix in with water-themed rows.

This month's color is a cool light blue, and I've chosen the Water Wheel block for our row.

Doesn't that look like an old-fashioned water wheel?  Blocks like this always look to me like someone is throwing something, like snowballs. (Probably the result of having many brothers.) This block dates sometime between 1930 and 1970 and resembles a much more complicated Snail's Trail block, but Water Wheel uses easier and more straightforward shapes to create the turning illusion.  This block is quick and easy and turns out just lovely with very little effort.

Instructions below are for cutting and assembly of a 6-inch finished block.  Cutting directions for other sizes, including a 12-inch block, are given at the end of the assembly instructions.

Cutting:

For a 6-inch finished block, you will need a light blue and a background color.  My backgrounds are white, but yours can be any color.  From the background, cut 2 2-7/8 inch squares, 4 1-1/2 inch squares**, and 4 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch rectangles.  From the light blue, cut 2 2-7/8 inch squares, 4 1-1/2 inch squares,** and one 2-1/2 inch square.  (**NOTE: if your scraps are long enough, you could cut a 7 inch strip of each of the blue and the background instead of cutting the 1-1/2 inch squares.)

 That's it for the cutting!

Construction:

First, use the 2-7/8 inch squares of each color to make 4 half-square triangles that measure 2-1/2 inches to finish at 2 inches in the block:

Next, make the corner units. Pair up the 1-1/2 inch squares and stitch together to make this small unit:

(If using the strips, stitch them together lengthwise, press, and then cut into 4 1-1/2 inch segments.) Next, match this little unit with the 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch rectangles and stitch as shown:

These units should measure 2-1/2 inches square.

As quick as that, all that's left is to lay out the block and stitch it up! Lay out your pieces as shown, paying attention to the orientation of both the half-square triangles and the small blue squares:

Stitch it all together and ta dah--

A finished Water Wheel block! This block should measure 6-1/2 inches to finish at 6 inches in the quilt. Ten blocks will make a row that should measure 60-1/2 inches wide to finish at 60 inches in the quilt. Six blocks will make a 36-inch row.

Variations:

Switch the colors in order to have white water wheels on a blue background.

Use a 4-patch unit made with 2 blue and 2 white squares instead of the corner units shown.  This will "hook" the blocks to each other when stitched into a row.

I made a tiny 4-1/2 inch block using 2 2-3/8 inch white squares, along with 1-1/4 inch white squares and 1-1/4  by 2 inch white rectangles, and 2 2-3/8 inch blue squares, one 2-inch blue square, and 4 1-1/4 inch blue squares. 

Isn't it darling? If you are thinking of making a row of smaller blocks, this would be an easy-to-construct choice.

For a 9-inch block, cut 2  3-7/8 white squares, 4 2-inch white squares, and 4 2 by 3-1/2 inch rectangles, along with 2 3-7/8 inch blue squares, 4 2-inch blue squares, and one 3-1/2 inch blue square. Assemble as above.

For my row, I chose to make blocks that will finish at 7-1/2 inch each. This row takes 8 blocks to make a 60-inch row. 

For the 7-1/2 inch size, cut 2 3-3/8 inch white squares, 4  1-3/4 inch white squares, and 4 1-3/4 by 3 inch white rectangles, along with 2 3-3/8 inch blue squares, 4 1-3/4 inch blue squares, and one 3-inch blue square.  Assemble as shown above.

For a 12-inch block with a giant water wheel, cut 2 4-7/8 inch white squares, 4 2-1/2 inch white squares, and 4 2-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch rectangles, along with 2 4-7/8 inch blue squares, 4 2-1/2 inch blue squares, and one 4-1/2 inch blue square.

Of course, the 12-inch block looks more interesting when made with 4 6-inch blocks.  I chose this option for my block, made up with an aqua pin dot fabric:

And here are all three of my blocks together:

I would love to hear from anyone out there who is making some blocks and/or rows! One person I know suggested a link-up for people to show off their rows or blocks at the half-way point, but it turns out there is a cost for using those link widgets.  I don't want to give a party and have no one show up, so let me know if you are interested! I was thinking about the last Tuesday in June, which is June 30th.

Enjoy making the Water Wheel blocks, and come back on July 1 for the next row! (This is a change from the earlier posted dates since the first Tuesday in July is well into the month!)

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social,  and soscrappy for RSC15, and also to Tips and Tutorials Tuesday.