Part Seven

For part seven, we are making some fairly straightforward square-in-a-square blocks.

Begin by taking your smaller background fabric squares and drawing a line on the wrong side, corner-to-corner, right on the diagonal. Do this for all of the smaller squares.

Place one of the background squares in the corner of the larger square, wrong sides together.

Sew along this line, just to the outside of the line. Sewing it this way helps account for the fabric taken up within the turning of that seam. If you sew to the inside of that line, your block may end up a little too small.

I like to press before I trim, so I can see that I've lined it up with the original outside edge.

Once you press, you can peel back the front layer and trim off those back two layers leaving about a quarter inch seam allowance. I trim with scissors, but you can use a rotary cutter if you prefer.

Repeat this process for the opposite side.

Remember to trim out those extra layers to remove the bulk from the block before moving on to the other corners.

Here I've sewn that last seam and just need to press and trim.

And voilá, it's done! Easy-peasy, right? Just do that 8 more times for a total of 9 cute little blocks this month.

Here are my versions of this block:

Original Mystery

Tula Pink

Dark Autumn

I'm making 3 versions of this quilt, so you can see a variety of colorways, and because I'm a glutton for punishment. ??

• Original Mystery: this version uses the fabrics I referenced in the instructions.
• Tula Pink: this version uses all Tula Pink fabrics, with the exception of the background fabric. I used a larger number of fabrics and mixed all kinds of colors together.
• Dark Autumn: this version uses a Fall-ish palette, with Moda's Grunge fabric in black as the background fabric - it definitely gives a very different effect.

If you're looking for the instructions for this part, check your email. The instructions will be sent out to all of the members of Lebanon Piecemakers, similar to the newsletter.

I will bring these blocks to our next meeting so you can see them in person, since photos often don't quite capture colors accurately. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at lissylaine@yahoo.com. I look forward to seeing everyone's blocks!

~Melissa