Block Lotto – March 2020
SHINE ON TILE
This pretty block due for the March meeting is reminiscent of a Turkish tile in shades of turquoise, royal blue and emerald green. The prints can have hints of other colours, but please stick to the palette outlined. This block is from the excellent book Modern Quilts Block by Block by Emily Dennis. I highly recommend it.
There are a couple of techniques used here you may not have tried before – half square triangles four at a time and flying geese four at a time. Some aren’t fans of this technique as it creates lots of bias edges, but I didn’t have a problem with it. Use Best Press starch if that is a concern and try not to handle the bias edges too much. One plus is that the pieces are sized to be trimmed down after sewing, so you can end up with perfectly sized components.
Remember, 1 block = one ticket. Have fun, and happy sewing!
Fabrics –
Fabric A – Medium toned print for centre – cut one 4 1/2” square
Fabric B – Dark toned print for cross – cut one 7” square, four 2 1/2” X 4 1/2” rectangles, and four 2 7/8” squares
Fabric C – Light toned print for larger corner triangles – cut one 7” square
Fabric D – White solid – cut one 5 1/4” square
Sewing –
1.Half square triangles four at a time –
Place the two 7” squares right sides together. Stitch 1/4” around the perimeter of the square. Cut the sewn squares on each diagonal. *Hint – leave the square in place after the first cut!
Press the seams towards the lighter fabric. This will help the seams nest together later on. Trim the four half square triangles to 4 1/2” square.
2. Flying geese four at a time – refer to step-by-step photos
Mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of each of the four 2 7/8” squares (Fabric B)
Place two of these squares on the white solid squares lining up the diagonal lines you drew. Sew 1/4” from both sides of the marked line. Cut apart on the marked line. Press to form two heart shapes. Place a 2 7/8” square on each heart unit as shown and sew 1/4” from both sides of the marked line. Cut apart on the marked line. Press open and you now have four flying geese units. Trim each to 2 1/2” X 4 1/2”.
