Monday, December 7, 2009
Old Maid's Puzzle
Alright everyone...this is the last block of our quilt-along! This week we'll share some ideas for modern quilt layouts but for now, I hope you enjoy making this block.
Fabric A: cut (5) 4" x 4", cut (4) 3.5" x 3.5"
Fabric B: cut (1) 4" x 4"
Fabric C: cut (1) 7" x 7"
Fabric D: cut (2) 4" x 4"
Step 1: Mark the backs of your 4"x4" fabric A squares with a diagonal line. Cut two in half and save triangles for later.
Step 2: Make some half square triangles. Stack your fabric A squares (4"x4") onto your fabric B and D squares.
Sew 1/4" away from both sides of the line.
Cut in half along line and press open. Trim to 3.5"x3.5"
Take two of your half square triangles (the ones with fabric D) and arrange (using your 3.5" squares of fabric A)
Sew pieces together to make a 6.5"x6.5" block:
Repeat these steps to make an identical block (again, using fabrics A and D).
Step 3: Now we make a weird triangle block. Take your half square triangle (fabric A and C) and place one of your triangles next to it like this:
Flip the triangle over and line up with the edge of your square:
Sew a 1/4" seam along the side that I'm pointing to with the pencil and press open or to the side.
Place the second triangle like in this picture:
And sew a 1/4" seam (again, the side with the pencil):
Press open and trim the long edge of the triangle 1/4" away from the point of your center triangle:
Be sure to line up one of the lines on your ruler with the top of the center triangle (the blue one in my case).
Repeat Step 3 to make an identical triangle block.
Step 4: Take your 7"x7" square of fabric C and cut in half along the diagonal. Place a pieced triangle and a fabric C triangle right sides together and sew 1/4" along the long side. Try not to stretch the fabric as you sew since these are bias edges.
Press seam open and repeat with your other two triangles. Trim to 6.5"x6.5"
Step 5: Now that we have four blocks, we need to arrange them and sew together. I've seen the Old Maid's Puzzle arranged in two ways and I'm not sure which is the more historically accurate. I picked the one that looked best to me.
Sew your blocks together in rows and then sew the two rows together to complete the block. Trim to 12.5"x12.5"
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