Archive - Round 2 Blocks

1.  Broken Dishes
2.  Corner Star
3.  Dandy
4.  Eight Hands Around
5.  Forest Paths
6.  Hither and Yon
7.  Love in a Mist
8.  Magic Cross
9.  Quatrefoil
10.  Shoo-Fly
11.  Sunshine
12.  Martha Washington Star

Martha Washington Star

This block is named for the first First Lady of the United States.  According to her biography at US History.org, she seemed to be a beautiful but uncomplicated woman.  Maybe that's why this block is named after her.

As usual, 12" block measurements are listed first with 8" block measurements in parenthesis.  Before you start, make sure to check out the Flying Geese Tutorial to refresh your memory on our fast and easy flying geese method.  The math is done for you, but it's necessary to be familiar with the steps of construction (they are not shown here).  

Love in a Mist

I love blocks that look complicated but are actually very easy, don't you? I looked long and hard for a block like this and I think I have a new favorite! But I say that about every block, don't I?

Hand Quilted Embroidery Hoop

Today's project is a great way to display smaller quilt blocks as art. It's also super easy and a fun way to practice your hand quilting/embroidery skills on a small scale.

Magic Cross

Magic Cross is a fun and simple block.  I especially like this block because it's reminiscent of a star block, without messing with all those flying geese.  The devil is in the details, though, so make sure that you at least read the whole step before sewing.  Otherwise, keep your seam ripper handy!  As always, measurements for the 12" block are listed first, with 8" measurements listed in parenthesis.

Forest Paths

I know some of you are participating in one (or more) pinwheel quilt-alongs right now so I hope you don't mind one more pinwheel block. This block was so perfect for tomorrow's project that I couldn't pass it up. Hopefully you'll agree.

Hither and Yon

This block is a doozy.  I ripped a lot of seams while working this tutorial.  As you all know, I'm making 8" finished blocks for a Christmas quilt.  Unfortunately, the 8" version of this block has some strange measurements, and so we're not able to use any of the easy piecing methods we've learned.

As always, I'm listing the measurements for 12" finished blocks with 8" measurements in parenthesis.  If you're too scared of triangles, check this tutorial to make a 12" finished block using easy piecing methods.  If you're making 8" finished blocks, you're stuck with this!

Corner Star

Sorry for being tardy to the party.  I'm not usually the one to make a fashionably late entrance, but this block boggled my mind for longer than usual.

The Corner Star block is made up of flying geese and square in a square units.  If you've been quilting along with us, this will be a piece of cake for you!

This tutorial lists measurements for a 16" block, since that's what we'll need for our project this week.  Measurements for the 8" block are written in parenthesis.  If you need 12" measurements, just ask!

The Dandy

This week's block is one of my all-time favorites. First, the name is just too good to be true and second, it's nearly impossible to screw it up. The points on the star don't have to match up with anything...they just float there looking all pointy and perfect. Try it, you might like it!

Sunshine

I love the look of this block-- it's similar to Sawtooth and Bear's Paw blocks, but just unique enough.  You can make this block using one, two, or four medium or dark focus fabrics plus a light fabric for the background.  My block uses four focus fabrics; if you want to use less, just adjust your cutting instructions as needed.

Just like last time, measurements given are for a 12" block.  Measurements for an 8" block are listed in parentheses.

Shoofly

This week's project requires a truly tiny block (6") so rather than drive you all crazy with truly tiny pieces, I picked an easy block. It's an oldie but goodie...the Shoofly Block:

Eight Hands Around

What a cute block!  In this tutorial you're going to get brave and sew with triangles, instead of cheater squares.  Don't worry-- if you don't press too hard and pull too much, they'll turn out just fine.  But, you're going to wish you had eight hands when it comes time to make this.

Round 2, FAQ

Just a few quick notes about Round 2. We'll be making 12 blocks this round, one block every week. Some will be very easy (like today's) and some will be more complicated (like next week's).

As you've already seen, in addition to 12.5" blocks, we'll sometimes post alternate sizes. For those who want a more varried look to their sampler quilts, it might be a good idea to work up the blocks in different sizes. Yardage will vary depending on which size blocks you make. I'd estimate no more than 2.5 yards total to make all 12.5" blocks. I didn't keep track last time and I know I ran out of some of my favorite fabrics so you might want to get more than you think you'll need.

If you're making projects, yardage and supplies will vary. I've done my best to come up with 12 different ways to use our blocks and hopefully you'll like at least one of them.

As always, if you're making a sampler quilt or projects or just blocks, please post pictures in the flickr group.

If I've missed anything, please feel free to ask in the comments and I'll update the faq. Thanks!

Broken Dishes

Alright everyone...we begin round two with the classic "Broken Dishes" block: