Indian Summer Quilt Along–Making a Block

 If you are just joining us today, we are in the middle of a quilt along where we are piecing together our quilt blocks.  Day One of Cutting your fabric is here.

Remember our pattern?  Today we are going to focus on making our smaller bocks.  The ones with 2 4 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches of fabric with the 1 inch strips in between and the 7 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch blocks (you will see it clearly in the photos below….don’t stress yet 😉

Let’s get started….

 Here is the layout of the fabrics you will need.  I usually lay out all my blocks like this (all over my floor and make a huge mess–it’s totally okay) just to make sure that I am using a lot of different fabric combinations.

 Once you have laid them all out….start by taking your top left piece (light green in this case) and your white middle sashing piece (right middle).  Turn them right sides together and pin.  Sew along the top line using 1/4 inch seams.

*Tip–put a piece of masking or painter’s tape along the arm of your machine at exactly 1/4 from your needle to keep all of your seams lined up exactly the same.

Repeat with your bottom left piece (the white with the teepees).

  Now you are going to press your seams.  Okay, here’s where you need to make a choice….some quilters like to open seams and press them open.  Others fold them to one side (make sure it is the darker fabric side) and press them that way.  I don’t have big feelings either way—and I tend to sometimes press them open and sometimes to one side (it’s whatever I feel like on that quilt—weird, I know.)

In this quilt I ironed them away from the white.

Now that your seams are pressed you can stitch your white piece in the middle.  Press that seam as well.

(When you begin you are going to think pressing is annoying–I totally did–but I promise it makes a big difference in keeping your seams exact and keeping your blocks square–just tell yourself you will learn to like it 😉

Repeat with the 7 /12 by 2 1/2 inch piece (the orange dot in my case).

Press that seam…and you have your first block!

You only have 16 more to do today and you are done! (It will go fast I promise—you can assembly line sew if you’d like.)

 I will see you on Friday to finish up the quilt top.

~Elizabeth

PS  If you have any questions leave a comment…and I do my best to answer them (or open them up for discussion 😉