Free Tute: HST Pillow Front

I've previously shared a couple of projects with you that I've made using some of the fabrics from Amanda Murphy's Meadow Dance collection.

Improv: Beyond The Bee - February Bee Block #NYCMetroMOD

This is my February Improv: Beyond The Bee block for Judy.

Yuma QAL - HSTs & Pieced Triangles

Day 2 of my week on the Yuma QAL with Gotham Quilts and today I'm sharing my pics from making the HSTs and then creating the Pieced Triangles

 Here're all my fabrics cut ready to make the Pieced Triangles.

  

Before we start piecing can I take the opportunity to remind everyone that you really shouldn't trust your 1/4" foot or the 1/4" mark on your machine's sewing plate.   Please, please, please measure your 1/4" seams and make sure they are just that, on Thursday I'll explain more about the problems I experienced due to my inaccurate 1/4" seams on my Pieced Triangles and I'd hate for you to go through the same!!!

To make the HSTs pair 1 x 6.5" Background Fabric square with 1 x 6.5" Small Triangle square.  Note: you'll have 4 x Small Triangle squares spare - these are from the centre section where you have two colours making up your leader Small Triangles rather than using only 1 colour as on the other rows.  

Draw a line along the diagonal of the lighter fabric.

Place the two squares exactly on top of each other and sew a straight line 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line.

Your sewn squares will look something like this.

Cut along the drawn line.

The two triangles above will open out to look like the HSTs below.

Press the seams of both squares open as below left.

The finished square needs trimming down to a 6" square - place the diagonal ruler line along the square's diagonal line and adjust your placement along this diagonal until you get the best fit for a 6" square.

You're now ready to make your Pieced Triangles.

Take your remaining Small Triangle squares...

...and cut them all in half diagonally to make small triangles.

Lay your pieces out as shown below - working with solids I placed all my medium shade small triangles to the left and my lighter shade small triangles to the right.  

When lining up your triangles for joining, match the centre points perfectly, but you need to ensure you have a 1/4"ish overhang at the other two edges.

Below you can see how the overhang looks from the other side.

Press the seam open.

Then add the final triangle, again ensuring a 1/4" overhang on the two sharper angles.

 Any blocks that aren't quite true to the 6" square measurement, as long as they aren't more than 1/8" short, can have the missing section accommodated into the 1/4" seam as shown below where a sliver of grey fabric is missing below the pin.

You can see below how the 1/4" seam should sew right out at the crossing point of the two fabric sections and also how the missing sliver of grey fabric is now 'lost' into that seam and doesn't affect the finished block at all.

Press seams open.

This is how the two seams should now look - having an accurate clean 'V' created by the bottom edge of the two grey seams in this picture will be really important when it comes to piecing your rows later.

You've successfully made one Pieced Triangle.

only 31 more to go!!!

I've got lots more to share with you, so I'll break it down over the week like this (click the links below to visit my posts from other days):

Monday: my fabric choices

Tuesday: creating the HSTs and Pieced Triangles

Wednesday: Log Cabin Triangles

Thursday: piecing and joining rows 

Friday: finished Yuma Quilt top with added borders

almost there! - Quilting My Yuma

and finally - Yuma QAL - A Finish

If you want to join in all you need to do is download the free Yuma Quilt pattern here and be sure to share your work on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc using the hashtag #yumaQAL.

YUMA QAL SCHEDULE

Each week another blogger will be sharing their YumaQAL experiences with you:

17 June - kick-off blog post on Gotham Quilts
week of 22 June - made by ChrissieD click here to find all my Yuma QAL posts
week of 29 June - Faith and Fabric
week of 6 July - Daydreams of Quilts
week of 13 July - Lisa in Port Hope
week of 20 July - Sunflower Quilting
week of 27 July - Roar Haus
week of 2 August - Gnome Angel
10 August - Life Under Quilts
12 August - closing blog post on Gotham Quilts and start of linky party
19 August - linky party winner(s) chosen

Clicking on an image will take you to a new page of crafty goodness :)

Disclaimer: Gotham Quilts supplied the fabrics used at a discount price to mbCD otherwise this post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

 

Purse Strings January's Bee Block - NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild

When my January Bee Block package for my NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild Bee arrived from King Bee Brian I was delighted to see the tutorial he wanted us to use was by a long time bloggy friend of mine, Kelly @My Quilt Infatuation.

So no tutorial from me this month, instead if you want to recreate the block head straight over to Kelly's blog and follow her Purse Strings Block tute.

Fabrics and notes from King Bee Brian.

I added two of my own fabrics - instructions said to stick with red and white.

I sewed a second seam a 1/2" from the first HST seam to create the 'bonus' HSTs above that Brian wants to include in the quilt.

An easy block with great impact.

Update May 2016

King Bee Brian brought his finished quilt to our May 2016 NYC Metro MOD Quilt Guild meeting.  It's absolutely stunning.  Can you spot my block?  It's the one right in the centre.

Clicking on an image will take you to the new page of crafty goodness :)