Modern Blocks
Our first Modern block of the month is brought to you by Laura. Before we get into it, this is how our ModBlocks sew-a-long is going to work.
Each month, a PMQG member will lead the month’s block. The block leader will:
- choose the block
- make it up before the meeting
- launch it at the meeting, explaining any tips, tricks or recommendations
- write up a blog post with a few photos for posting on the site.
Anyone who wants to make up the block can do so, either in similar colours to the group leader to donate to a group quilt, or to keep themselves for a sampler. We’d love to see finished blocks at show and tell for meetings or on our flickr group..
If a different block grabs your fancy, make it up and make it part of your show and tell, or send us a blog post to share with other members how you did it. With the range of interests, we’re anticipating that we get a heap of different blocks, from beginner level to easy!
The first block is Lemons and Limes, from page 103 of Modern Blocks. I chose this one because I wanted to continue hand-piecing after McKenna’s tutorial with PMQG at the start of Feb, and because this is a nice, easy entry to sewing curves.
First of all, I chose my palette. This block requires 8 different scraps of prints, 3.5″ square. I chose to go with a colour I’m not terribly comfortable working with – green – and a colour that I love – aqua. They play very nicely together so I don’t know why I don’t use more green! I also traced the templates provided in the book onto templastic. (You could use cardboard or even freezer paper if you wanted).
I cut out my fabric and folded each curve in half to find the centre and pinned it.
I then put a pin in each end and let the fabric sit together.
I chose to hand piece these because a) I find it relaxing and b) I figure that by the time I’ve changed the machine foot and fiddled around with matching up the edges as I sew, it’s going to take about the same amount of time. But that’s just me! You could definitely sew the curves on machine. There’s a fabulous tutorial on sewing curves by machine here:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlwVGoL4zV0?rel=0]
So here’s my unironed curve block.
When all my blocks were done, I sewed them together in pairs and then lines of four, and then put them face down on my ironing board, the way I wanted the whole block to go together. I ironed the seams on the first row “up”/away from me, and the seams on the second row towards me, and so on for the third and fourth rows. This is to prevent the bulk of having the seams pressed all the same way when you sew them together.
I then butt the seams together, with one going one way, the other going the other and pin.
Ta da!
If you haven’t got your Modern Blocks book, it’s available at the Book Depository for a very reasonable price. There are a heap of amazing blocks in there. We would love to see what you do with this one – either at the next meeting or online through our flickr group. Or, if you choose to do a different block from the book this month, feel free to share there or flick us an email!