QAF Block of the Month
November 2007
Water Wheel
9 1/2" (unfinished), 9" (finished)
The block for November
is Water Wheel. We will use blues and cream this month, blue for water,
of course, and blue (and cream) for the b-r-r-r of the wintry weather that's
coming soon.
You'll need a deep
dark blue tone on tone (TOT) for the parts of the block that are dark,
a medium blue that blends, and finally a lovely cream for the background.
All of these should be tone on tones, for lots of texture. However, you
may use a solid for just ONE of the 3 fabrics if you choose to.
As usual, use only
100% quilters quality cotton fabrics, washed and pressed.
To Assemble Block:
If strip piecing, stitch a long
edge of the dark blue to a cream strip, and stitch a medium blue strip
to the other cream strip. Press each to the
draker fabric. These strip sets should measure 3 1/2" across before you crosscut
them. Crosscut (4) pc., 2" long from each strip set. These will be your 4-patches.
Lay them out as per the picture above, and stitch them into the 4-patches.
Press. Square them up to 3 1/2" and set aside.
Half Square Triangles: Draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the back
of the (2) cream squares. Place each RST with the (2) dark blue 4" squares,
and stitch 1/4" on each side of the drawn line. Cut apart on the drawn line
and press each triangle set to the darker fabric. Square up by lining up
the diagonal lines of the block and your square up ruler and trim to 3 1/2"
square. You will have (4) HST.
Lay out all your patches per the
picture above. Notice the direction of the HST, and notice how the dark
square in the 4-patch touches the
point of a HST.
Sew the patches together in rows of 3. Press the seams toward the 4 patches
on rows 1 and 3, and to the center square for the middle row. Stitch the
3 rows together, press and square up the block to 9 1/2".
You may make 3 blocks in the same set of fabrics. Use another set of fabrics
to make more to enter.
Here's a quilt layout
for your inspiration.
