Welcome to month 8 of our year long quilting bee!
If you missed block 7, you can get instructions for it here: Online Quilting Bee Block 7 For more information, you can head to the main Quilt Along webpage and it will outline all the details. Scroll down below the video for fabric requirements.
We are giving you a little breather after tackling Y-seams and before we finish up with some of the more advanced techniques. This month, we are going to work on square in a square quilt blocks.
One easy way to achieve a square in a square quilt block is to use the flip and stitch method. This creates extra waste that isn’t necessary though, so we are going to learn the traditional method to utilize the most fabric. Don’t worry, with a couple tricks, you’ll easily be lining your pieces up and getting nice square finished units.
Each block will finish at 18″. The final quilt will be 64×84″.
Fabric Requirements:
There are 2 different options for this quilt, make the sampler, consisting of 12 different blocks, or make a quilt of just this block, repeating it 12 times.
Sampler Quilt Fabric Requirements (assuming 40″ wide fabric):
Finished quilt : 64×84″
White – 4 yard
Dark Green (including border) – 2 yards
Light Green – 1 1/4 yards
Gray – 1 yard
Yellow – 1 yard
Block 8 Quilt Fabric Requirements (assuming 40″ wide fabric)
Finished quilt 64×84″
White – 3 yards
Dark Green (including border) – 1 1/4 yard
Light Green – 3/4 yard
Gray – 1/2 yard
Yellow – 1 yard
Block Eight Instructions
NOTE: When cutting fabric for the sampler quilt, cut only what you need, leaving extra fabric in large in tact pieces. DON’T cut long strips to cut down. This will ensure you have the sizes and pieces you need for later blocks.
White:
- 1 @ 7 1/4″ square
- 1 @ 6 1/2″ Square
- 3 @ 5 1/2″ square
Gray
- 1 @ 5 1/2″ square
Yellow
- 4 @ 4 3/4″ square
Dark Green
- 4 @ 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″
Light Green
- 4 @ 3 7/8″ square
Block Construction
Flying Geese Sections
- Place one light green square on opposite corners of the 7 1/4″ white square.
- Draw a Line from corner to corner across the light green squares
- Sew a 1/4″ seam on either side of the line.
- Cut on line. Press
- Place another light green square on the remaining corner of the white piece.
- Draw a line from corner to corner across the light green square.
- Sew 1/4″ seam on either side of the line.
- Cut on line. Press. Trim as needed to 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″.
- Repeat with second half.
- Sew one flying geese unit to one dark green strip following the diagram below. Repeat with remaining flying geese and dark green strips.
Square in a Square Sections
- Cut the gray square in half on the diagonal. Without moving the pieces, repeat on the opposite diagonal creating 4 triangles.
- Repeat with the 3 – 5 1/2″ white squares
- Fold yellow square in half. Finger press the center to create a crease.
- Line up a gray triangle along one edge of a yellow square, centering the triangle tip on the center crease. The triangle will extend past the sides of the square. Sew.
- Line up a white triangle on the opposite side of the yellow square, centering the triangle tip on the center crease. Sew. Press.
- Fold yellow square in half in the opposite direction.
- Repeat previous process with 2 more white triangles. Press.
- Repeat as needed to create 4 matching square in a square blocks.
Putting the Block Together
- Layout your pieces following the diagram below.
- Sew the top row together.
- Sew the middle row together.
- Sew the bottom row together.
- Sew the rows together in order.
Finishing Instructions
For both quilts (visual instructions will be included in the final video but written instructions are included here if you are making the one block quilt):
Sashing and Border 1
White:
- Cut 8 @ 2 1/2 x 18 1/2″
- Cut 12 @ 2 1/2″ x Width of Fabric (WOF)
Border 2
Dark Green:
- Cut 8 @ 1 1/2″ x Width of Fabric
Quilt Construction:
Sew 5 white WOF strips together, cut into 3 – 58 1/2″ strips
Sew 1 – 18 1/2″ sashing to the right side of 1 block. Sew another block to the right, followed by another sashing and another block.
Repeat 4 times.
Sew rows together with 58 1/2″ sashing strips between them.
Border 1:
Sew 2 white WOF strips together, cut into a 78 1/2″ strip. Repeat with 2 more WOF strips.
Sew 3 white WOF strips together, cut into 2 – 62 1/2″ strip.
Sew 78 1/2″ border strips to the sides of the quilt top. Sew the 62 1/2″ strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top.
Border 2:
Sew all dark green WOF strips together, cut into 2 – 82 1/2″ strisp and 2 – 64 1/2 ” strip.
Sew the 82 1/2″ strips to sides of quilt top. Sew the 64 1/2″ strips to the top and bottom.
Press, layer, and quilt.
Music by bensound.com
