Tonight has been an eventful night for both me and Jeanne, whose comment was picked by Mr. Random for the $25 Quilt Taffy gift certificate.
I learned how to number my comments and do a screenshot of the winning number in less than an hour of fiddling around online. How did we ever get by before Google?
Thanks to everyone who commented on my Dots on Dots block!
Hourglass Star Block, finished size 11 x 11 inches. I made my block from fat quarters picked by Maureen Cracknell for The Intrepid Thread that came in this bundle (photo from Maureen Cracknell Handmade). The dots are called oval elements.
I started by separating the 10 fat quarters into 5 sets of dots/solid combos.
From the dots I cut two 5 x 5 squares and from the solids I cut five 4 x4 squares and two 5x5 squares.
Mark 1/4 lines on either side of the diagonal.
Pair up the dot/solid 5 x 5 squares and pin. Sew along each line.
Cut right down the middle into two halves.
Then subcut the triangles into two by making a right angle.
You will end up with a little pile of triangles. Press them all before opening up to set the seams.
Now, this is the most important part. Finger press the seam open before pressing flat. Finger pressing will keep your seams from getting wonky or distorted. Pressing the seams open also makes the finished block flatter.
After pressing flat, I like to give it a little spray of starch and set everything one more time with a hot iron. I don’t use steam.
Now, match up two triangles to make a square.
I pin the triangles together since the seams don’t nest.
Chain sew all your pieces.
Finger press again and flip over.
Voila! A pretty hourglass block.
Line up the diagonal on a square ruler with the seam line. Trim to 4 inches square.
Very pretty!
Now lay out all your hourglass blocks with the solid 4 x 4 squares.
Press the seams toward the solid squares and you will end up with this hourglass star block.
Now, onto the important part! I am giving away a $25 gift certificate to Quilt Taffy. I’ve ordered from Corrie’s shop tons of times and she has sweet fabric and great customer service! To enter, you must be a follower and leave a comment telling me your favorite fabric. If you are a no-reply blogger please leave your email address in the comment. Open to international entries and the winner will be announced next Monday, September 17th. Have a great week and don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog hop today:
You can find the entire schedule on Corrie’s blog here:
http://quilttaffy.blogspot.com/2012/08/dots-on-dots-blog-hop-schedule.html
I have finished up the first four rows of my Summerlove Hourglass quilt.
Love, love, love! The sashing is Essex linen, which I have never used before, but I find it soft and easy to sew with. I may never buy Kona white again…just kidding!
I also joined A Bee in My Bonnet’s Row-Along. I happen to have quite a stash of Lori Holt fabric, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. The first “filler” row is done, but I’m not loving my fabric choices. I just kind of hurriedly picked them out while the kids were with me one afternoon. It didn’t help that I didn’t understand the directions and picked out twice as many fabrics as needed—my error, not the direction’s. Luckily it’s just a filler row, so hopefully I can refine my choices as the qal progresses since it’s mystery-ish and I’m not really sure exactly how prominent the focus fabrics will be.
I will be participating in the Dots on Dots blog hop coming up September 10-21 and giving away a $25 gift certificate to Quilt Taffy, where you can find lots of sweet fabric treats! See you September 10th!
