A Quilt Block a Day for Autumn

Or Spring, for my friends Down Under!

Did you miss doing A Quilt Block a Day this Summer? I didn't receive any requests for a BaD, so I decided to take a rest for the 90 days of Summer. But I have a fun design for Fall.

It's a scrappy foundation pieced block. I don't have a name for it yet -- maybe when I get some more made, a name will come to me! Here's what the half-block segment looks like:

I'm using "That Green," aka "Poison Green" or "30s Green" for the center of each segment. The print sides are 30s strip scraps in various widths. It's a great way to use up scraps!

Here's the tutorial for foundation piecing each segment. You'll need:

-- foundation paper or the lightest weight copy paper you can find. Some people use old telephone book pages for foundations -- whatever you have at hand!

-- washable glue stick. I use this kind:

but Elmer's school glue stick works also. Just be sure it's water soluble!

-- add-a-quarter ruler or acrylic quilting ruler and rotary cutter

Here are the instructions for making the paper foundations.

Start with an 8½" X 11" sheet of foundation paper. Draw a line across the page at 8½" -- or use your 8½" ruler if you have one.

Draw a line from corner to corner of the 8½" square.

Cut off the narrow rectangle. Then make marks at the folling points on the square:

3½" from two outside corners.
5½ in from the outside corner at the diagonal line.

Connect the dots do your foundation piece looks like this:

Next, cut the foundation piece in half on the diagonal line. Repeat to make as many foundations as you need. If you like, you can copy your original foundation in the copy machine before cutting off the small rectangle and cutting the squares in half on the diagonal line.

Apply glue stick to the center area of the unmarked side of the foundation piece.

Cut a piece of whatever fabric you're using for the center at approximately 5½" X 7" and stick to the unmarked side of the foundation.

On the marked side of the foundation, insert two pins at one of the lines. Poke the pin IN at the line, then bring it UP at 1/4" toward the narrow point, through both the paper and the center fabric.

Flip the foundation and the fabric over.

The pins indicate where you will line up the first strip. Place the strip of printed fabric on top of the center (green) fabric, line up with where the pins show closest to the narrow point of the foundation.

 Before stitching, I drop my stitch length down two "clicks" -- to about 1.5. I also use a larger than normal size needle -- size 14. This will make tearing off the foundations easier when stitching is complete.

Stitch along the line on the marked side of the foundation. Be sure to extend your stitching three or four stitches beyond the edge of the paper.

Fold the paper back toward the marked side, and using the Add-a-Quarter ruler, or the 1/4" line on your regular quilting ruler, cut off the excess fabric. Pay attention! Be sure you're cutting off the excess, not the center of the block!

Pin two more pins on the other line and repeat to stitch the printed fabric on the opposite side of the center fabric.

Press strips one and two away from the center fabric. Add additional strips until all the paper foundation is covered. The width of the strips can vary.

When the paper foundation is completely covered, trim off the excess fabric at the edges of the paper foundation.

And there is your finished segment!

If you decide to make "A Quilt Block a Day" this Fall, I'd love to see your blocks! Send an email with photo attached to Aunt Marti at 52 Quilts dot com.


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