Monday, June 30, 2014

Scrappy Happy Summer Sew Along - Summer Skies Block!!! ...





Yay!…it's Sew Along Monday
and time for a new
 Scrappy Happy project:)


This next project is a 9 block quilt!
It's perfect for using up 
leftover yardage from another project.
Maybe you have a favorite collection
 of fat quarters that you
 have been hoarding or even 
been afraid to cut into.
Be brave quilters!
Now is the time:)

Summer Skies 
88" x 88"
24" blocks

So lets talk about yardage and fabrics.
I'm using my Vintage Happy 
Cloth Yardage #DC3781 in green 
for my background.
Background needed - 5 1/4 yards


 I decided to use fabrics
 from a few of my collections
 along with my stash of 
Denyse Shmidt fabrics.
They play so well together!

Colors I used; aqua-blue-orange-yellow-pink-green.
I used 9 fat quarters (or 1/4 yard cuts will work too)
and
27 fat eighths (or 1/8th yard cuts will work too)



Our manual for the sew along is my pattern


We are using the Scrappy Happy block in the 24" size.
My pattern includes cutting for a 6" - 12" - 18" and a 24" block
and directions for sewing all four sizes are the same.


I chose 9 of the fat quarters and cut 9 sets of the (S) rectangles.
Then I chose 9 fat 1/8th's and from each I cut;
 1 - (R) square and 4 (V) squares
From the remaining fat 1/8th's (18 of them);
I cut the (T) and the (U) squares

When I was finished…
I had 9 - 24" Scrappy Happy blocks cut and ready to sew!




Now here is where the fun begins!
At this point my block is not sewn together all the way.
I have sewn it into the 9 sections right before
 completion and laid it out on my design board
just like the block in the pattern.
But wait!!!! …
Remember that I told you we would be doing
 four different settings during our sew along?



Of course I like this setting but the point of this
 sew along is not only to play with
 scraps and colors from our stash…
and also to play with my Scrappy Happy block settings.

YaY!


And just by simply turning the 
rectangle sections upside down …
a star is born!!!

It's amazing how the look of a block can change
by just a slight turning of the pieces:)




So this is my Summer Skies block
in a 24" finished size…
Just  8 more for the Summer Skies quilt:)
Easy Peasy!
I'll be showing you the rest of my
 blocks over the next few weeks-
and of course posting them onto our 
Scrappy Happy Summer Flickr group:)



But wait!!!
What about the 
Easy Corner Triangle trimmings?
Of course I have 
saved those for our next
Scrappy Happy project…
and here is how I did it.
Before I sewed my ECT's…
I did a little marking:)

I used my 1/2" wide ruler and marked a line 1/2" away 
from the center line that goes point to point like this.



I marked my lines in the direction that
 they needed to be sewn to form the block:)



I sewed directly on both of my marked lines...



and cut them apart which left each
 with an exact 1/4" seam allowance.



Then I pressed the ECT out as usual.


For the part you cut off…
 you will need a 3 1/2" square ruler.
Either one of these will work…
it just needs a diagonal line going across the center.


Place the diagonal line of 
the ruler onto your
 STITCHING LINE...



And trim off all excess fabric like this.
Using a mat that turns 
makes this little job fast and easy.
My favorite is this cute pink round one by 
Busy Fingers. (Sue Daley)


After trimming…press these seams open.



You will end up with a 
3 1/2" half square triangle
from each one of the ECT trimmings!!!


YaY again!
I LOVE not wasting fabric:)


This is all the waste that there is…
impressive to say the least!



So now that you have an ECT on
 one end of the rectangles...



Go ahead and do the same thing when you add the ECT
onto the other end.





And you will have 8 more
 3 1/2" half square triangles:)



Continue doing the same thing with 
EVERY ECT TRIMMING ...








And press the seams open on all of them.



Because you will get 24 from each block ...
By the time you have your 
9 Summer Skies block finished ...
you will have 
216 - 3 1/2" half square triangles
 for our next Scrappy Happy summer project:)

I can't wait to show you
 what we will be doing with them:)

Are you having fun yet?
Do you like my Summer Skies block?
I love seeing your photos on
keep them coming!
xx
Lori

7 comments:

  1. Just finished making my block yesterday. I'll have to post it this week. It turned out cute. Yours is pretty cute.

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  2. Thanks for bringing the pattern to the Quilt Show so I could buy it! Can hardly wait to start!!!

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  3. Love the Summer Skies Block! Going to start mine later today: )
    Happy Canada Day!

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  4. I love the part where you told us to be brave!!!! :) love the Summer Skies Block! Again Lori thank you for this wonderful summer sew along!!! Xxxx

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  5. you're a genius! the tips and tricks you share are outstanding. always!!

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  6. Your block is adorable! LOVE your background fabric

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  7. I can't believe I'm saying this but, hurry up fall/winter! We are moving this fall and I will have a huge sewing area. "happy dance" :D Would you come and decorate it for me? Your room is so cheerful and inspiring, I want mine to be like that too. :) I love all the fabrics you use, and collect a lot of vintage things also. Little girls at heart forever !

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