Orange Crush Mystery, Part 2

Quiltville Custom Quilting
http://www.quiltville.com

Orange Crush!!
Part 2!
(click here for printer friendly .pdf file)

A Quiltville Mystery Quilt!
©2008 Bonnie K. Hunter. All Rights Reserved.

More scrappy units!

I think of these little gems as a "split four patch"! You can do all kinds of things with them. They play nicely with other units of the same size! There are all kinds of different ways to sew these,but I find the simplest is also the best and most accurate for me. For this step we will be using the easy angle ruler. I love this ruler, and you've heard me say it a million times. If your tools give you accurate cutting, and you and your machine have mastered your accurate piecing skills, there is nothing better! Cutting with this ruler to sew these units saves me the time it would take to cut rectangles from a size of strip that I don't usually keep on hand. I'd have to make a template guide, and stop and draw lines on the rectangles. I just want to SEW!! Since I can cut all the pieces from strips I keep on hand, and use the ruler to give me the pieces I need with accurate results, I can simply sew!

If you don't have the easy angle ruler, you can click HERE for the regular rotary cutting directions for this unit. Pieces are given to make a single block unit, you will need 142 units just like everyone else!

For this step we will be making *GASP* 142 half four patch units!

We will make these by cutting the corner square and the two small triangles from 2" strips. The large half square triangle is cut from 3.5" strips....all things I keep on hand all the time!

Stack 3.5" strips together and using the lines on the ruler, get a clean cut on one end of the strip set so you have an even end. I like to cut through 4 to 6 layers...any more than that and things start to shift.

At this point, since I am right handed, I flip the strip set over and begin to cut my triangles using the 3.5" lines on the ruler as my guide. The seam allowance is already figured in so we don't have to cut ANYTHING at 7/8"!! YEAHH!!! Cut 142 triangles. I like to stack them in sets of 10 because it helps me know how many I've cut.

Then, get into your bin of 2" light strips (or cut some if you don't keep them on hand)and do the same thing....stack some up, get a clean cut on one end, and start cutting triangles using the 2" measurement on the ruler. ou are going to need 284 'wing' triangles all from lights.

This is a peek into my 2" squares bin that I use for leaders & enders! I am going to dig through here and pull out 142 dark squares, in all colors. Completely scrappy...just no lights for this step.

Of course you are going to continuously chain your units together. Here's just one block to showyou how it goes. Stitch a light 'wing' triangle to the corner square. Press seams towards the LIGHT...you don't want a bulky spot in the center of the block,which is what you will get if you press toward the dark.. In pressing, I usually take "The path of least resistance" or which ever makes the patches lay the best without bulk. In this case, it's press towards the light. When you have added all the wing triangles to one side of each square, repeat the process to add the remaining wing triangle. Again, press towards the wing triangle. Take your pieced unit, and match it right sides together with a large base triangle. Units should measure 3.5" square when you are done sewing. The finished size (after this unit is joined to others) will measure 3" finished.

***Fudge Factor Hint!!***

Since I know that pieced things are often a TAD smaller than unpieced...I know that the base triangle is the "RIGHT" size....so if the pieced one is a bit wonky, I'll match the point of the pieced one to the point of the base triangle. If there is any fudging to do, I let that fall within the seam allowance. Sometimes you just gotta, right? I use the edge of the base triangle against my seam guide...and when I am done sewing, the seam might be a bit less on the pieced triangle, but when pressed, it comes out RIGHT. I also don't square up my units after they are pieced. If they are pieced right, they shouldn't need squaring. If something is an 1/8" short...I figure it's got give in it. The quilt police might shoot me, but fabric is a semi-fluid medium. It gives, it stretches, it eases, it's like trying to sew through mercury! If I were working with stained glass or tiles..it's a bit different. You cut it a size, it stays a size..but fabric ...well...it's ALIVE!

Have fun sewing your 142 split four patches!

No peeking forward until you have the 142 split four patches done!

Click HERE for part 3!

Part 1