Happy Monday! Here's my morning view today...
There's nothing like waking up to fresh snow! My Christmas spirit has jumped exponentially and I can't wait to dig into the next blocks for our Bundle Up QAL!
Today we'll be making pinwheels and a snowflake block. We'll be using a quick-piecing method for the Flying Geese units that comprise the pinwheel blocks. This method is often called a "No Waste" method, but when I've used it in the past, I've found that my Flying Geese end up a little small—especially when using a thicker fabric like a chambray for the background. So I've given us a bit of wiggle room and made the base squares a little bigger than necessary. This means you'll have to trim your Flying Geese units to the correct size, but I'd rather do a bit of trimming up front for accuracy's sake.
To trim your Flying Geese, you'll want to use a small square ruler with a 45° line on it. I like to start with the Flying Geese unit pointing down. Line up the 45° line with the diagonal seam on the right side of the unit. Make sure that the upper right corner of the ruler and the 3½" mark along its top edge align with the diagonal seams of the unit and that the 1¾" dot is on top of the unit's point. This step will ensure that your trimmed unit will be nice and square. Use your rotary cutter to trim the right and top edges.
Next turn the unit 180° and align the trimmed edges with the 2" line (bottom) and the 3½" line (left). Make sure you have at least ¼" between the point of your unit and its top edge and then trim the right and top edges to finish the Flying Geese unit.
One other quick note about the pinwheel blocks. Be sure to fan or spin the seam allowances on the wrong side of the block like so...
This step really helps to minimize bulk at the intersection of the block's seams and makes for a tidy looking center. And for some reason I find it gratifying to uncover that tiny pinwheel on the back of my blocks :).
The snowflake block has several steps, but it's surprisingly easy to assemble. This block is a variation on one that I designed for a table runner pattern a few years ago called "Winter Flowers". The Winter Flowers block is larger and has a different center because it was loosely inspired by a poinsettia and intended to represent an abstract flower, but I always thought it would make a beautiful snowflake! If you'd like to give the Winter Flowers block/runner a try, the pattern is available for download in my Etsy shop.
Phew, lots of housekeeping details today! Without further ado, here's the link to today's instruction sheet. There are two pages today, so be sure to reference both.
Have fun making your pinwheel and snowflake blocks! And by the way, it's a joy to see your Bundle Up blocks out there on social media. Thank you so much for tagging me @jendalyquilts and using the hashtag #bundleupqal. :)
—jen
Helpful links:
Bundle Up Quilt-Along Page
Bundle Up Materials List
Bundle Up Cutting
Bundle Up Day 2 - Shoo Fly/Star Blocks
