Thursday 2 June 2016

This month I am so excited to be Queen Bee of Hive 5 of the Stash Bee.  I have posted the tutorial on the Stash Bee for my Hive mates but thought I would also post it here as my first ever tutorial!!

I went back and forth a dozen times when deciding which block to request, truly I find that the hardest part of belonging to a Bee, but finally settled on the block below .... 

I first saw it in a local quilt shop where it was called Kisses and Crosses, but have since seen it on the Stash Bee referencing Lori Holt's Cross Roads Block.  Whatever it's called I loved the look of this quilt, which is a Stash Bee finish from last year.

Fabric requirements:
- 8 squares of low volume fabric cut to 4 1/2"

This was my initial choice for the low volume squares, but I ended up swapping the square with the X on it for a white on white print.  Whilst it looked OK, when I turned the photo to B&W on the camera it read as mid volume and was just too dark.
- 48 squares of scrap fabric cut to 2 1/2"
I really want a colourful scrappy quilt so really anything goes!  As you can see on my example I have used almost 48 different fabrics (there are a couple of repeats).

Instructions:
Sew 4 small squares together into a 4 patch
Iron seams to one side and interlock seams when joining rows
This block will measure 4 1/2" square
Make 4 and set aside

Take 16 small squares and mark the diagonal line on the back
Place 2 small squares in opposite corners of the large square

Sew along the line - I find that I get a better finish when I sew a needle's width to the outside of the line
Press to set the seam and then iron open


Trim the excess fabric away
This block will measure 4 1/2" square
Make 8 blocks like this

 
  
Take 2 triangle blocks and join together matching the seams
Press seam open

This block will measure 4 1/2" x 8 1/2"
Make 4 blocks like this


Using the remaining 16 small squares make four 4 patches and then join together to make a 16 patch
Lay out as a 9 patch formation - ensuring triangle blocks are facing the correct way


Join together as rows

Press seams in the direction shown by the arrow below


Join top and bottom rows to centre row

Press seams in the direction shown by the arrow below


This blocks makes up to 16 1/2" unfinished

And that's it!!

I am linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday .... as it was made from scraps!





9 comments:

  1. I'm always on the lookout for ways to use up those precious scraps, and this looks perfect!
    And I see it ends up quite large too, an added bonus!

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  2. This is a great block, thanks for taking the time to write it up. I can see myself using this at some point especially since it makes such a decent sized block

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  3. Great block! Thank you for the wonderful tutorial.

    -Soma

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  4. A great scrap buster and a fun block for a bee. Thanks for the tutorial.

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  5. A great scrap buster and a fun block for a bee. Thanks for the tutorial.

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  6. Looks really cool and a brilliant choice for a bee block. Will make a great quilt!

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  7. What a great block! Thanks for the tutorial - I'm off to find my box of 2 1/2" squares...!

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  8. Great tute and it will make a great scrappy quilt! Thanks for linking up to #scraptastictuesday

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