Block of the Month: Block 3

Designer: Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts

Get fabric requirements for the entire Block of the Month quilt here.

Get patterns for Block 1 here and Block 2 here.

• 9×22" piece (fat eighth) each of light print, medium print, and dark print
• Acrylic ruler with 45º mark

Finished block: 9" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order.

From light print, cut:

• 2--3-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 2--2-3⁄8" squares
• 4--2×3-1⁄2" rectangles
• 8--2" squares

From medium print, cut:

• 1--4-1⁄4" square, cutting it diagonally twice in an X for 4 triangles total (you will use 2)
• 2--2-3⁄8" squares
• 4--2×3" rectangles
• 8--2" squares

From dark print, cut:

• 1--4-1⁄4" square, cutting it diagonally twice in an X for 4 triangles total (you will use 2)
• 4--2×3-1⁄2" rectangles

1.    Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each light print 2-3⁄8" square.

2.    Layer a marked light print square atop a medium print 2-3⁄8" square. Sew together with two seams, stitching 1⁄4" on each side of drawn line (Diagram 1). Cut apart on drawn line to make two triangle units. Press each triangle unit open, pressing seam toward darker print, to make two triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should be 2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four triangle-squares total.

3.    Referring to Diagram 2, sew together two medium print 2×3" rectangles and two triangle-squares in pairs. Press seams toward rectangles. Join pairs to make a rectangle unit. Referring to Diagram 3, clip up to seam line at center of seam; press seam allowance on each side of clip toward medium print rectangle. The unit should be 4-1⁄2×3-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second rectangle unit.

4.    Place a light print 3-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangle on work surface with wrong side up. Align the 45º mark on an acrylic ruler with left-hand edge of rectangle (Diagram 4); the ruler's right-hand diagonal edge should intersect top left-hand corner of rectangle. Use a pencil to draw a line along edge of ruler. In the same manner, rotate ruler and draw a second 45º line beginning at bottom right-hand corner of rectangle (Diagram 5).

5.    Place a rectangle unit on work surface, right side up, with triangle-squares in bottom left-hand and upper right-hand corners. Layer a marked light print rectangle atop rectangle unit (Diagram 6; note direction of marked lines). Sew on each marked line. Cut 1⁄4" inside each seam line to make two triangle units plus a strip; discard strip. Press each triangle unit open, pressing seam toward light print triangle, to make two corner units. Each unit should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

6.    Repeat steps 4 and 5 to make four corner units total.

1.    Use a pencil or white dressmaker's pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each medium print 2" square and light print 2" square.

2.    Align a marked medium print square with one end of a light print 2×3-1⁄2" rectangle (Diagram 7; note direction of marked line). Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle, pressing seam away from light print. In same manner, add a second marked medium print square to other end of rectangle to make a medium Flying Geese unit. The unit should be 3-1⁄2×2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four medium Flying Geese units total.

3.    Using marked light print squares and dark print 2×3-1⁄2" rectangles, repeat Step 2 to make four dark Flying Geese units (Diagram 8).

4.    Referring to Diagram 9, sew together a medium Flying Geese unit and a dark Flying Geese unit to make a Flying Geese square. Press seam toward dark unit. The square should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four Flying Geese squares total.

1.    Referring to Diagram 10, join two dark print triangles and two medium print triangles in pairs. Press seams toward medium print. Join pairs to make an hourglass unit; press seam in one direction. The hourglass unit should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

2.    Referring to Block Assembly Diagram, lay out corner units, Flying Geese squares, and hourglass unit in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams away from Flying Geese squares. Join rows to make a block. Press seams away from center row. The block should be 9-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.