Block of the Month: Block 8

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, Block 2 here, Block 3 here, Block 4 here, Block 5 here, Block 6 here, and Block 7 here.

Get finishing instructions here.

• 9×22" piece (fat eighth) each of light print, dark print, and medium print

Finished block: 9" square

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

Cut pieces in the following order.

From light print, cut:

• 4--2-3⁄4" squares
• 4--1-5⁄8×2-3⁄4" rectangles
• 28--1--5⁄8" squares

From dark print, cut:

• 4--1-5⁄8×5" rectangles
• 4--1-5⁄8×2--3⁄4" rectangles
• 8--1-5⁄8" squares

From medium print, cut:

• 4--1-5⁄8" squares
• 1--2-3⁄4" square

Use a pencil or a white dressmaker's pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of 20 light print 1-5⁄8" squares and all dark print 1-5⁄8" squares.

1.    Align marked light print squares with opposite corners of medium print 2-3⁄4" square (Diagram 1; note direction of marked lines). Sew on drawn lines; trim excess, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowances. Press open attached triangles.

2.    Align marked light print squares with remaining corners of medium print square (Diagram 2; again note direction of marked lines). Stitch, trim, and press as before to make a Square-in-a-Square unit. The unit should be 2-3⁄4" square including seam allowances.

3.    Align a marked light print square with one end of a dark print 1-5⁄8×2-3⁄4" rectangle (Diagram 3; 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 light print square to other end of rectangle to make a dark Flying Geese unit. The unit should be 2-3⁄4×1-5⁄8" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four dark Flying Geese units total.

4.    Referring to Diagram 4, lay out the medium print 1-5⁄8" squares, dark Flying Geese units, and Square-in-a-Square unit in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams away from Flying Geese units. Join rows to make block center. Press seams in one direction. The block center should be 5" square including seam allowances.

1.    Using marked dark print squares and light print 1-5⁄8×2-3⁄4" rectangles, repeat Assemble Block Center, Step 3, to make four light Flying Geese units (Diagram 5).

2.    Align a marked light print square with one end of a dark print 1-5⁄8×5" rectangle (Diagram 6; note direction of marked line). Sew on marked line. Trim excess fabric, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle, pressing seam toward dark print. In same manner, add a second marked light print square to other end of rectangle to make a rectangle unit. The unit should be 5×1-5⁄8" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four rectangle units total.

3.    Referring to Diagram 7, sew together two remaining light print 1-5⁄8" squares, one light Flying Geese unit and one rectangle unit in two rows. Press seams in one direction. Join rows to make a side unit. Press seam in one direction. The side unit should be 5×2-3⁄4" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four side units total.

Referring to Block Assembly Diagram, lay out the light print 2-3⁄4" squares, side units, and block center in three rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams away from side units. Join rows to make a block. Press seams in one direction. The block should be 9-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.