Hi! I'm Beth with American Patchwork & Quilting and today I'm sharing tips for creating Block 11 of our Bright New Day Block of the Month. The link to the free pattern download is in the video description.
Block 11 uses strip set construction. We covered tips in the Block 2 video, so check that out if you need a refresher!
One thing I do is use my AccuQuilt strip cutting die to cut strips. It ensures the cut is accurate, which is super important when you're putting together your strip sets. I have my 2" strip cutting die here and I'm just going to layer the colors I need to cut. Then I can subcut these into the lengths needed and even cut the 2" squares from the strip as well.
When you're sewing the strips together, you need to make sure you have an accurate ¼" seam. Be sure to test on a practice piece first and measure to ensure accuracy. Here's an example of one of the strip sets. This piece should be 6.5" long, but it's almost a ¼" short, so that's going to really affect the accuracy of your block and it's not going to go together well. I would take the time to remake this strip set.
Once you have that ¼" seam set, you want to make sure you're sewing a really straight line. If you find your seam is wavy, adjust your speed either faster or slower depending on what works best for you. If you need to stop sewing mid-seam, make sure you're stopping with the needle down. I also find that the less I pull and direct the fabric, the better. So you can see I'm just letting the machine pull the fabric and am not pulling on it too much. I also notice that I tend to veer off a little bit at the end, so I use extra care when coming to the end of the seam (or just make sure you cut that portion off when you're squaring up your strip set).
Be sure to pay attention to pressing instructions so seams will nest! When you go to sew these together, they should nest but I like to pin to ensure they don't shift while I'm sewing. This will ensure a nice intersection where those seams come together.
Sew together the block in rows and the block is complete!
Here are the two completed blocks. The line I was sewing with today is Rose by Jo Morton for Moda Fabrics.
The second block is Indigo Garden by Heather Peterson for Riley Blake Designs. I added a floral in the center for a little extra color instead of using the background fabric. It's so fun and bright! Once you've stitched your Block 11, be sure to share your version with us! Post in our facebook group or on Instagram with the hashtag APQBOM2021. Happy sewing!