January 11, 2018

#plusblockQAL {assembling the blocks}

Better late than never...here are instructions on assembling your plus quilt blocks for the #plusblockQAL.

No matter which size block you are making, the pieces are assembled the same way. Lay out your fabric pieces like in the picture below. If you have directional fabrics, now is the time to make sure all the fabrics are laid out properly.

The first step is to sew a small background square to each small plus square and sew a small background square to each end of your plus rectangle fabric. Press seams. (At this step, I press my seams open. See my notes on pressing on the last picture.)

Now sew a large background square to each side of your top and bottom pieces. You will end up with three strips.

The last step is to sew your three strips together. At this point, it's more important to match up your centers of each strip so your plus is lined up properly.

This shows how I press my seams for this block.

When pressing seams, I don't always press open/press to the dark fabric/press to the light fabric. My goal is to reduce bulk at the seams as much as possible so I usually let the fabric dictate how it wants to be pressed.  I start by pressing open. (I piece with a shorter stitch length and have never had a problem when pressing my seams open.) After sewing the larger squares to the first pieced unit, I press those seams to the large background square. After all three strips are sewn together, I press the finals seams toward the middle of the block.

Clear as mud? I need to work on my tutorial writing skills! If you have any questions, please ask away.

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