Catch As You Can – Block Tutorial

Catch As You Can

This is an interesting block because it's asymmetrical. I love the movement in it! We'll be making Quarter-square triangles, and Half-quarter-square triangles (the red pinwheel in the center.)

Before cutting I always press my fabric with either a little bit of starch or some home-made Best Press. Dawn and I have been using the home-made Best Press because it's so cheap and easy to make. There are a few recipes on the web. Here's the recipe that Dawn shared with me

Even Better Press  

1/2 distilled or filtered water, 1/2 vodka

The flavored vodka costs no more than regular but gives it a different fragrance than alcohol. Smirnoff is a cheap vodka, and is what I use. 

Make sure you purchase vodka distilled from potatoes, not distilled from grain. It is the potato starch that works to starch fabric. 

Smirnoff comes in these "fragrances" - green apple, blueberry, citrus cranberry, watermelon, orange, raspberry, strawberry and new black cherry. I currently have green apple "scent". My next "scent" will be black cherry. 

There are other recipes on the internet that use 1 oz of vodka to 1 cup of water. This recipe gives a little bit more body to the fabric than other versions that we've found.

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric

Fabric A: Background Fabric

• A1: four 3 1/4" squares
• A2: six 2 7/8" squares
• A3: four 2 1/2" squares

Fabric B: Medium (grey dot)

• B1: two 3 1/4" squares
• B2: two 2 7/8" squares

Fabric C: Dark (red)

• C: two 3 1/4" squares

I'm using the easiest way to make this block, that means there will be a little bit of waste as you go along. You can save the mirror image units for something else, or you can make another Catch As You Can block but mirror image the block. 

Step 2: Making the Half-square Triangles

I like to do all the sewing along the diagonals at once! It makes things go just a little faster.
Draw a diagonal line across all four A1 background squares, and all of the A2 background squares.
Pin in place as shown in the picture.
(You won't need all the A2 background squares just yet. Set the extras aside and only use two as shown in the photo.)Sew a scant 1/4" seam on each side of the drawn diagonal line.

Cut along the diagonal line and press the seam open.
Trim the A2/B2 squares to 2 1/2" square using your favorite method. Set these aside.

 Step 3: Sewing the Half-quarter-square Triangles

Place an A2 background square (the four that you didn't use in the first step) right sides together with an untrimmed A1/C square.
Sew a scant 1/4" seam along both sides of the drawn line.

Here's a step-by-step photo:
Cut along the diagonal line (you will have two pieces that are mirror images of each other)
Press the seams open.
You will be using the bottom left piece in the Catch As You Can block. The bottom right one can be used if you are making another block, but you'll have to make a mirror image of the block we're making in this tutorial.

Use the pieces that spin the pinwheel in this direction.

 Step 4: Sewing the Quarter-square triangles

Draw a diagonal line on the back of two A1/B1 half-square triangles.
Place two A1/B1 squares right sides together, with the medium (B1) opposite the A1 (background) as shown on the bottom right in the photo.
Make sure you use one of the pieces with the diagonal line on each.
You probably already guessed that, but just in case....  

Sew a scant 1/4" seam along each side of the drawn diagonal line.
Cut along the diagonal line, press the seams open.

Trim each unit to 2 1/2".
You should have four quarter-square triangle units.

Step 4: Sewing the Block Together

Arrange your units as shown in the photo.
Double check to make sure your pieces are going the right direction.
Check one ore time.....
This block is asymmetrical if you aren't careful
you'll end up having to rip seams and sew them again! 

Sew in rows (or columns) and press the seams open.
Carefully pin the columns together matching the seams.
Sew the columns (or rows) together.

Catch As You Can
8 1/2" unfinished block
8" finished block

Yes, I know I have a spot where the points don't match exactly. That doesn't stop me from sharing and teaching, though. Hopefully your mistakes won't stop you from quilting, either!

If a quilt is finished and used, then it's a successful quilt. If I learned something along the way, then that's even better!

Here's Dawn's block:

Yankee Puzzle – Quilt Block Tutorial

Yankee Puzzle

This block combines half-square triangles and flying geese. It's not too hard, and it's a good time to review how to use the Quilt in a Day Flying Geese ruler.

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric.

Fabric A: Background Fabric

• A1: four 3" squares
• A2: one 7" squares

Fabric B: Medium (grey dot)

• B1: one 5 1/2" square
• B2: two 3" squares

Fabric C: Dark (red)

• C: two 3" squares

Step 2: Making the Half-square Triangles

Draw a diagonal line on each A1 (background) square.
Also draw a line on the back of the B1 (medium) square.
Place each of the four A1 (background) square right sides together on both B2 and C squares. Pin the squares together so they don't shift while you're sewing.
Center the B1 (grey dot) right sides together on the A2 (background) square.
Pin in place and set aside. 

Sew a 1/4" seam on each side of the drawn diagonal line.

Cut along the drawn diagonal line.

Press seams open, and trim each half-square triangle to 2 1/2" square
using your favorite squaring ruler.

Step 3: Making Four Flying Geese

Sew a 1/4" seam on either side of the drawn diagonal line of the A2/B1 squares.
Cut along the diagonal line.

Press the seams open.
Draw another diagonal line bisecting one half.

Match the corners of the triangles making sure that the A fabric is right sides together
with the B fabric.
DO NOT match the seams!

This is what it should look like when you are ready to take it to the sewing machine.

Sew a 1/4" seam on both sides of the drawn diagonal line.

Cut along the drawn line.

Press the seams open.

I really like these Quilt in a Day Flying Geese rulers. This one is from the mini set that includes a 2" x 4" finished Flying Geese block.
On my ruler I used a felt furniture protector to keep it from slipping on the fabric.

Line your ruler up with the B (grey) fabric triangle.

Cut along all four sides.
Your piece is now exactly the right size with very little waste fabric.

Cut the other three Flying Geese units from the remaining fabric.

Step 4: Putting the Block Together

Lay out your pieces like the pieces in the photo.
Follow the next few steps closely because you can't sew this block together in rows and columns.

Sew the half-square triangles together.
Press the seams open.

The set in the lower right corner is what the half-square triangles look like on the back.
Sew each of the four corners together (one set of half-square triangle units to one flying geese unit).

Press the seams open.
Sew each square to another square.
Then sew the pairs together through the center.

Hopefully your sewing is so accurate that you won't have any (or very much) to trim off. Your square should measure 8 1/2" square.

Yankee Puzzle
8 1/2" unfinished
8" finished

Here are Jaime's blocks:

Double Pinwheel – Quilt Block Tutorial

Double Pinwheel

 Again, I'm sorry about the poor lighting. I'm still working on learning how to take decent pictures in the depths of the basement. It's my woman cave, really, there's no windows where I sew!

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric

Fabric A: Background fabric

• A1: four 3" squares
• A2: four 2 1/2" squares

Fabric B: Dark (blue)

• B1: two 3" squares
• B2: four 2 1/2" squares

Fabric C: Medium (grey dot)

• C: two 3" squares

Step 2: Sewing the Half-square Triangles

Draw a line through all four A1 background squares.
Pin each A1 square, right sides together, with the both B1 (blue) and both C (grey dot) squares.

Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn line.

Cut along the drawn line.

Photo of the other side after cutting apart the A1/B1 and A1/C squares.

Press open, and trim the half-square triangles to 2 1/2" using your favorite trimming ruler.
I like the Precision Trimmer 6" ruler.

Step 3: Sewing the Block Together

Set up your half-square triangles and your A2 (background 2 1/2" squares) and B2 (blue 2 1/2" squares) like the photo above.

Sew the rows together using a 1/4" seam.
Press the seams open.
Remember, this is my experiment quilt to see if I like pressing seams open.

Sew the columns together using a 1/4" seam. Press the seams open.

Hopefully you will have little or nothing to trim on your block. It should measure 8 1/2" square.

Double Pinwheel
8 1/2" unfinished
8" finished

Here are Jaime's blocks:

Jaime has been making two of every block! I love the fun colors and modern fabrics she's using!

Road Through Oklahoma – Quilt Block Tutorial

Road Through Oklahoma
8" Finished block

I think I'm finally getting the hang of pressing seams open. One thing I've noticed is that I can not  sew a scant 1/4" seam, I have to sew an exact 1/4" seam. I don't loose seam allowance to a pressed open seam. It makes sense because there isn't as much fabric folded over in a pressed open seam.

Step 1: Cutting the Fabric

• Fabric A: background fabric
• A1 - cut four 3" squares
• A2 - cut four 2 1/2" squares

Fabric B: Red (dark)

• B - Cut four 3" squares

Fabric C: Grey (medium)

• C - cut four 3" squares

Sorry I don't have the list of fabric pieces in the photo. Picassa decided to quit working for a while. Hopefully it will decide to work again by the next time.

Step 2: Sewing the Half-square Triangles

This should be easy by now!

Draw a line through each grey (C) square and two of the background (A1) squares. Layer two of the grey squares (C) on two red (B) squares, two grey (C) squares on two background (A1) squares, and two background (A1) squares on two red (B) squares. 

I moved the top pieces to the side in the photo so that you could see which pieces were paired together. Stack properly and pin them before sewing.

Sew a 1/4" seam on both sides of each drawn line.

Cut along the drawn line, between the seams. You should have 12 half-square triangle units.
Press the seams either to the dark side, or open.
(Mine are pressed open because that's my 'experiment' for this quilt.)

Step 3: Sewing the Block Together

Lay the half-square triangle units out as shown in the photo.
Place the background (A2) squares in the four corners.

I like to sew the columns together. You can sew either rows or columns together first.

After the columns are sewn, I press the seams open, and turn the block 1/4 turn so I can sew columns again.

This is what the back of the block looks like after it's sewn together and the seams are pressed open. 

I love the way this block turned out!

Reader photos!

Everyone loves Show and Tell! I'd love to see your block and your color choices, so would everyone else!

Dawn's block! I love the colors! She's a new quilter and you would never know it because her points matched up so well in this block!