12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop and Quiltalong, Day 8!

 

Hi, all!

It feels so strange to be thinking about Christmas as I sit here on a lovely summer morning writing this, but Christmas will be here sooner than we think, so let's get a jump on our handcrafted gifts!  This is the eighth day of our 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop and quiltalong, and I hope you've been seriously inspired already - but there's plenty more to come.  Today we'll be checking in with Leanne of The Devoted Quilter for our daily dose of inspiration, and I am really looking forward to what she has to show us.  We'll also be continuing with the second block in the Peppermint Twist quilt - it's getting so close, I can already start to smell the peppermint!

And here's the schedule for the rest of the hop...

Wednesday, July 14th

Joy of Days Filled With Joy

Thursday, July 15th

Moira of The Quilted Snail

Friday, July 16th

Jamie of L'Fair Quilts

Saturday, July 17th

Bonnie of In Stitches With Bonnie

Sunday, July 18th

Joanne of Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Monday, July 19th

Kate of Katie Mae Quilts

Shasta of High Road Quilter

Tuesday, July 20th

Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting

Wednesday, July 21st

Leanne of The Devoted Quilter

Thursday, July 22nd

Kathy of Kathy's Kwilts and More

Sandra of MMM Quilts

Friday, July 23rd

Carole of From My Carolina Home

Saturday, July 24th

Joanne of Everyone Deserves a Quilt (Part 2)

Sunday, July 25th

Karrin of Karrin's Crazy World

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Are you ready to assemble the center of this block?  Let's go!

Lay four of your light green blocks together in a 4-patch block, forming a pinwheel at the center.  Pin the blocks together, carefully matching the diagonals so you have nice crisp points.  Sew and press the seams open.  Make thirteen of these center units.  

Congratulations!  The tricky part of this block is finished!  Hooray!! Now on to the easier parts....

NOTE:  Today is easier sewing, but there's a lot of it.  I've planned for this step to actually spread over two to two and a half days, because it can be a time-consuming step.  I would suggest reading over the instructions, then deciding if you want to make all your blocks today, then trim tomorrow, or make part of your blocks today and trim them, then make and trim the rest tomorrow.  Trimming is my least favorite part (although probably the most necessary for a nice flat block!) so I would split it up.  You may not feel the same, so do what makes you happy!

Take the Block 2:B pieces and lay 52 red triangles on the left and 52 white triangles on the right, short sides together.  (This is half of the triangles you have for this step.)  Chain piece them together and press the seams open.

Now take the other half of your Block 2:B pieces and lay 52 WHITE triangles on the left and 52 RED triangles on the right, short sides together - the exact opposite of the ones you just made.  Chain piece them together and press the seams open.

Now you will be using the Block 2:C pieces (dark green triangles).  

Attach them to the red and white triangles along the long side of the triangle, pinning through the seam to keep it open and centered.  Press the seam open.

And now comes trimming!  Once again, I can't stress enough how important this step is.  Yes, it takes time, and you may not be trimming off much, but every little bit helps make this block turn out beautifully.  You will be squaring these blocks up to 3.5".  The diagonal line on your ruler will help you keep the block nice and square as you trim.  Start with the green triangle in the lower right position, line up the diagonal, and line up the 3.5" mark on top with the line where the red and white triangles come together.  Trim the right and top sides of the block.  Turn the block 180 degrees, line up the sides you just trimmed with the 3.5" marks, and trim the other two sides.     

One thing I do like about trimming?  That pretty pile of color that's left when you finish. Sometimes I just put them in a glass jar and admire them for a while.  When I'm done, I put them outside for the birds to use in their nests.  I have the prettiest bird nests in the neighborhood!

Once we're finished tomorrow, you will have fifty-two of each of these units, and we'll be on the home stretch for this block.  Good work!!

See you then!

Hugs!

Sarah