My Spring Fatquarter Challenge with Darlene of Quilting Daze and Dawn of Quilts and Pieces is more than half way over! And you might inquire, "So Nicole, is your challenge quilt half way done?" Umm. well, no, actually it isn’t. But. I have finished the Square In a Square blocks that make up each of the blocks! Ta Da. So now you know I have half square triangles and Square In a Square blocks. Any guesses as to what I am up to? Never fear, I will give you a huge clue next Monday. No more teasers.
Have you ever made the Square In a Square block? In this block, triangles are sewn onto each edge of a square, enlarging and framing the center square. It is possible to do a number of "rounds" of triangles around each resulting square. It looks deceptively simple.
I would like to share with you a tip regarding this block. You may think you do not have to trim it to a specific size at each stage of the construction process. You would be wrong about that. I once started a quilt made up entirely of this block and thought at the outset that this silly trimming thing was time consuming and unnecessary. I made a dozen or so blocks consisting of two rounds of triangles around a center square before I realized that each and every one of the finished blocks was a DIFFERENT size. That is not good. In fact, the blocks are useless. Now, I pride myself on the accuracy of my cutting and the accuracy of my 1/4" seams. Why were these blocks so inconsistent in size? Maybe one of you dear bloggy friends can explain it to me. I have a hunch that the pattern designers make the triangles larger than necessary to be sure one ends up with nice sharp points or something. Bias edges and all that rot. At any rate, trimming is recommended at the end of each round. Most instructions will tell you the desired measurement at the end of each completed round. Pay attention. Just do it. Trim to size.
Okey doke. End of lecture. My Square In a Square blocks for the Spring Challenge quilt were all trimmed, the first round to 5 1/2" and the second round to 7 1/2". You can see clearly in the photo above that if I had skipped this trimming step, the blocks would have ended up all wonky. Look at all the extra fabric poking out all around the ruler!
Round One:
Round Two:
But wait… there’s more! Not about Square In a Square blocks, but about my Spring Challenge Quilt. All I can say for now, is that it is a darn good thing we have a three day holiday weekend coming up, because I have work to do! I love this project! Thanks for hanging in there with me along the way friends.
28 responses to “Square in a Square Block”
I like what I see.
I like what I see.
Interesting technique. I’ve never had a pattern with instructions that the block be made larger in order to trim. I certainly would like that better. No matter how careful you are, they always seem to come out woblely! You challenge is looking lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting technique. I’ve never had a pattern with instructions that the block be made larger in order to trim. I certainly would like that better. No matter how careful you are, they always seem to come out woblely! You challenge is looking lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Pretty blocks and perfect piecing! I can’t wait for the big reveal!
Pretty blocks and perfect piecing! I can’t wait for the big reveal!
I love the fabrics! What fabric line is that? I can’t wait to see what you’re making.
As for the blocks…I love the “cut it big and whack it off” technique. A lot of people are concerned about wasting fabric, but it’s really not that much. Besides that, the blocks turn out perfectly squared! And, most important, the points aren’t hiding! (Some people say they are there, they are just hiding, which is true, but I like for mine to show!)
I “square up” everything I do. I was watching Fons and Porter this weekend on PBS. They said they don’t believe in squaring up; cutting perfectly and sewing perfectly should mean not having to square up. Well, I don’t agree. I use it as a gauge to see if I need to make some adjustments.
I love the fabrics! What fabric line is that? I can’t wait to see what you’re making.
As for the blocks…I love the “cut it big and whack it off” technique. A lot of people are concerned about wasting fabric, but it’s really not that much. Besides that, the blocks turn out perfectly squared! And, most important, the points aren’t hiding! (Some people say they are there, they are just hiding, which is true, but I like for mine to show!)
I “square up” everything I do. I was watching Fons and Porter this weekend on PBS. They said they don’t believe in squaring up; cutting perfectly and sewing perfectly should mean not having to square up. Well, I don’t agree. I use it as a gauge to see if I need to make some adjustments.
I finally found a moment to post mine! So hard for me to share a tease and not give it away with my small quilt! I am dying to see yours! I love it so far!
I finally found a moment to post mine! So hard for me to share a tease and not give it away with my small quilt! I am dying to see yours! I love it so far!
thank you for the tips about doing these blocks .Ilove what you have done so far and can`t wait to see it all togther .
thank you for the tips about doing these blocks .Ilove what you have done so far and can`t wait to see it all togther .
Loving it more each week. The blocks look so crisp. Can’t wait to see more.
Loving it more each week. The blocks look so crisp. Can’t wait to see more.
Nicole i love what you are doing i tried to send you an email but could not work it out I have a little something for you but need address to send it to if you could email it to ne that would be great
Mary
Nicole i love what you are doing i tried to send you an email but could not work it out I have a little something for you but need address to send it to if you could email it to ne that would be great
Mary
The fabrics all look so pretty and the white just sets them off so nicely.
The fabrics all look so pretty and the white just sets them off so nicely.
What pretty blocks – I am enjoying watching the progress of your quilt ….. I also like to make blocks bigger and then trim them down – somehow it’s always neater and more accurate that way.
What pretty blocks – I am enjoying watching the progress of your quilt ….. I also like to make blocks bigger and then trim them down – somehow it’s always neater and more accurate that way.
Can’t wait to see more of the quilt. Thanks for the tips. Square in a Square is one of my favourites.
Can’t wait to see more of the quilt. Thanks for the tips. Square in a Square is one of my favourites.
I can’t wait to see more!!! Loving your sq in a sqs too. I supersize my triangles so I can square up too. Besides… the dog ears have to be whacked off any way… much better to make one clean slice!
I can’t wait to see more!!! Loving your sq in a sqs too. I supersize my triangles so I can square up too. Besides… the dog ears have to be whacked off any way… much better to make one clean slice!
The fabrics are so appealing! I just want to grab the blocks up and hug them. =)
The fabrics are so appealing! I just want to grab the blocks up and hug them. =)
I always hated making a block like that because it was never “right”. Now I always oversize the triangles – even if the directions aren’t printed that way – and trim. Just like I trim all my half-square triangle squares to size. Takes a little longer but eliminates a huge number of headaches! This fabric is SO pretty – I can hardly wait to see the finished projects you three come up with!
I always hated making a block like that because it was never “right”. Now I always oversize the triangles – even if the directions aren’t printed that way – and trim. Just like I trim all my half-square triangle squares to size. Takes a little longer but eliminates a huge number of headaches! This fabric is SO pretty – I can hardly wait to see the finished projects you three come up with!