Little Ms. Sew-Unsew: It's that time again!

It's the first of May, which means it's time to share the plan for my next do.Good Stitches quilt. I'm embarrassed to say that I have not yet quilted the last quilt I made for the group, but I intend to remedy that situation this month. Must get that quilt finished before the May blocks start rolling in!

If you've read my blog (or have seen my Flickr or Instagram stream), you'll know that I'm drawn to vintage things. Whilst perusing pictures of vintage and antique quilts on the web, I came across this lovely quilt. A search for "rising sun quilt block" turned up similar blocks, but not the exact one used in this quilt.

After a little digging, I found that the block itself goes by a few names- Delectable Mountains, Sawtooth and Kansas Troubles (and each of these blocks have other incarnations). Sawtooth sounds a little sharp-ish, and I’m hesitant to use the word “troubles” in a gift destined for a child via the Wrap Them in Love Foundation. Delectable Mountains is whimsical and pleasing to the ear. Perfect for a child's quilt!

Below is the palette I've chosen for this quilt: bright orange, blue (ocean, sky, navy) and white/off white. The blues are a departure from the green-tinged blues I normally use.

Below, I’m sharing the method I used to construct this block. To my Love Circle friends, please make three blocks- one orange, one blue, and the third block in your choice of either orange or blue.

Delectable Mountains Tutorial

Materials needed:

Rotary Cutter

Quilter's Ruler

Cutting Mat
Pencil
Pins

Fabric:

Main color (in this case blue)

(1) 6 ⅞” square, cut corner-to-corner to make two triangles (you will only need one)

(5) 2 ½” squares- please feel free to use a mix of prints for variety!

Background color (in this case white/off-white solids or subtle prints with a white or off-white bkgd)

(1) 9 ⅞” square, cut corner-to corner to make two triangles (you will only need one)

(4) 2 ½” squares- again, varied white/off-white fabrics are welcome!

(1) 2” square

All seams are ¼”

Make the half square triangles

Pair up the four light 2 ½” squares with four of the blue 2 ½” squares (you will have one extra lue square to be used later). With right sides facing, pin them together and lightly mark a line down the center from corner to corner on the back of the light colored fabric. Alternatively, you could draw two sewing lines ¼” from either side of an imaginary corner-to-corner line.

If you marked a corner-to-corner line down the center, sew a line 1/4" to the left and to the right of the line using your presser foot as a guide.

If you marked the two sewing lines, sew your seams on top of these lines.

Cut the squares down the center between the two seam lines using your ruler and rotary cutter. Repeat step for all 2 ½” squares (I speed cut mine by stacking and cutting multiple squares at once). You should have eight hst's.

Press the newly sewn hst's open and trim the dog-ears. eta- the hst's should be trimmed to 2" square. (Thanks for the feedback Ara Jane!)

Lay four hst's in a row with the blues on the bottom left (see photo on the left). Lay the remaining four hst's in a row, this time with the blues on the bottom right. With rights sides facing, pin the hst's in pairs, (see photo on the right). Sew the pairs together, then press open.

Repeat the previous steps with the newly made hst units above so that you have two strips of hst's.

Cut the remaining 2 ½” blue square from corner to corner, making two triangles (below left). Lay them next to the two hst strips as shown below (right). Pin the blue triangles to the hst strips, right sides facing and aligned at the top. Sew together, then press and trim.