Friday 27 July 2012

{QAL} Susannah Block Tutorial

Welcome to the first block tutorial as part of our How Far Will You Go? QAL!



The first block we will be making is called Susannah. This tutorial will make a 10 1/2" block unfinished (so it will be 10" finished).

This is a fairly straightforward block. It is effectively a four patch block, each 'patch' consisting of a two-patch unit and a half-flying geese unit.

All seams are sewn with a scant 1/4" seam. If you're not sure about the accuracy of your seams, please refer to this post for some tips and tricks on getting an accurate seam allowance.

Cutting:



You will need to cut the following from your fabrics:
  • Eight 3" squares of background fabric
  • Four 3" x 5.5" rectangles of Fabric 1 (the orange blockprint blossom here)
  • Four 3" squares of Fabric 2 (the aqua circular design here)

Making the Half-Geese Units:



I made up the name for these so I'm not sure if that's what they're actually called... but they are effectively a one-sided flying geese units. 

Start by taking four of your background fabric 3" squares and drawing a line diagonally through each of them.



Then, place one of your background squares on top of one of your Fabric 1 rectangles, carefully lining up three of the edges.


Sew along the drawn line:


Trim 1/4" away from your seam as below:


Press your seams as desired.


Repeat this process for the remaining three sets of rectangles and background squares.

Making the Two Patch Units:

Take your four squares of Fabric 2, and the remaining four background squares. Pair each of the background squares with a Fabric 2 square.


Sew each of your pairs together, and press. You should now have four 2-patch units like this:


Putting the Block Together:

You will need to pair each of your 2-patch units with a half-flying geese unit as per below. When you sew these together, make sure the background triangle is on the opposite side to the background square (as shown in this photo). 


Sew these together, and press your seams.


You'll end up with four units as above. 

Arrange your four units as shown (yes there was some frogging involved here ;o):


Sew each half together in pairs:


And then sew the two halves together:


And ta-da! You have a finished Susannah block! If you are making the full twin sized quilt as is, you will need to make two of these blocks. My other version is this:



Hopefully this makes sense - if you have any questions at all leave a comment here or email me directly and I'll get back to you!



I would love to see your version of the block - please upload any finished blocks to the Flickr group :o)

x Jess

22 comments:

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

Fantastic Jess!

Charlotte said...

lovely block! And I am giggling at the frogging - nice to have some reality thrown in ;-)

Cille said...

Wonderful block... Now I'm really tempted to join when I get back from vacation.

Katy Cameron said...

Cool effect, kind of like an inside out snowball :oD

Annabella said...

Looks great - I am so low on solids but shall see what I have and try and join in. Lovely blocks!

Rosa said...

Fantastic block!

Kati from Kati's Quilting said...

Beautiful block, I love it!

Marissa said...

Love it! And out looks so simple!

Marissa said...

*it

barcord said...

cant wait to get started. Lovely block.

Cherie said...

Wow the block is simpler than I thought! =D

Nessa said...

A great tutorial! I have made 2 blocks and have loaded them to Flickr. I love the simplicity of this block.

Just thought I'd mention that when making the half geese units it really MATTERS that all diagonals are going the same way. Sounds basic I know, but I had to unpick units of both blocks because it did not work. AND I ended up with a left handed and a right handed block, if blocks are handed? I'd be interested to hear if anyone else runs into this strife or if I am just a bit mad!

Nessa said...

A great tutorial! I have made 2 blocks and have loaded them to Flickr. I love the simplicity of this block.

Just thought I'd mention that when making the half geese units it really MATTERS that all diagonals are going the same way. Sounds basic I know, but I had to unpick units of both blocks because it did not work. AND I ended up with a left handed and a right handed block, if blocks are handed? I'd be interested to hear if anyone else runs into this strife or if I am just a bit mad!

barcord said...

I have made one susannah block. Really enjoyed making it, but had to do a leeetle unpicking because I didnt concentrate. I am sold on pressing seams open. My block may get a partner, but on a wee break next three days with my girls so no sewing. Hoping not to be dawdling behind by this time next week.

Lucy | Charm About You said...

Love it! Made my two!
I found it came together better when I didn't use a scant seam for putting the four smaller blocks together, if that makes sense! Not sure why but my points matched up nicer :)

elnorac said...

Love, love, love this block, and your tutorial is beautifully written! Must try it.

Jennifer said...

jess, for the throw size, is it just one of each of the blocks? i've been seeing people making 2 - is that for the larger bed size?

Jennifer said...

jess, for the throw size, is it just one of each of the blocks? i've been seeing people making 2 - is that for the larger bed size?

Marissa said...

Don't know what happened but my block came out a a 10" unfinished block. Looks good though.

Mrs.Pickles said...

just came across this qal...great blocks!!

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