Fabri-Quilt Block blog hop

Hi,

it's my turn on the Fabri-Quilt Blog Hop - a little late due to a delay in my computer getting fixed and some software issues when it returned!  Anyway, here's my block

Simple Scrappy Block

I wanted to make a block that would tessellate, and be as suitable with lots and lots of colours as with just 6!  Put this together with some more blocks, and it will form pinwheels, and also some little Broken Dish units to give structure to all the scrappy mayhem!

Firstly, pick out two colours for the half square triangles - I chose the darkest (dark blue) and lightest (white).  From these fabrics cut 2 x 3”7/8 squares. On the light fabric, draw a diagonal line on the back of each square.

 Offset the ruler slightly so that when you draw your line, it will go exactly from corner to corner!

Put this right sides together with your dark fabric and sew a quarter of an inch away from the line:

on each side of the drawn line:

See how I have something sewn just before feeding this in?  This will stop the machine from munching on the corner that you are feeding in.

When sewn, cut on the drawn line:

 set your seam (so press it as is)

 then press open.

 Setting the seam means it will then open (or indeed press to either side) without having to pull at it.
Trim off the dog ears:

 And that's the corners made! 

Now, the block requires 36 2" squares.  As I have 4 other fabrics, I can cut 9 of each.  If you are doing a scrappy block, they could be all different!  In addition to the 2" squares, you will also need 6 x 2”3/8 squares, as well as 3 x 2" 3/8 squares of both the white and the dark blue fabrics. Make 12 half square triangle units.

Now it's time to arrange them!  Take care with the orientation of the small half square triangles on the edge - you want these to combine with other blocks to make a Broken Dish - that's the same as what's in the very centre.

Starting with the short rows between the corner units, sew into rows.

 Press the seams on one row towards the left, and the other row towards the right.  Sew the rows together, nesting the seams.  This is what I mean:

 making sure the squares meet in the middle.  You can use your fingers to gently push them together until they butt up against each other.  Pin (I always pin on the side that feeds into the machine last; this helps to keep them meeting.  On a bulky seam, I pin both sides) and sew.

Press this seam open to reduce bulk, and sew a corner unit to each end.  Repeat for the other end of the block.  Sew all remaining rows together, and press open.  Hey presto, a really easy block!

I hope you like this little block and this Blog Hop!  Thank you so much to Fabri-Quilt, our sponsors, and the lovely lovely ladies at the 2015 New Bloggers who have arranged this and spent so much time and effort on it.  I'm off now to catch up on all the other blocks that have been posted!