Swoon block tutorial

This tutorial is for those of you who have joined the swoon block swap I’m hosting this summer

(sorry it’s closed now)- but you can always just make your own

I’m not listing fabric requirements, as you’ll make all your blocks different, but a FQ of the 3 colors is plenty. Or just cut into your yardage…

With my background color, I cut a 5 3/4” WOF strip

Sub cut into (20) 2 7/8” triangles (first squares, then cut at a diagonal)

here you’ll see I had the strip of fabric double layered, then from the 5 3/4 WOF I sub-cut into 2 7/8” sections 3 times and sub-cut those into 2 7/8” squares and cut at a diagonal.

You’ll also need (4) 2 1/2” squares

(4) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” rectangles

and (4) triangles from a 5 1/4” square cut diagonally TWICE!

For the 5 1/4” square I opened up the remainder of the WOF strip and just cut ONE 5 1/4” square.

So hardly any waste.

From the “star and points” fabric you’ll also cut a 5 3/4” WOF strip.

sub cut in the same way into (24) 2 7/8” triangles (squares cut at a diagonal)

and (1) 4 1/2” square

From the “house” fabric also cut a 5 3/4” WOF strip

sub-cut into (12) 2 7/8” triangles

(4) 2 1/2” squares

(4) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” rectangles

and (4) triangles from a 5 1/4” square cut diagonally TWICE!

You can follow the picture of the block above or do it like I did it

I laid out the 4 geese (x2) units like this- 4 with background color and star fabric as wings and the other 4 from the “house” fabric and background fabric for wings.

Also sew 4 sets of the 2 1/2” squares together (background and “house fabric)

Then 8 sets of HST from the “star” and background fabrics

8 HST from the “star” and “house” fabrics

and 4 of the background and “house” fabrics

Here’s the first step done.

and DON”T FORGET TO CUT OFF THE DOG EARS!! – it makes it so much easier and neater to sew!

Then finish the geese and sew the 4 corner units together with the rectangle background piece

Also sew the “diamond” units together like this, in sets of 4, mirror opposites of each other.

I like to iron toward the way of LEAST resistance, otherwise I iron toward the dark

Now lay out the block and sew the diamond sections to the sides of the corner sections, the house rectangles to the bottom of the geese units and stars on the center star by sewing one geese to the side of it and the remaining HST to the sides of 2 of the geese as shown.

(isn’t it just easier to look at the picture??)

Continue to work in rows

And VOILA! the block is done!

16 1/2” finished

(I hope Becky likes this block, because I didn’t have any Halloween fabrics but thought the colors would work- let me know, and I can change it if needed)

Only 15 more to go- we’re making 2 for each person, not including ourselves.

If you would rather have a PDF with cutting directions from EQ, click here!

Here’s the participants and their color choices
1Becky: Halloween blocks,
White / beige / very light grey background

2Bea:Christmas colors!

White – Not beige or tang- but can have Christmas colors as part of it for Background color – so maybe white with red dots or green dots or plain white or white on white.

Star and points – Red- bright red, again it can be a Christmas print- no santa though and not burgundy, but bright red or print.

“house” part of the blocks – Green, again bright green or Christmas print.

Try not to have the whole block solid! It’s okay that one fabric is a solid.

3Diane: a cream background .. would prefer something like
a cream on cream or white on cream type fabric .. but any pale cream will be
fine …

for the other parts I would like red and green
Christmas fabric .. in any combination .. choice of  which parts are red
which green for the person making it to decide .. would ask for just red
and green please…. no blue or silver or gold colours

4Kylie: I would love aqua and red
combinations with a white background

Aqua – stars, Red –
houses on one and opposite on the other.

5Sandie: I would
like a low volume print background and red solid ‘houses’.  The stars
& points can be

block
makers choice~ any bright print that coordinates is fine.

I am going to redo one of the girls’ rooms as a guest room
in the next few months.

6Nancy:I think this would make a lovely quilt to use in decorating
the room. 

I would choose the background color to be a light beige. 

The house units a blue-green and the star a coral
color. 

EQ sent in file.

 

7Shar: Background:  maize to meringue
                
light yellow
   House shapes:  stay closer to cerise but can go to berry
(just a little too dark)
    Points and center star:  olive to artichoke.

I used Kona color swatches to get the colors of the fabric
that I have picked to make mine in.  So the names are Kona colors. 
Here are my color choices. I picked a little range because some times it is
hard to find the exact color that someone wants so I want to show everyone the
way to go.  I hope that helps if it doesn’t take the first color. Picture attached in email.

8Laura:I would like a white background, bright turquoise stars and
points and then navy blue “houses”

9Andi:I
would like patriotic colors in any combination of red, white, blue and
yellow-gold.

I
would like the block stove mixed, so some can have white. Background, or red or
blue . I’m flexible, just glad to participate!

 

Have fun! and feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I know there’s a few who keep emailing me that they signed up, but you are NO-REPLY blogger, so I have no way of reaching you. Sorry 🙁