The Beginnings Quilt Along Block 4 - Hovering Hawks

Hey Everyone,

Are you ready for block 4? I love this block.

 The Beginnings QAL (printable PDF)

Free Quilting for Beginners

Block 4 Hovering Hawks (8" Finished)

 

I think I mentioned back in the beginning that all of these blocks are from quilts that I made in the first couple years that I was quilting. This one holds a special place in my heart because it is a block that was in a baby quilt that I made for a friend when I lived in Germany.

If you are using the Cricut Maker to cut your blocks with my cut files all of your pieces are already cut and marked for you. Have I mentioned how much I love that machine lately?

Here is the video that I made to support this block. Really the videos are short and I think a really good way to learn these techniques.

If you haven't watched the one for the pinwheel yet. I think you really should. It shows how to properly square up a half square triangle block.

For One Block (that is what you need for the quilt)

Cut:

3 – 3” squares of Lighter Focus Fabric

2 – 3” squares of Darker Focus Fabric

2- 2 ½” squares of Darker Focus Fabric

5- 3” squares of Background Fabric

4 – 2 ½” squares of Background Fabric

Instuctions:

1. Mark the back of each of your 3” background squares with a diagonal line from corner to corner. Just as we did with the Friendship Star. 

2. Place one focus fabric square right side together with one background square matching all the edges.

 
3. Pin on either side of the diagonal line far enough away to allow the presser foot to pass down either side of the line. This is just to keep the fabrics from shifting. 

4. Using your ¼” foot sew ¼” away from the diagonal line on the left. If you have a foot with an edge for the ¼” you might want to adjust your presser foot pressure so that it is lighter. This will keep your foot from making your fabric shift.

         5. Go ahead and chain piece the second set of squares by repeating step 3 and 4. 

         6.  Turn the blocks around and sew a ¼” seam on the opposite side of each of the diagonal lines. 

         7. Cut apart each square at the diagonal line. And press to the dark side.

 

  8.  Square up each block to 2 ½”. 

9. Lay out the light HSTs so that they look like the picture below. I think of them as butterflies. Make your points go toward each other. Lay out the 2 ½ background squared in a diagonal to fill in.

(Note: I like to lay out my block on my ruler so it is easier to carry it to my sewing machine and I don’t get the pieces mixed up when transporting it)

10.  Finish laying out the blocks like the picture below. The Dark HSTs point toward the center and the two 2 ½” squares of the darker fabrics finish it off.

          11. Sew your rows together just like you did with the nine patch block. (pattern on the blog) Press the top row to the left, the second row to the right, the third row to the left, and the bottom row to the right.

         12. Put a pin through the points to hold them together and nestle your seams,  pin on each side of the seam. Just as we have been doing. Also pin at the end of the seam so the pieces don’t shift.

        13.   Start your seam. When you get to about an inch from the center of the block where your points are going to match up slow down. You want your seam to go right where those three seams make a point where you had your center pin. Be very slow and careful there. I used grey thread so you can see better. 

        14.Open and have a look… if the points aren’t perfect and they are too wide, meaning they cut off the point, pick out the seam and try again. If the points are there but there is too much space then just sew your seam a little wider. You only need to pick out a few stitches right in the middle to fix it.  Press well. The block should be 8 ½” unfinished.

I hope you had fun making this block. I will have two more assignments for you before the end of the month.

Love,