BOW #49 Storm at Sea

Storm at Sea has many pieces, but it creates a very nice effect when combined with other Storm blocks.

For a 12" finished block you'll need:

(4) 1:1 isosceles triangles, Dark
(1) 5-1/2" Dark square, cut twice diagonally (Quarter Square Triangles)
(1) 3-1/4" Dark square, cut twice diagonally (Quarter Square Triangles)
(4)  2-3/4" x 5-3/8" Light rectangles, cut diagonally once
(1) 4-1/2" Medium square
(1) 2-1/2" Medium square
(2) 4-7/8" squares Medium, cut once diagonally (Half Square Triangles)
(2) 2-7/8" squares Light, cut once diagonally (Half Square Triangles)

You'll make 1 each of 2 sizes of Square In a Square units:

4-1/2" Medium square, Dark Quarter Squares Triangles from 5-1/4" squares, and Medium Half Square Triangles:

2-1/2" Medium square, Dark Quarter Square Triangles from 3-1/4" squares, and Light Half Square Triangles:

Use the Dark isosceles triangles and light Half-Rectangles to make 4 units:

Then combine two of them to create a long unit (make 2):

And put it all together:

A straight, horizontal set makes the traditional Storm at Sea quilt:

Or, you can rotate blocks to create an entirely different look:

Try some other rotation combinations--and have fun with a Storm at Sea!

BOW #48 House

There are many house (and Schoolhouse) blocks; this one has curtains at the windows!  There are quite a few pieces, so we'll show how to put pieces together into units, that can then be sewn together into the block (which will finish at 12".)

For this block  you will need the following pieces:
(1) Quarter Square Triangle (made from 7-1/4" square, cut twice diagonally (brown, in the sample)
(5) rectangles, 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" (red)
(4) rectangles 2-1/2" x 7-1/2" (red)
(2) rectangles 2-1/2" x 5-1/2" (background; these are at the very top of the block, around chimney)
(2) 3-1/2" Half Square Triangles (background); (you would have started with 3-7/8" squares)
(1) rectangle 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" (background; this is the door)
(3) 1:1 isosceles triangles, from 2-1/2" strips (background; these are the insides of the windows)
(1) square 2-1/2" (brown; this is the chimney)
(1) 45 degree parallelogram (brown, main part of roof)
(6) Half True Triangles, from 1-3/4" x 3-3/8" rectangles, cut once diagonally (brown; these are the curtains)

Piece in sections, as shown here:

And put the sections together to make the block:

You can set these with a sashing between rows, to simulate roads between the houses--which are very close together, so in an urban setting, I guess!

Or, you can make them suburban, and add vertical sashing to give everyone side yards:

I think this would be fun to do as a scrap quilt, so the houses don't look so much like identical condos but more individual houses.  And, you could make some of the houses with curtains, and some not.

BOW #47 Snail's Trail

This is a block that is intriguing by itself, but when put together with other of the same block...well, to me it's like magic!

You can make it as a two color block/quilt, which is what we'll do here, but you can also make it as a 3- or even 4-color block.

For a 12" block you'll need:
LIGHT fabric:
(2) 2" squares
(1) 4-1/4" square, cut diagonally (you'll use just 2 of these for one block)
(1) 3-7/8" square, cut in half once diagonally
(1) 7-14" square, cut in half twice diagonally (you'll use just 2 of these for one block)
(1) 6-7/8" square, cut in half diagonally

DARK fabric:
(2) 2" squares
(1) 4-1/4" square, cut diagonally (you'll use just 2 of these for one block)

(1) 3-7/8" square, cut in half once diagonally
(1) 7-14" square, cut in half twice diagonally (you'll use just 2 of these for one block)
(1) 6-7/8" square, cut in half diagonally

You're going to build the block from the center out:
1) Piece a 4 patch, using the 2" squares

 From this point on, you'll be building out with triangles, as you did with the Square-in-a-Square. (This is a square-in a square-in a square-in-a square in a square!)

2) Add a light triangle cut from the 4-1/4" square to one side of the 4-patch, making sure the light square on that side of the 4patch is on the left side of the hypotenuse (long side) of the triangle.  Sew another light triangle from the 4-1/4" square on the opposite side.

3) Add a dark triangle cut from a 4-1/4" square on one of the other sides of the 4-patch, and another on the opposite side.

Continue to add triangles in this fashion, using triangles in this order (and being careful the side on which you sew the first triangle--when the triangle you are adding is at the top/north, the triangle of the same color on the previous round will be on the left; consult diagram of completed block below, if necessary):
4) light, then dark, triangles cut from 3-7/8" squares
5) light, then dark, triangles cut from 7-1/4" squares
6) light, then dark, triangles cut from 6-7/8" squares

If you put the squares together in a straight set, it looks all right

or you can turn every block in each row:

Or, you can turn them until the outer triangles of the same color all meet, to make the classic design:

This is a wonderful, classic!

BOW #46 Cake Stand

Cake Stand is one of the many variations in basket blocks, most of which are "on point," or diagonal orientation.   It would make a wonderful reproduction quilt.

For a 12" finished block, you will need:
(1) 6-1/2" HST (Half Square Triangle) unit, light/dark
(6) 3-1/2" HST units, light/dark
(2) 3-1/2" light squares
(2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" light rectangles

Arrange as shown, starting with the large HST in the center and working your way out:

This is a lovely, old-fashioned looking block that would make a beautiful reproduction quilt--either 30s or Civil War--or as a two-color quilt (blue and white would be perfect!)

You could alternate this with other 16-patch (4x4 grid) but I like it just by itself:

or, better still, paired with just plain alternating blocks.. A sawtooth border (made with HSTs) is the perfect border.