Chasing the Sun - Clue 8 - The Big Reveal

OH MY GOSH!  We are here!  It's Reveal Week!  Are you excited?  Can you just work down the page without peeking ahead or are you already scrolling down?  I am so thrilled with this quilt and LOVE the way it has turned out.  Now it's your turn to finish your beauty.  Let's get started.

Cutting:  (Don't forget to mix it up if doing scrappy)

Lavender (color 6):  IF SCRAPPY:  Cut 2 - 3 1/2" squares and then subcut in half diagonally to have half square triangles (HST's).  You will have two waste triangles. (Or use whatever method you wish to cut 2 HST's.)

Lavender (color 6):  IF CONSTANT:  From a leftover 3 1/2" strip, cut 1 - 3 1/2" square.  Then cut in half diagonally, leaving you two triangles.

REPEAT THIS ENTIRE LAVENDER PROCESS WITH PURPLE (color 7) - You will need two lavender triangles AND two purple ones.

Purple (color 7):  EVERYONE:  Subcut 4 - 1 1/2" x 10" strips from your 1 1/2" strips.
Purple (color 7):  IF SCRAPPY:  Cut 4 - 3 1/2" x 10" bricks
Purple (color 7):  IF CONSTANT:  Cut 1 - 3 1/2" strip and then subcut into 4 - 3 1/2" x 10" bricks.
Black (color 8):  EVERYONE:  Subcut 4 - 1 1/2" x 10" strips from your 1 1/2" strips.

Black (color 8):  IF SCRAPPY:  Cut 4 - 6" squares and then subcut in half diagonally to have half square triangles (HST's).  You will have four waste triangles. (Or use whatever method you wish to cut 4 HST's.)

Black (color 8):  IF CONSTANT:  Cut 2 - 6" squares.  Then cut in half diagonally, netting you a total of four triangles.



Picket Corner Block D (make 4):

Using your E, F, and H units layout as shown with the small white square OPPOSITE the large purple one.

Sew the F unit to the H unit first.

Press out and add the E unit.

You only have the corner seam to match up --- this should be easy peasy for everyone if your measurements were correct when making the units.

Your Block D's should measure 5 1/2" square.  I have my fingers crossed for you.  (Yes, I managed to photo this a different direction BUT I have moved it so that the orientation is the same for the whole section.  Yay me.

Love the little Picket Corner Blocks -- my scrappy and constant ones --- love, love, love them.

Unit G (make 1):

Using your unit G, we are going to build it up a bit.  Using purple and lavender, we are going to repeat the same thing we did in Clue 5.  NO NO NO there are not white corners.  The graphic just shows that way on my yellow blog background.

With the red corner on the right, add the first lavender triangle to your Unit G - centering the lavender triangle with the center of the unit as shown.

Finger press out and then repeat with the opposite side using the second lavender triangle.

This is what your unit should look like before you trim the dog ears and after:

Repeat the same process with the purple triangles.  Oh, I thought I would show a trick that I do here - yeah I know -- perhaps I could have given this tidbit back in clue 5 but this is just how my brain works.  I RARELY sew with the new, smaller piece on the bottom BUT in this case if you do, you can watch and make sure you are not chopping off points.  It's a simple thing really and most likely all of you have already been doing this all along.  For me, it was an AH-HA moment the first time I thought of it.

After pressing and trimming, your unit should measure 4 3/4" square.  Oh stop the sighing.  I hate these odd sizes as much as you do BUT I hate cutting strange sizes even more.

Yay -- lovely Unit G's - one scrappy, one constant

Oops -- we are not finished with this unit yet.  Now to add the black.

Using the exact same process as before, add the black triangles.  Press.  ATTENTION:  The center will be floating in this block.  When you trim, there will be more than just your seam allowance around the  center.  This block measure 8 1/2" after trimming --- center your unit on the 4 1/4" mark - you can do it.

Don't these just make that center POP.  It is called a Monkey Wrench Block, but I have altered it a bit by making the center float.

Have you already figured out that it is your center medallion?  Yep, I like medallion quilts.

Okay - the graphics are now gone.  It's just more than my brain cells can handle today to create new ones.  I think we can do it from here with just pictures.  Let's go find those Unit C strips - remember these?  Using the 10" bricks you cut above we are going to make the connecting units.

Sew one 1 1/2" x 10" purple to a matching black lengthwise, just as we did when me made the original units.  Repeat 4 times.  They should measure 2 1/2" x 10".

Now add the 3 1/2" purple bricks to the black strip.

These should now measure 5 1/2" x 10".  It's kind of important that they do.

Constant and Scrappy:  (You should have a total of four units)

These are now going to connect the strips.  You will have two that face each direction as shown.  With your picket corners from the beginning of this clue, layout two sets of strips as shown:

The other two sets of strips will layout without picket corners as shown"

And here is your set of four: (no, my strips are not wavy, I'm just lazy today)

Once you have them sewn, set them aside for now.  

We have one more piece of prep to take care of.  Do you know where those 2" black strips are that you cut AGES ago?  Go get them and sew them end to end in one long strip.  Yep, that's all there is to that.  (You can sew straight end to end OR diagonal - whichever makes your heart happy.)

It's time to set the middle and guess what?  It's just a giant NINE PATCH.  Woohoo.  Here's your layout:

If you are underwhelmed, don't be.  It's the borders that REALLY make this quilt.  I promise.  I webbed my nine-patch just like I do with all the others and wow -- it looks so cool.

Now to add a fun black inner border.  Layout your top somewhere and gently place your black strip down the center of it and cut even with the edge.  Repeat with a second strip.

Simply flip these over and move to the sides and pin down.  YES, I dislike pins.  I RARELY use them. However, I dislike wavy borders even more.  Save yourself some agony and pin them on.  Press out.  Now repeat the process going the opposite direction for your top and bottom borders.  Make sure to include the side borders (i.e. -- make sure they are pressed out).

Move to the upper and lower edges then PIN into place. Sew and press.

It's time to add the outer borders.  Layout with the short strips on the sides and the ones with the picket corners on the top and bottom.  All the black lines should line up.

AGAIN --- PIN so that you don't wind up with too much or too little at the end.  They SHOULD fit if all your measurements are right.  IF THEY DON'T --- don't panic.  You can make any necessary changes in the purple blocks in the center of each strip.  Sew the sides on.

Now add the top and bottom strips and guess what?  Your center is complete!!!!  Don't you just love it?  See, I told you the borders make this quilt.  Even mine, with all it's wonky wonder looks good.  Here is my constant version:

And the scrappy one:

Hmmm -- I'm betting you want to see the finished product right?  Thank you Allison Bayer and Debi Kendrick for all the effort you made to help me on this.  I appreciate it so very much.  I'll have the pictures of theirs tomorrow.

My Constant Front - Quilted by Allison Bayer - pattern is Lyrical

And the back

My Scrappy - quilted by myself with my own sunset panto

And the back

Well, that's it.  Another mystery is in the books.  I hope you had a great time and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE share with us what you have finished.  Just tag me, Deb Singer-Hayter, in any of the following groups:  Our Quilt World, Chasing the Sun Quilt Mystery, Texas Quilter's Group, Quilting, Quilting Bee, Friendship Quilting Group, Quilt Guild, or Quilting and Sewing Enthusiasts.  I so want to see how yours turns out as well.

Hugs to all,

Deb