Autumn Splendor - Clue 6

Ahhh, living with hardwoods at this time of year is just calming.  All the gorgeous colors running amok in the backyard just make my heart so very happy.  I think what they say about certain colors for certain people is true.  I am a redhead and naturally drawn to oranges, browns, golds, etc.  Nature provides them to me each autumn and it has always been my favorite season.

This week, those are the colors we will be playing with and as I am once again at retreat, I am hoping that I will be able to walk in the woods and along the river, experiencing some myself as well.  My fingers are crossed.

Doesn't this just make you want to stare up for a very long time?  Hello October!  Enjoy the weekend with a little time outdoors even if it is just on your porch.

So . . . drumroll please . . .   We are building blocks once again this week.  It is another SIMPLE week regarding cutting.  The end is sneaking right up on us.  Per usual, please read all the way to the bottom before starting.  Questions are always welcome, but sometimes a thorough reading will also answer them.

Cutting: Here are some notes before cutting:    Always check your leftovers BEFORE you start cutting.  Depending on the size of quilt you are making, you may be able to use some up.  Notice that all we are cutting are squares.  Lots of bits and pieces can get used.

All strips are assumed to be WOF (width of fabric).

Full Size:

Color 3 (Brown) - 1 1/2 (one and one-half) 2" strips - you may have leftover from your small HST's

Color 5 (Neutrals) - 3(three) - 3 1/2" strips AND 4 1/2(four and one-half) - 2" strips (you can also use leftover 3 1/2" strips so check, check, check).  BEFORE you cut, look at the number of units you will need so that you can adjust with scraps and leftovers.

Smaller Size:

Color 3 (Brown) - 1 (one) - 2" strip

Color 5 (Neutral) - 2 (two) - 3 1/2" strips - cut many of your bricks from these as well AND 1(one) - 2" strip.  Cut an additional 2" strip to finish only if needed after checking leftovers.  BEFORE you cut, look at the number of units you will need so that you can adjust with scraps.

First up is the neutral strips.

Subcut the 3 1/2" strips into 3 1/2"s squares.  You will need 34 squares for the large size and 18 for the small size.

Subcut SOME of the 2" strips into 2 x 3 1/2" bricks.  (for the large it took me 3 strips).  You will need 34 bricks for the large size and 18 for the small size.

It's time to sew.  Here are the next two units and they are indeed different from each other.

Unit 17a - Make 17 (large)/9 (small)

Unit 17b - Make 17 (large)/9 (small)

With the remaining brown/neutral 2" strips, sew strips together along the length.

Your strips should now measure 3 1/2"

I now lay one strip on top of the other as shown.

Subcut into 2" bricks.  The large requires 34 and the small needs 18.

And there ya have it.

Gather those neutral bricks you cut earlier.  Your units will lay out as shown here:  The brown/neutral brick on the right for half and on the left for the other half.   That means 17 of each for the large and 9 of each for the small.

Sew together and your units should measure 3 1/2" square.  It's a familiar size by now, right?

Easy peasy.  I pressed towards the brick.

Yep, I flipped the picture again.  No worries.  Now set these aside for now.

For the next part you will need the 3 1/2" squares you just cut and the Unit 6's from Clue 3.

Lay them out as shown.

And stitch them up.  Yep, I chained again.

One part of today's block.  You should have 17 strips for the large size and 9 for the small one.  I pressed towards the solid squares.

Unit 18 - make 17 (large)/9 (small)

Locate  your units 13 and 15.

Layout as shown: (my flips kept popping up so the scissors are holding in place for the photo)

When you stitch this seam, the gold and orange seams should nest AND the HST seams at the top should match.  Stitch away.

Your little brown square should appear and the unit's measure is . . . can you guess?  That's right -- 3 1/2" square.

Continue on until all are made.  Press seams open.

Now for those Unit 17 a and b that you made above.  Grab them and this is your layout with the newly made Unit 18.  Watch those brown squares -- they need to be opposite and in the lower inside corners.

These are easy seams.  Nothing to match up -- they go together quick.  End result is 17 strips for the large and 9 for the small.  I pressed towards the brown.

Now you need those 14 a&b and 16 a &b units made in Clue 5.

First up is Unit 19.

Unit 19 - make 17 (large)/9 (small)

Lets start with 14a and 16a.

Layout as shown and stitch together, again nesting the orange and golds AND the orange and brown at the bottom, in addition to the center seams on the HST's.

They should measure 3 1/2" x 5".  If you're on, keep on sewing.

Love these so much.  Press those seams open.

Moving on -

Unit 20 - make 17(large)/9 (small)

Now, find units 14b and 16b.

Layout as shown:

Sew exactly as for Unit 19, matching gold/orange and brown/gold as well as the HST's at the top.  Press seams open.

Units 19 and 20 will now be sewn together end to end as shown.  If you made them correctly, the browns should be together.

Stitch, making sure to match center seams and adjust your seam allowance if need be so that you don't chop off points.  Press seams open.

Onto our block!  Introducing Cornucopia.  I spotted this block on EQ7 and instantly wanted it to be a part of this quilt.  When going to the cutting directions for it, my thoughts were OH MY HECK, NO.  There had to be a better way.  I put the pencil to graph paper and for several days worked through the parts until I had broken it down the way we made them.  No Y seams at all.  It may have wasted a bit with the flip and sews, but I am happier working with strips and squares than crazy angled pieces.  If you have EQ7 - check it out and you are more than welcome to try the other way on your own.

Block F - make 17 (large)/9 (small)

Here is the layout:  (it's easy to get the center section flipped, be careful).

I started by sewing the top two sections together, matching center seams and the ends.  For the most part, that is all it took for the arrow to line up.  Yes, I had to take out a couple that were off, but not many.

Next the lower section and it was a bit trickier for me as there really isn't anything to match and yet it has to match.  Does that make sense?  I'd like to say they were perfect each time, but I opened about half of them to adjust.  I tried marking the center of the triangle to line up with the center seam in the brown center section.  That worked for most, but not all.  The ones I had to take out, I found that I already knew where the seam would be so folded them together so that the points matched how I wanted and then pinned in place.  That worked for some too.  Just keep at it.  Don't get discouraged as there are only 17.  If you are struggling, walk away for awhile and come back.  Even with all the ripping I did, it only took me about 2 hours to make these blocks.  Honest.

TA-DA

And that's it for this week.  We now have three different blocks to work with.  Will there be more?  It's a mystery!!

Until next week, stay creative and enjoy the season.  You can still meet up with us in the Facebook group - here's your LINK TO JOIN.  Share your pretties.  Please.