November Siblings Together block

 

12.5"

This is the November Siblings Together Bee block which I posted off today. Carole had requested two tones of the same colour around the feature centre. There was quite a lot of sewing with so many HSTs - 28 in all and 61 units in the block but it's a very nice design. I'd like a quilt made with larger units perhaps to finish at 15" with 2.5" squares. 

To make multiple HSTs at once I cut 3" strips of 2 fabrics right sides together and marked the light side with 3" squares and with zigzag diagonal lines across.

Then I sewed 1/4" on either side of the diagonal lines continuously in one direction and then back. Then I cut along the drawn lines straight and diagonal

Then I pressed the units open and trimmed the HST pieces 2.5" exactly.

I sewed the block not in rows but in four patches and undid the straight seams caught by the long seam so I could rotate the units making for a flatter centre and nesting seams.

Sewing in four patches: note the large
corner squares before trimming to 12.5"

Centre treatment