My Patchwork Quilt: BLOCK 24: TWISTED BOWTIES

Monday, April 25, 2022

BLOCK 24: TWISTED BOWTIES

April is almost over, even though it does feel like April. It feels more like February to me. Our temperatures are running about 15 degrees F below average for April. For most of the month I have been dealing with sinus problems and am looking so forward to when they are gone. I am so much better than I was the first week so I feel a little guilty complaining, but it will be nice.

The end of April is Wayne's birthday and when I have to have my 30 blocks finished for the 30-Block-Exchange Group. Gosh! That's a lot to celebrate. I think this year I will surprise him with a birthday cake. It's been a long time since we have had birthday cakes.

Since I have a few more blocks to make and not much time, I have been looking for blocks that are simple but awesome enough that no one would think that. Today's block is one of those. All I had was my pencil drawing and I admit I couldn't picture it until I had it finished. After I had finished it, I quickly chose a name for the block. Twisted Bowties. That what it looks like. Well, maybe not twisted but two bowties crossing each other so that the center if both is the same square. I just liked the word "twisted". So twisted it is.

HOW TO MAKE A TWISTED BOWTIE QUILT BLOCK

(all seams are 1/4" and seams are pressed to the lighter fabric)

CHOOSE three prints: a light toned, medium toned, and dark toned. (I chose the same print in those three tones)

CUT from light print : one (1) - 6.5" square

four (4) - 3.5" squares

CUT from dark print : six (6) - 3.5" squares

CUT from medium print : six (6) - 3.5" squares

The center of this block is called a "square inside a square" which is easy but interesting to make. The opposite sides have the same color print to create the "outside" square and turns the inside square on "point" and makes it look like a diamond.

How to Make a Square-in-a-Square

Use the 6.5" square for the center square.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the 3.5" squares.

Start with two of the 3.5" squares from the same color and PLACE them on two opposite corners as pictured. SEW on the drawn line just make sure the corners match properly on the two prints. Remove one of the smaller squares when you are sewing the other one on.

TRIM 1/4th from sewn line on each square.

PRESS seam open to the darker print first on the wrong side and

then on the right side.

Do the same thing with the two medium toned 3.5" squares (SEW, TRIM, and PRESS)

The Square-in-a Square block.

PLACE all of the squares in the pattern.

Just start sewing the squares together. The bottom row is just SEWing one block to the next one across the bottom, Pressing, and RETURNing the strip to the design wall ... The middle two rows make up the sides of the Square-in-a-Square.

So complete the outside walls and then

SEW them to the center section. After I finished the center section,

I checked to make sure it was 6.5" wide and TRIMmed away the excess before SEWing on the top row to complete the block.

SEW the top row, PRESS on the wrong side first and then on the right side (didn't take pictures since it was like with the bottom row) and SQUARE it up.