Sisters' Ten Modern BOM August Block: Old Maid's Puzzle

August's block for the Sisters' Ten Modern Block of the Month Club is a simple and attractive design.  We are going to venture into triangles this month... don't worry!  There are only a few if you have not worked with triangles before.  Old Maid's Puzzle uses a great combination of half-square triangles in two different sizes.

Cutting Instructions.

For 12" blocks.

• Cut (3) 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" squares of Fabric A (background.
• Cut (2) 3 7/8" x 3 7/8" squares of Fabric A (background).
• Cut (4) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares of Fabric A (background).
• Cut (2) 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" squares of Fabric B.
• Cut (1) 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" square of Fabric C.
• Cut (1) 6 7/8" x 6 7/8" square of Fabric D.  

For 9" blocks.

• Cut (3) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares of Fabric A (background.
• Cut (2) 3 1/8" x 3 1/8" squares of Fabric A (background).
• Cut (4) 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" squares of Fabric A (background).
• Cut (2) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares of Fabric B.
• Cut (1) 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square of Fabric C.
• Cut (1) 5 3/8" x 5 3/8" square of Fabric D.  

Piecing Instructions.

*Use a scant 1/4" on all seam allowances. See the Scant Rant series for details.

1.  Make Half-Square Triangle (HST) units using Fabric A with both Fabric B and Fabric C.  Use (2) Fabric A squares and the (2) Fabric B squares to make (4) total Half-Square Triangle units using the method in this tutorial.  Then use the remaining (1) Fabric A square and the Fabric C square to make (2) Half-Square Triangle units.  The HSTs should be trimmed down to:

                      12" blocks:  3 1/2" (unfinished size).

                        9" blocks:  2 3/4" (unfinished size).

2.  Cut (2) Fabric A squares and (1) Fabric D square into triangles.  Cut the (2) Fabric A squares (3 7/8" x 3 7/8" squares for 12" blocks; 3 1/8" x 3 1/8" squares for 9" blocks) into triangles by cutting diagonally across the square.  Repeat for the Fabric D square.

3.  Layout the Half-Square Triangle Units, the Fabric A and Fabric D triangles and the remaining Fabric A squares as shown below.

4.  First the easy part.  Sew the bow tie four-patch blocks together (upper left quadrant and lower right quadrant).  Do this by first sewing the rows together, pairing one A/B HST with one A square, according to the layout shown.  Then sew the two rows together to make the four-patch block.  Repeat for the second quadrant.

5.   Now, on to the triangles.  Like the diagram in Step 1 below, place one Fabric A triangle on top of one A/C HST.  Stitch across the top of the block as shown.  Press the Fabric A triangle up as in Step 2.  Place another Fabric A triangle along the right side of the unit from Step 2, as shown in Step 3.  Stitch across the right side of the unit as shown.  Press the Fabric A triangle to the right as shown in Step 4.

As shown in Step 5, to complete the quadrant, a Fabric D triangle will be sewn to the unit from Step 4. Place the Fabric D triangle directly on top of the Step 4 unit (not shown) and sew along the hypotenuse of the pair. Press the Fabric D triangle open as shown in Step 6.  Repeat for the remaining quadrant.

6.  Now all 4 sub-assemblies of the block are sewn together. Lay them out as shown below.

7.  Sew each of the two rows together, alternating the direction the seams are pressed.

8.  Sew the two rows together to complete the block.

9.   Make (2) blocks.  They may be identical blocks or made from differing fabrics for a scrappier look.  

Fabric is Alison Glass for Andover, Lucky Penny with background Quilter's Linen in Straw by Robert Kaufman.

10-Minute Project: Leather Wrap Bracelet

Ok , here it is!  A tutorial by popular demand...  These bracelets are hip and fun.  My husband actually commented "Did you make that?  That's nice." upon seeing them in his Facebook feed AND asked me to make him a manly one.  Can you see the possibilities?  An easy gift for men, women, teens, etc.  What's not to love?

The Leather Wrap Bracelet Tutorial 

This is a great simple project and even better if you can use scraps.  I happen to have leftover leather from a bag-making project.  If you don't have scrap leather pieces in your stash, you could always consider upcycling something you already have but don't use anymore.  Old bags, belts, etc.  If it's in your Goodwill pile, you may be able to have some fun with it, cutting it up and reusing the leather.

*loop turner is optional.  You could also use a safety pin.

1.  Fold the fabric strip in half lengthwise, right sides together and press.

2.  Sew along the length of the fabric strip 1/8" away from the open edges.  This will create your inside out sleeve.

3.  Use a loop turner or safety pin to turn the sleeve right sides out. Press.

4.  Place the fabric sleeve on top of the right side of the leather strip.  Leave about a 1/2" space at the end of the leather strap to place the snap later.

5.  Sew a 1/8" topstitch around all four sides of the fabric sleeve to secure it to the leather strap.  **Use a walking foot if you have one.  It will make it much easier to feed the leather through the feed dogs.**

6.  At one end of the leather strap, there will be a small amount of fabric hanging over the leather strap.  Trim as needed.

Here is what the piece looks like before adding the snap.  Boy, does that look bowed?  It doesn't matter wrapped around my wrist.

7.  Follow the manufacturer's instructions to add both the male and female snap components to the bracelet.  Remember that the female part of the snap should go on the right side of the leather strip and the male part of the snap should go on the wrong side of the leather strap.  I suggest practicing on a test piece if you're not familiar with the snap setting tool.

8.  Ready, set, wear!

Free Printables

Thank you for your interest in Gen X Quilters' FREE PDF downloadable reference sheets.  Enjoy!

Half-Square Triangle Reference