Girl’s Favorite Quilt Block

We hope you are enjoying BERNINA’s Block of the Month Party! This month’s block (Block 10) is Girl’s Favorite, and the name of this block really does say it all! This 18” block is one of my favorites, and is so easy to make! (Except when you are not paying attention-more on that later!)

If you are buying fabric for each block on a monthly basis, you will need four fabrics for this block; a teal, a yellow, a pink and the gray background fabric.

Please see more details about fabric requirements here. You will follow the Alternate Cutting Instructions below if you are cutting from a kit.

Please also download the BERNINA Block Party Fabric Chart.

If you are using the Sun Print 2017 Andover fabric line by Alison Glass, the specific colors are listed in bold: 

Fabrics

Fabric A          Pink     A-8482-E       Fat Quarter (Insert Fabric A Pink)

Fabric B          Orange           A-8482-O       Fat Quarter (Insert Fabric B Orange)

Fabric C         Yellow             A-8484-Y       Fat Quarter (Insert Fabric C Yellow)

Fabric D         Purple             A 8484-B       Fat Quarter (Insert Fabric D Purple)

Fabric E          Center            Your choice of fabric!         Fat Quarter

If you do not want to add another fabric, the Fabric C fat quarter would also work here.

Fabric F        Gray             A-C-Black    Fat Quarter (Insert Fabric F Gray)

Supplies

Patchwork Foot #37/37D or #57/57D or #97/97D for piecing

Straight Stitch Needle Plate for piecing on domestic machines

BERNINA Q Series Longarm on Frame with BERNINA Q-matic Longarm Quilting Automation System

or

Machine with Embroidery Capability and Embroidery Foot  #26   (if quilting with embroidery machine) 

Cutting

Fabric A Pink

2 Squares 5 3/4”; cut in quarters diagonally making 8 triangles

Fabric B Orange

2 Squares 5 3/4”; cut in quarters diagonally making 8 triangles

Fabric C Yellow

2 Squares 5 3/4”; cut in quarters diagonally making 8 triangles

Fabric D Purple 2 Squares 5 3/8”; cut in half diagonally making 4 triangles

Fabric E Your Choice

2 Squares 5 3/8”; cut in half diagonally making 4 triangles

Fabric F Gray

4 Squares 5”

2 Squares 5 3/4”; cut in quarters diagonally making 8 triangles

Alternate Cutting Instructions

Fabric A:

Cut 2 squares from the previously cut 5 3/4” strip from Block 6. 20” will remain.

Fabric B:

Cut a 5 3/4” strip; cut 2 squares. 31” will remain.

Fabric C:

Cut a 5 3/4” strip; then cut 2 squares. 31” will remain.

Fabric D:

Cut a 5 3/8” strip; then cut 2 squares.

Fabric F:

Cut a 5 3/4” strip; then cut 2 squares. Cut strip down to 5” width and cut 4 squares.

Piecing

There will be 8 squares made up of 4 triangles each. When piecing these blocks together, it is important that the points all meet in the middle. When seaming the two halves together, it will help to lock the seams in the middle by making sure that the seams go in opposite directions. I get a more perfect match when the seam on top faces away from me and the seam on the bottom faces towards me.

Using 4 smaller triangles from Fabrics A, B, C and F, piece together the block as shown. Make 4 units.

Using the remaining 4 triangles from Fabrics A, B, C and F, piece together the block as shown. Pay close attention to color placement. Make 4 units.

Piece together a Fabric D triangle with a Fabric E triangle along the long side making a half square triangle unit. Make 4 units.

Sew two yellow edges of the half square triangle units together as show below. Make 2 units.

Stitch together a Fabric E square, two of the four triangle blocks (1 each of the previous arrangements-pay attention to the color placement), and another Fabric E square as shown below. Make 2 units.

Stitch together a four triangle block and two half square triangles and a four triangle block. Make 2 units.

Seam the 4 strips together creating the 18 ½” block.

Pay attention to the orientation of strips to avoid the mistake I first made! I constructed and quilted this block before I noticed my mistake!

If you are going to make the entire quilt from the Block of the Month Series, set this block aside for now. The instructions for the piecing together all the blocks will come at the end of the series.

Each month, I also give you instructions for a different quilting technique so that you can experiment with different techniques. When it comes time for the final quilting, you will be ready to decide which quilting techniques you like best.

Remember to join Denise Jones later this month. She has a creative project using the Girls Favorite block. That project will post on January 22nd.

A Quilting Lesson: BERNINA Q-matic Longarm Quilting Automation System

This month’s block is quilted entirely with BERNINA’s Q-matic, the automation for the

BERNINA quilt frame. However, realizing that not everyone has a Q Series machine and frame, similar results can be achieved by quilting the block “in-the-hoop” using an embroidery machine. Many BERNINA embroidery machines have built in quilting designs, and OESD also has a large number of quilting designs available.

To use the BERNINA Q-matic Longarm Quilting Automation System, load the backing and batting in the center of the frame. Stitch a straight row of basting across the top edge, just below the backing leader. Align the top of the block along this line. Baste the top along the top and sides. If using the Q 24, you can reach the bottom edge of the block at this time, so baste across the bottom of the block. If using the Q 20 you will baste across the bottom edge when you advance the block.

Open the Q-matic program. Load designs “Aloha Block 2” and “Swirls Paisley Square” into the Design Center. You will quilt parts of the blocks at different times, but I prefer to lay everything out on the screen at the same time, and then choose what is to be quilted.

Select the Swirls Paisley Square and enlarge the design to fit the center of the pieced blocked. I sized mine to 8.5” X 8.5”. Center the block over the grid lines.

Place the “Aloha Block-2” on the screen. We want this block to be square, and we want it to be as wide as half the Center Block side. In this case you will resize the block to 4.25” X 4.25”.

Place the resized Aloha Block above the left half of the Center Block. Duplicate the Aloha Block and place the copy next to the original so they just touch, making sure they are in alignment.

Group the two Aloha Blocks. Their width should be 8.5”.

Duplicate the grouped design and place a pair of Aloha Blocks on each side and at the bottom of the Center Design. Use the Mirror Image tools and the Alignment tools to position and align all four sides with the center.

Disconnect one of the side designs. Select one of the Aloha Blocks and duplicate it. Move the copy of the block into one of the corners. Rotate the design 45 degrees.

Center the corner between the two sides. Repeat for each corner. Disconnect any designs you have grouped. You now have all individual designs.

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Use the Sewing Sequence to choose which designs to quilt. Begin with the center design. This will be quilted in the square in a square, which includes the purple triangles.

Then stitch the designs in the border around the center. You can quilt them individually or choose several to quilt together. I like to choose a corner and 2 side designs in one quilting.

Use whatever placement method you prefer.

If using the embroidery machine, hoop your block without any stabilizer. Choose designs that will fit the different parts of your block. For more information on quilting with the embroidery machine, refer back to the Block 7 Maple Star blog post.

Tutorial List of the BERNINA Block of the Month Series

Block 1, Antique Mosaic Block

Block 2, Shoofly Block

Block 3, Square in a Square Block

Block 4, Magic Circle

Block 5, Card Basket Variation Block

Block 6, Ohio Star Variation Block

Block 7, Maple Star Block

Block 8, Grecian Square Block

Block 9, Union Square Block

Block 10,  A Girl’s Favorite