Patches of Blue Quilt Along – Block 1 Frost
Updated: Jan 4
Hello everyone, I’m so excited about doing this with you today, I even went out and got flowers for our sewing table!
Our first block will be “Frost” from the “Patches of Blue” book page 79. With this block we will warm up on a cold winter day to an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance, trimming, and pressing.
Fabric Requirements:
6 Blue 10″ squares
6 Light 10″ squares
We are cutting for 2 Block 1s and 2 Block 2s on page 81 of the “Patches of Blue” book. You will need the book for the detailed cutting measurements.
From blue fabrics cut:
12 large half square triangles
6 HST squares 3″ (I always cut squares a bit bigger than the required measurements for my HST units)
12 small squares
From light fabrics cut:
24 small half square triangles
6 HST squares 3″ ( remember – I always cut squares a bit bigger than the required measurements for my HST units)
12 small squares
TIP: There are a few extra pieces that we have cut, I like to have a bit of extra variety in color for my block. Don’t worry, we will not waste the extras, they will be used in future blocks.
Lets put some thread into our sewing machine – I’m using Aurifil 2310 w50 for piecing this block, In case you are having trouble finding Aurifil, you can get it HERE.
We will start by placing light and a dark HST squares right sides together keeping the light fabric on the top. Draw a diagonal line through the square and then sew 1/4″ on both sides of the line. I really missed not having my favorite SewLine pencil for this task, it works much better than a standard pencil.
Cut on the pencil line, open the HST units, and press seam allowance toward the dark fabric.
Trim to the exact size, notice how I position the 45 degree line on my ruler through the middle of the HST unit. They are so cute – I can’t wait to move on the next step!
We have all of our pieces ready, lets lay out the block!
I start with the large triangles and all other blues. My goal is to watch the shades of color and keep the darkest blues in the middle, getting lighter blue toward the edge of the block.
Finish the layout out by adding the light pieces to the block. At this point I’m sure you’ll be happy to have those few extra pieces of fabric to add variety to your block.
If something doesn’t seem exactly exactly right with your colors, don’t feel like you are stuck, reach into your basket and grab a piece to cut what you would like to replace. I’d rather do this now then live with regrets later that I should have changed it. 🙂
Most times I like to take a break and walk away from my block at this point and do something else. When I come back to it I often notice something that I missed before and will make color changes.
Now it’s time to snap a picture with your phone for reference. It will come in handy with a scrappy block like this one.
We start by making Unit As, you will find detailed directions on page 81 of your “Patches of Blue” book.
As I sew pieces together, I put them back into the layout to double check the colors and position.
Once the Unit As are completed, we are going to trim the “bunny ears” and press.
Use your ruler to trim the Unit As, notice the 45 degree ruler line aligned right through the middle of the block.
Back to the design wall and we’re ready to assemble our center 4 patches.
If you need a little help with your 4 patches Click Here for a one of our videos that will walk you through the process of sewing and pressing a perfect 4 patch.
Once your 4 patches are done, remember to press and trim to the exact size.
Back to the design wall and we’re read to sew 2 Block 1s and 2 Block 2s together.
Our block is completed – I’m so proud of you! Notice that you will have a few HST pieces left over, just set them to the side as we will use them in upcoming blocks.
Before folding my leftover fabric to put them back in my basket, I trim and clean all of the pieces.
If possible I cut 1-1/2″ squares from any of the small leftovers so I can make little 4 patches to be used in the finished quilt. Make them now and put them to the side, they will come in handy and have a nice variety of color if you make a few from the scraps of all the blocks.
I hope you enjoyed this block, take a little break and I can’t wait to see you again on Feb 15th for the next block. Don’t forget to share your pictures with me on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag
Click here to download a PDF copy of this blog.
Happy Quilting! Edyta