Another Start

I've started another quilt top!

This time I'm making another MSQC one - their Wallah! or Voila! pattern.

It started off with me needing to cut a lot of 5" blocks.  I cut 96 background and 96 mixed others - the background from yardage, the others from smaller pieces of fabric, although I guess that you could make it with just two colours if you wanted to.

These were my piles.

There are two 'sets' of four patch blocks that you need to construct.  One has three 'background' squares, the other has just a single 'background' square.

When they are made, you need to cut across the odd one out in each set, from corner to corner.  Then make a 2" strip with your next cut.

After that, swap these strips around.  I found it easiest to make these in pairs.... then I knew where I was!

You can see how little triangles start to peep out in this 'magic' technique.

When you sew them together, you end up with a block with a stepped edge.  Don't panic  

Then you need to trim it to 8.5" square, as shown here.

When you have four of each type (I called them darks and lights in my head - but you don't need to call them anything, just count them!)  You can lay them out into 'big blocks'.  

You can see the light star in the darks block and the darks star in the lights block.

I won't sew them together until I've made them all - that way I hope that I can get rid of too many places where the same fabrics in my mixed part end up next to each other!

Plenty more cutting and sewing to do before I have a quilt top to show you.  I shall work my way steadily  through my pile until I'm done!