SigOrnament swap block

This is the pattern we will be using for the SigOrnament Block Swap 2009.

Your blocks will be 5" unfinished. This block is scrap friendly.

The center square will be a light color (white, cream, light tan, etc.). The ornament color is your choice. Remember these will be part of a Christmas tree quilt so use appropriate colors. Not everyone will want lime green, neon pink, or jet black ornaments. The four corners will be an appropriate shade of green. Again, please no neon green. On each ornament all four green corners will be from the same fabric. You will be signing your name and city, state in the center square. All your blocks can be the same or they can all be different. The choice is up to you. Please use fabrics you would like to receive. If you can see your hand through the fabric it is too thin.

Your pieces will measure as follows:

1 - cream rectangle  1.5" X 3"
2 - red rectangles 2.5" X 5"
2 - red squares 1.5" X 1.5"
4 - green squares 2" X 2"

basic layout

Sew one small red square to each side of the cream rectangle. Press seams to the red squares.

Sew one red rectangle to the top and bottom of signature line. Press to the red side.

Draw a line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the 4 green squares. This will be the line you sew on. Sewing one square at a time, sew the 4 green squares to the four corners of the ornament. You are basically making a snowball block at this point.

Trim the corners leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press from the right side so the seams are pressed to the green side.

Give the block a good press and trim to 5" if necessary.

Repeat 19 more times and you are done!

Here is what I do when I sew the four corners on:

I sew a second seam about a 1/2" from the first seam. This second seam is sewn on the side that you would normally cut off. Cut between the two lines of stitching. Try to have at least a scant 1/4" seam allowance for each block.

Press the small half square triangle pieces and you will have these. I save these up in a container for later use. You could make coasters, use them as fillers in placemats or wall hangings. I'm planning on saving bunches and eventually making a quilt from them.