Hive 5–September Tutorial—Flowering Snowball Block

    

****NEW!!! TEMPLATE You can find the template at Flowering Snowball 12 inch ***

This month I selected the Flowering Snowball Block. I know curves AGGggg, but it's been done several times in the past Stash Bees.  You can do a search on the blog and see some additional examples.  So please give it a try.  Actually, picking out the fabric combination was harder than sewing the curves for me.

Fabric:

I settled with the following combination:

        Background fabric:    solid WHITE or OFF-WHITE

        Center Square:          low volume BLACK

        Main Colors:              two different PUMPKIN (ORANGE) fabrics

                                        and 

                                        two different MINT GREEN fabrics

                                      

Think modern fabric: 

• Zen Chic, Carolyn Friedlander, and Allison Glass. 
• Solids are welcomed.   
• No novelty prints or batiks.  

Below is a picture of my fabric pull:

You will have one 12.5 inch block when completed.    

****NEW!!! TEMPLATE You can find the template at Flowering Snowball 12 inch ***

Printing the templates:

You MUST PRINT THEM WITH NO SCALING or they will be the wrong size.  To do this uncheck the box that says "fit to page" at the bottom of the print screen.  The square piece D-Center should measure 1 1/2 inches unfinished and 1 inch finished.

Download, print and cut out the templates with paper scissors.  Definitely not your good fabric shears.  

Cutting the Fabric:

Please do NOT repeat the same fabric for the corner pieces (orange and green) in a block.

Pin the pattern pieces to the fabric and cut using the fabric guide below.  I just used my fabric shears for this.

To make one 12.5 inch block you will need:

1. Green Fabric:     
• cut 2 of the corner pieces A
• layer two different green fabrics and cut two pieces at one time
  
  
2. White Solid Fabric:     
• cut 4 of the petal pieces B
• I suggest cutting 4 layers at a time; 
  
  
3. Orange Fabrics:   
• cut 2 of the corner pieces C
•  layer two different orange fabrics and cut two pieces at one time
  
  
4. Black Fabric:      
• cut one 1 1/2  inch square or 1 piece D

I want to have orange circles and green circles once the squares are put together so make sure that the orange and green pieces are opposite of each other.

Sewing:

Step 1

• Sew two white petal pieces B to a green corner piece A.  
  
  
• Place the white fabric on top of a green corner piece.  Make sure that the point of the petal is pinned to the narrow part of the corner piece.  (don't ask me how I know)  
  
  
• I pinned the pieces together at the beginning and end to ensure that the pieces line up.  Then I added pins in between by slightly stretching the green fabric to fit the curve. 

    

Note:  If you are using a 1/4 inch foot or some other way to mark your 1/4 inch you can do what I do.  I placed the pins to the left so that I can take them out just before the needle hits the pins (ok sometimes I don't take the needle out)

• If you are using a 1/4 inch guide, snug the pinned fabric close to the guide as you sew.

    

                    

• Add another white petal piece B to the other side of piece A.  

• Sew two more white pieces B to the second green corner piece A.  
  
  
• You will have two green pieces A with white petals on both sides.  Press seams toward the green fabric piece A

Step 2

• Sew two orange corner pieces to the black center
• Press seams towards orange

Step 3

• Sew the two green units created in step 1 to the orange piece created in step 2.
  
  
• I placed two pins at each end.  I also nested  (see this link about nesting seams)  the center seams and placed two pins on each white seam.

• I placed the pins toward the inside again.

• Sew the two green combination pieces to the orange combination.  Keeping the fabric sandwich close to the 1/4 inch guide.

• Press seams away from the white petals.

That's it.   

For additional sewing details and tips use the following links:

1. Molly Flanders Flowering Snowball
2. Flowering Snowball Quilt Tutorial by Bits of Everything

****NEW!!! TEMPLATE You can find the template at Flowering Snowball 12 inch ***

Thanks so much ladies!!!!

Can't wait to see your work!

Monica