Hive 2: May Tutorial- Picnic Block for Hannah

Hive #2  - May Tutorial - Picnic Block for Hannah

Intro:

This is my first year doing Stashbee and I am very thankful to be involved. You all are so talented and creative! I chose this block because I am terrible at playing with value and would like to learn how to do it better. I plan to take the finished quilt to see The Mountain Goats play at Wolftrap this summer which is an outdoor picnic venue!

Pattern/Tutorial Credit:

This block is from Ruby Star Society's Perfect Picnic Quilt.

Fabric Selection:

For this block you will need 9 different fabrics. 

*1 5x5" dark - for the center

*4 5x5" medium - for the cross

*4 5x5" light - for the corners 

I chose spring/summer fabrics in mostly bright, happy colors. Since value is what is important in this quilt, I care less about colors and more about value contrast. I cut out a bunch of likely candidates, arranged them in order of value, and then confirmed and tweaked that by taking a picture with my phone and making that pic black and white. 

Anything goes for fabric as long as it is not completely off the summer/spring picnic theme. I don't want any snowflakes or pumpkins. I have a slight preference for navy in the center square, but am happy with any dark fabric you have.

How to ID Values with your iPhone:

I have an iPhone and this is how I made my pictures black and white. The process is probably similar on other phones. 1. take the picture 2. navigate to saturation 3. turn the saturation alllllll the way down.

Cutting:

Once you have selected your fabrics you will need 1 5x5" dark - for the center, 4 5x5" medium - for the cross, 4 5x5" light - for the corners.

Sewing Instructions:

Use your favorite 1/4" seam 9 block method. I am fairly new to sewing, but I chose to sew the block in rows. I sewed block 1 and 2 together. Then I sewed 1/2 to 3. I repeated with each row  until I had three blocks: 1/2/3, 4/5/6, and 7/8/9. Then I sewed 1/2/3 to 4/5/6. Then 1/2/3/4/5/6 to 7/8/9. I ironed all seams open, but am not worried about bulk so you can iron your seams however it makes sense to you.

  

Your completed block should measure: 14 x14"

Bonus round: 

I actually made this block smaller than the original Ruby Star Society tutorial to keep in line with the expectations of Stashbee. And you are not even a little bit obligated to expand on your block, BUT if you are feeling extra generous with your time, fabric and postage, a full block would be greatly appreciated. here is what the full block looks like:

As you can see, instead of 1 dark, 4 medium, and 4 light blocks, the full block has 4 dark, 8 medium, and 4 light blocks. I would assemble the larger blocks in the same way, sewing blocks together in rows and then sewing those rows to each other.

Thank you!

Hannah