September 22, 2002

Notes:

  1. If printing these pages on a printer and you notice the edges to the right are cut off, then adjust your printer settings so that it prints "landscape" rather than "portrait".

  2. When printing, the border to the left will not print on paper. 

  3. Be sure to read the guidelines at the bottom of this page.

Finished Quilt with Border is 43" x 43".

This Mystery Quilt will be given in approximately 10 installments, through the first of November.

 

Installment 1

     This quilt is going to be made from two simple blocks:  A plain block and half-square triangle (HST) blocks.  And since there aren't many HST to make, we'll begin there.  For more detailed information on making HST, refer to the HST Tutorial on the Web.

     At the end of this installment, you should have made:

  • 20 HST using Colors 1 and 2

  • 2 HST using Colors 2 and 3

  1. Cut 10 - 4" squares from Color 1.

  2. Cut 11 - 4" squares from Color 2.

  3. Cut 1 - 4" square from Color 3.

  4. On the wrong side of all 11 of the Color 2 squares, using a pencil or light ink pen, draw a straight diagonal line from one corner to its opposite corner, as illustrated:

  5. Pair up 10 of the Color 2 squares that you just drew the diagonal line on with the 10 squares from Color 1, in step 1.  Place them right sides together, with the drawn diagonal line on top.

  6. Sew a scant (meaning, a little smaller) 1/4" on both sides of the drawn diagonal line, as illustrated with the dashed lines for all 10 pairs:

  7. Once you have sewn all 10 pairs of Colors 1 and 2, carefully cut each one in half down each on on the diagonal line that you drew in step 4.  This gives you 20 HST using Colors 1 and 2.  Press the seam to the darkest fabric, which should be Color 2.  These should look similar to this:

  8. Once pressed, trim these 20 HST to a precise 3" x 3".  You should have plenty of room to trim them since we cut them a little larger than needed.  Set them aside for now.

  9. Next, using the one remaining Color 2 square with the drawn diagonal line, pair it up with the square cut in step 3, from Color 3, again placing them right sides together, with the drawn diagonal line on top.

  10. Sew on both sides of the drawn line, just as shown in step 6.

  11. Once sewn on both sides, cut the block in half on the diagonal line.  It should look similar to this:

  12. Press the seam toward Color 2.

  13. Trim the two blocks to a precise 3" x 3".  Set them aside.

  14. ACCURACY CHECK:  You should have 20 of these:

    And 2 of these:

  15. There should be 22 HSTs that measure 3" x 3", 20 of which are made from Colors 1 and 2 and the other 2 of which are made from Colors 2 and 3.

 

     Here are some guidelines for making this quilt that are very important:

  1. Use a scant 1/4" seam allowance.  A "scant" seam allowance is one that is a few threads short of being the full 1/4".

  2. Measure each piece AFTER pressing the piece.  Pressing as you go seems to make for a quilt that looks neater, plus it flattens each component in the quilt so that it measures accurately and doesn't distort.

  3. Measure, measure, measure as directions are given and compare it to what it should be (I'll tell you what it should be).  Accuracy is critical in the making of this mystery quilt, in that it is going to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle at the end.

Ready for Installment 2?

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