Moda Blockheads 4 - Block 9

This block, Cross My Mind, by Brigitte Heitland from Zen Chic, is so striking and contemporary, I just love it.

I took the opportunity to indulge in a little fussy cutting too. The large squares in the 9" block and the centre of the 4 ½" block, were just perfect for the gorgeous, blowsy florals from Midnight in the Garden by Sweetfire Road.

When fussy cutting, just use your ruler to place your chosen print element in the centre of the piece you are cutting. Don't forget that you will lose ¼" on all four sides, with your seam allowance.

Here is an example of fussy cutting a 3 ½" square. I have the 1 ¾" lines in about the centre of the rose motif that I am cutting. Why 1 ¾"? Well that is half of 3 ½", the size of the square I need to cut.

For the 4 ½" square I made the block following the instructions exactly.

I chose to cut the stripe on the toweling so it ran across the short way on the D rectangles. I have cut all four rectangles from the same section of stripe, to create the geometry I was after.

For the large 9" block I cut a symmetrical section from a toweling stripe 3 ½" x 3 ½" to replace the pieced C and D section of the block. Having the stripes radiate out from the centre creates a similar graphic effect to the original block.

The block is then pieced together like a standard 9-patch.

Note that I have also fussy cut the centre square on this block, I think it is worth the effort, particularly when using a print with such sweet motifs.

Thanks to Brigitte for such a fun block to make, I hope you enjoy sewing it too. I look forward to seeing all your different versions pop up on the Moda Blockheads Facebook Group.

Happy Sewing

Jenelle