Morris Hexathon Blocks -- #20 and #21

With only 5 more blocks to go for Barbara Brackman's Morris Hexathon, I'm only one block behind.  This weekend, I pieced #20, Walthamstow named after the village where William Morris grew up.

It's an easy block to machine piece but none of my templates were the right sizes, so I fiddled my way through the cutting process which is why the outer triangles look too big in the photo below.  It would probably have been easier to make templates!!  If you do this block, watch the cutting of the triangles -- you don't want some to be reversed.  Cut a single layer and keep both fabrics right sides up!!

The other block I finished is #21, Queen Square named for his early home and workshop in London.

I was able to use Templates G48 and G49 to cut all the pieces needed.

It's so helpful to trim the tips of the 60 degree corners of the triangles for #20!  Use Marti Michell's Deluxe Corner Trimmer if you don't have any of her 60 degree templates.

The trim takes all the guess work out of matching the triangle to the center hexagon. 

The first seam on this block should be a partial seam -- stopping about half way along the seam. 

The remaining seams can then be stitched completely from raw edge to raw edge. 

Once all the triangles are stitched in place, the first seam can be finished. 

And here is my finished block (after trimming)! 

There are probably several ways to break down block #21 for construction.  It's always a good idea to lay out the units before you begin to stitch!

Since I was using 3 different pinks and wanted the pairs of diamonds to be touching, I had to lay out each step and be sure I was stitching the right arrangements together.  Had I stitched the pieces together the way I laid them out above, it would have been wrong. 

Once the four piece units were assembled, I constructed three units as below -- it was much like piecing a tumbling block unit if you use the Set-In Piecing Simplified technique. 

Haven't learned this amazing technique for y-seams yet?

You can order my DVD HERE for only $15.95 which includes shipping!

As in any six-pointed hexagonal block, pressing each unit identically gives the best results. 

This is the result of going too fast and not checking before I stitched . . . .

 "you know what to do, Mary"!

 

 Don't press once the three units are together as the final diamonds will be easier to insert. 

And here's the final result!  Pretty block!  I fussy cut the six center diamonds with lovely results from a small busy all-over floral thanks to all the inspiration I get on Instagram watching the Aussie EPP stitchers I follow create awesome blocks! 

It's a quilty week here in Northeast Ohio. 

 

The National Parks 100th Anniversary Quilt touring exhibit continues on display through October 5, 2016 at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, Ohio.  I haven't been yet, but friends who have are enjoying it!

 

The Streetsboro Quilt Guild's 31st Annual Show will be this weekend -- Friday, September 30 and October 1 -- click HERE for complete information!

 

Also on Friday and Saturday, the Tree City Quilters of Wooster, Ohio is hosting their biennial guild show and you can get updates about it on their Facebook page HERE.  I'll be at this show helping Denise from Mercantile On Main (Coshocton, Ohio) in her booth -- actually, we'll just be laughing a lot -- so stop by and say hello!

 

Mary