I’ve yet to see a robin, but the grass is greening up and while they haven’t bloomed, my tulips have broken ground. My rancher friends are up at all hours dealing with newborn calves and lambs. Best of all, the days are warm enough that you don’t mind being outside for more than a few minutes. It’s SPRING in northern Montana!
To celebrate, I have a fun little crocus block for you.
To make this 8″ block, you will need the following Thrifty Quilter pieces:
Pieces for one crocus block
Green: two 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles
Light Purple: two 2.5″ squares and two 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles
White: six 2.5″ squares and four 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles
To construct this block, we need to make 2.5″ x 4.5″ “split rectangles”. Because we are starting with our pre-cut 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles, this is going to be a little tricky, and you will find that the diagonal seam line will not go into the corner of the finished piece. If you’re compulsive about accuracy, this may drive you a little crazy, but it’s okay. Trust me.
Step 1a
Layer your two print rectangles wrong sides together, so you will be cutting mirror-image pieces. Lay your ruler diagonally on the fabric so that the 1/4″ line is on the upper left and lower right corners as shown.
Step 1b
Make your cut. Discard the cutaway triangle. Repeat with the green and white rectangles.
Step 1c
Pair a white piece with each print piece and place them right sides together as shown. matching the original corners and aligning the bias edges. Your seam line should run from corner to corner.
Step 1d
Press open and you should have 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles again.
Step 2a
Make a 4-patch with one 2.5″ print square and three 2.5″ white squares.
Now you can lay out all of the pieces for the crocus “blossom” as shown and sew them together.
Step 2b
Once the blossom portion is finished, it’s time to add the leaves. Lay out the green split rectangles and the three remaining white 2.5″ squares as shown.
Sew a white square to the narrow green end of one leaf and sew that unit to the side of the blossom unit.
Then sew white squares to both ends of the other leaf and sew that unit on to complete your crocus block.
finished Crocus block
Perhaps you can see in the photo that the diagonal purple seam lines wind up about 1/4″ away from the corner of that rectangle. Also, the tips of the green triangles that touch the purple blossom unit are just a bit “flat”. Because it doesn’t affect the outline of the flower, and because it happens consistently in this block, it doesn’t bother me like I was sure it would. If you’re uncomfortable with it, I have another way to make those split rectangles that will solve the problem. Meet me here next week, when we’ll “plant” some morning glories!
Oh, and mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 5th when “Seams Like a Plan” will be a stop on Quiltmaker magazine’s 100 Blocks, Vol. 11 blog tour.
