Dear Hannah Challenge
Week 21
Two relatively easy blocks this week dear friends. The time has slipped by and it’s Tuesday already. Let’s hope more will decide to begin their Dear Hannah blocks since we have the New Year started and it’s too cold to do much outdoors right now.
J-9 From Paducah
This block’s traditional name is Jacob’s Ladder, and as I read today, it may have been one of the quilt blocks used to show the way North to Canada on the Underground Railroad.
It uses two simple blocks, four patches and half-square triangles.
Cut four 1 5/8” square blocks of both background and feature fabric. Piece these into the two four patches. The half-square triangles are pieced using 3 1/8” squares of both feature and background fabrics cut diagonally. A simple way to piece the blocks is draw a diagonal line across the light squares; then face to face sew 1/4" on both sides of the lines. Rotary cut to separate into two squares. The last step is to sew the four patch to the half-square triangle and join to the other set.
C-1 Salinda’s Tulip
Named for the woman who made the quilt we call “Nearly Insane”. This block is an old Pennsylvania German design.
Use the templates to cut out your petals stem and leaves. If you want your block to have definition, make the back petals seem to recede by using darker fabric and the petals in the foreground of brighter colors. This can be back basted in segments from back to front, starting with the leaves, stem back petals etc. This is a good block for beginners to practice points and curves and skinny stems. If you want to avoid lumps, trim your seam allowances as close as you dare, and cut the seam allowance rounded at the tips instead of to points. This way there is less fabric to push under.