Month 12 - June 2012 - Saw Blades

General description of block: This nine patch block is similar in construction to a Friendship Star (month 11) with two exceptions.  1) It turns in the opposite directions and 2) the points of the star are extended and bent creating a silhouette reminiscent of a saw blade.  It seemed the perfect pattern to end this series with...a tribute to the wonderful men we often create quilts for.

FQG - Your kit contains a rust solid and measuring tapes.  Use the solid for dark and the tapes for light.  Use your own fabric for the background and blade silhouettes - make sure the fabrics you select coordinate with the kit without blending in to it.

Cutting directions: (21 pieces)

• From dark -
•  cut 1, 5 1/4 inch square. Sub-cut this square diagonally into 4 small triangles
• From light -
• cut 1, 5 1/4 inch square. Sub-cut this square diagonally into 4 small triangles
• For Blade silhouette -
• cut 4, 5 1/4 inch squares. Sub-cut these into two triangles each, for a total of 8 large triangles.
• cut 1, 4 ½ inch square for center
• For background -
• cut 2, 5 1/4 inch squares. Sub-cut these into two triangle each, for a total of 4 large triangles.

Piecing directions:

Corners -

• Sew one dark and one light small triangle together to make large triangle.
• Being careful not to warp the triangles, iron seams open.
• Be careful to sew each set in the same order.
• The finished large triangles should be identical.
• Using the right angle to align the pieces, sew each two colored triangle to large triangle of Blade fabric.
• Trim excess seam allowance (this should be Blade fabric).
• Being careful not to warp the triangles, iron seams open.
• The finished squares should be identical.
• Trim to 4 ½ inch squares.
• Make 4

Center side square -

• sew one Blade triangle to one background triangle along the hypotenuse. (Long edge).
• Iron seam open.
• Trim to 4 ½ inch square.
• Make four.

Block -

row 1 - trisected square, solid side in; center side square, contrasting fabric #1 on the bottom; trisected square, solid side in.

row 2 - center side, contrasting fabric #1 to the right; solid contrasting #2 square; center side square, contrasting fabric #1 to the left.

row 3 - trisected square, solid side in; center side square, contrasting fabric #1 on the top; trisected square, solid side in.

This is the last month in the Quilty Friends Series.  It has been a great year, and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing these patterns with you.  Feel free to create your own Quilty Friend blocks by using the directions  for various patches under the Elements tab.

I am looking forward to next year.  I am working on a new series....same idea, all of the blocks will link together...this time creating the illusion of circles.  Look for "A Circle of Quilty Friends" in July 2012.

Until then, this is what Saw Blades will look like when you have a bunch of blocks together....