WIP Wednesday - Slow going

I keep on meaning to do a WIP Wednesday post. I plan to write the post. I write it in my head. And then, before I get a chance to turn round, it's Thursday!

Today has been one of those days.

This is what the area next to my sewing machine looks like right now.

Terrible night time shot as per usual!

I've just finished cutting out April's (yes I know it's May, I'd better not tell you that I only finished March's yesterday) blocks for Siblings Together Bee 2. I started at 9.30am. It's now 24.00. Obviously I've done one or two other things in between but still, a whole day to cut out two measly blocks? Oh, well, if I aim to draw the diagonal lines for the corner setting triangles tomorrow I might actually get to sew them together on Friday.

The main reason I have for wanting to finish April's blocks (apart from the obvious feeling of guilt about being late again) is so that I can get on with the heart cushions. I keep the block parts in the drawer of my temporary sewing table thinking that I might finish the odd heart here and there but it isn't happening. I need to just sit down and sew!

Oh, and my Kaffe Snowball is still waiting to have it's binding attached. Dealine for that one is May 14th. Right, I'd better get my skates on.

And look, it's only gone and turned into Thursday again!

Linking up with Lee 

And Shanna and Melissa as my heart cushions are my goal for May's ALYoF.

Double Heart Block

Remember those Birthday Cushions on my FAL Q2 list? (Still haven't finished them) I'm making them using this tutorial by Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew. Whilst I was piecing the hearts I got an idea, played a little with Touchdraw and some graph paper and came up with this.

And so the Double Heart Block is born.

I must say I rather like it! As my month in the Siblings Together 2 bee was coming up I thought that this would make a nice quilt for a tween/teenage girl and put writing a tutorial of sorts on my 'to do' list. Hey! Look, it's the second of the month in which I'm Queen Bee and I'm finally getting around to it.

Anyway, here goes.

Makes one 12.5"sq (unfinished) block

Cutting Instructions:

You need three different fabrics for each block, although I suppose you could use the same fabric for the inner heart and the border.

Fabric A (Inner Heart)
  Two 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
           
Fabric B  (Large Heart)
  Two 3" x 4.5" rectangles
  Two 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles
  Two 2" x 4.5" rectangles
  Two 2.5" squares
  Four 1"squares

Fabric C (Border)
  Two 12.5" x 2.5" strips
  Two 8.5" x 2.5" strips
  Two 4.5" squares
  Four 1.5" squares

1. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of your 1" and 2.5" squares in Fabric B. I tend to draw an extra line half an inch away from the original line on any squares 2.5" or over so that I get bonus HSTs. Place the squares wrong sides together as shown above, taking care to make sure that both sets are mirror images of themselves (that the drawn lines on the bottom squares point in different directions)

2. Sew along these lines.

3. Trim 0.25" away from the sewn lines and press open (or to the side if that's your preference)

DON'T sew the two halves together yet. This is where the double heart block starts to differ from Allison's original.

4. Sew a 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle to the outside edge of both half block with a scant 0.25" seam. Again, seams can be pressed either open or to the side.

5.  Now add the other Fabric B rectangles as shown above. Press as preferred.

6. Repeat Steps 1-3 adding your Fabric C squares to your half heart blocks.

7. At this point we need to sew the two half together. I used pins to match the points on the hearts but forgot to get a picture.

8. Add your border strips.

And Voilà! Your have a Double Heart Block.

I'm going to ask my bee mates to go bright or go home with their blocks and hopefully I'll have a cheerful hugable quilt ready for July when this year's Siblings Together camps start.