Pink Quilt Bee Block - January

Let's start the New Year with a simple tutorial for the block I chose for my turn as queen bee, for the online quilting bee that I am participating in.

Materials:

Cut four   @ 4.5" x 4.5"  pink squares 

Cut one   @ 4.5" x 4.5" low volume square  (low volume fabrics are ones that "read" as white)

Cut eight @  2.5" x 2.5" pink squares

Cut eight @  2.5" x 2.5" low volume squares

 Assembly: *using a scant 1/4" for all seams and refer to photo below for fabric layout.

1. Pair up pink and low volume 2.5" squares and sew together. Two pairs of each will make a four-patch unit  -make FOUR of the four-patch units.

2. Press seams towards the pink fabrics. 

3. Sew each set of four patch blocks (one to either side) of the two pink 4.5" squares.

Pay attention to the orientation of the colours (the low volume fabrics will form the Irish chain, while the pinks are the background fabrics).

4. Sew the remaining 4.5" pink squares, on either side of the 4.5" low volume square (which will be the center of your block).

5. Press seams towards the pink fabrics. 

6. Finish by sewing each row with the four patch units onto the center row of squares. 

7. Press.

Your block should finish at 12.5" square.

I hope you find my simple tutorial helpful and that you enjoy sewing your own selection of scrappy single Irish Chain quilt blocks!

Scrappy in pinks and low volumes!

The scrappy possibilities and the option to use fussy cuts, put this block at the top of my list!

Scrappy Single Irish Chain block with a fussy cut center!

My block for January, in the Instagram  #pinkbee2019 

This simple, straight forward block is often used as a setting block in quilts and I thought it would be fun to have my bee mates sew scrappy versions for me to use in making a sampler quilt from all the blocks that we will be sewing this year. That means that by the end of 2019, I will not only have the 11 blocks sewn by the ladies in my quilt bee, I will also have 11 blocks that I will have sewn (one for each month of the year, and each unknown until that month's queen bee sends us her choice of block  to sew for her). I will sew two blocks each month, so I can send one and keep one. I'm so excited to see the blocks that will be sent to me and just as excited to see the other blocks selected for each month of 2019!