Designing Your Own Quilt Block with Freezer Paper

canonjuly09 207, originally uploaded by Indie House.

August is Zoonah’s month for Snip, Sew, Send and she asked us to create 7.5 in by 7.5 in blocks featuring circles and curves. I’ve made a quilt using circles before but it was much too simple to repeat for the bee. Instead I decided to try using freezer paper to draft and create a block that I’d design.

Theoretically you can create whatever you want, cut the pieces apart, iron them onto fabric, add a 1/4 in seam allowance, cut the pieces out and sew them back together and they will look exactly as you drew them. The reality I found was a bit different. I’m sure part of that has to do with using curves but no compass. I was forced to eyeball the seam allowance on the curves so the pieces didn’t quite fit together… My other mistake was attempting this first on a small block with small pieces.

I started with this drawing on the paper side of the freezer paper.

Before cutting it apart I numbered the pieces and labeled them with the fabric they would be cut from.

This way I didn’t forget and I could reassemble the design out of fabric exactly as I had drawn it.

I ironed the pieces waxy side down on the right side of the fabric.

I drew the seam allowance around the pieces.

And then cut them out.

I started to assemble the larger circle first.

It went together like a dream!

The idea of trying to sew in the tiny red circle was overwhelming so instead I appliqued it over the center.

All that was left was the corner pieces which required more than their fair share of pins.

When it was all put together it was 7.75 in instead of 7.5 in. Do you already know why? I added the seam allowance to the outside of the four corner pieces but I shouldn’t have since they weren’t being sewn to anything else in the block. Keep that in mind when you draw out your own!

I simply trimmed it back to size and viola