Jingle Bell Pines Block Party - Block 2

The Jingle Bell Pines Block Party continues today with Block 2!! Woot woot! Join Kate Colleran (of Kate Colleran Designs) and I for tips on completing your Jingle Bell Pines Quilt one block at a time for the holidays! We will post tips (and more) every Thursday on Instagram and delve a bit deeper on our blogs. 

For more information on getting started (it’s not too late!) – visit my blog post here!

On to Block 2 – it’s the Tannenbaum block! It’s another block that is pieced and also uses the stitch and flip technique that we talked about last week! So, you should be all set with that technique! 

We thought that this week, we’d go back to basics, to test your ¼” seam, before you get started making this block!

Testing Your 1/4" Seam

Let's start by cutting 3 squares the same size. We used 2-1/2” squares in our test.

Stitch your squares together to form a strip, using your usual setup for piecing. 

Press for accuracy:

• Press the seam flat from the wrong side.
• Flip to the right side and press right next to the fold.
• Press again from the right side.
  

Then, measure the finished width of the middle square; it should measure 2”. 

If it doesn’t, let’s adjust either adjust your needle position or your seam guide to change the seam allowance. If you needed to adjust, it’s definitely worth your time to repeat this exercise! Practice makes perfect! I have a video for this process – watch it here:

Tool Time!

My favorite tool this week is my Rowenta iron.  As an aside, when my son was learning to read, he called her "Roweena." Consequently, she is still known as Roweena in my studio.  Roweena is fairly heavy, which gives the piece a crisp finish and that's what I value in an iron!

The final pieced unit looks like this:

Kate and I thought it might be fun to show you our blocks with different backgrounds – you can always change it up! So here is the Tannenbaum with a navy background – pretty night version!

And here is the tree with a creamy taupe background – so traditional!

I can’t wait to keep the Jingle Bell Pines Block party going next week with Block 3! Until next time – have fun sewing the Tannenbaum block and enjoy the pines! 

Hugs!

Kris