Month 1, Part 1–Shoo Fly Blocks

[Barbara B.]

Welcome to our new block of the month project—Afternoon Delight.

My blog with Detailed information on Shoo Fly blocks:

https://bbquiltmaker.blogspot.com/2020/01/afternoon-delight-month-1-part-1.html

Tomorrow my blog will give you detailed info on the Month 1 Appliqué blocks.

Ask all your Month 1 questions here— I check this Forum frequently.

[Helen W.]

Barbara,
Your sample Shoo Fly blocks on your blog are all great looking. Since you need 9 I would use them all. Love the idea to oversize and trim to perfection.
Should make a huge improvement in accuracy when you think about how many small pieces there are in the quilt. When you said in the video to press to the dark and
put the dark at the top, and the light background at the bottom, if I am using a dark background, do I press to the light and just make sure my dark seams don't
peak out under the lighter pieces? HelenW

[Barbara B.]

Helen, I would press to the darker fabric, to minimize “shadowing” as you mention.

[Helen W.]

I thought I would do a couple sample blocks to see what technique I will use for applique. This one is turned edge with a glue stick and using the Applique Rods.
I used a 1.0-1.0 zigzag with thread matching the applique piece. I am going to take Barbara advice to wash the block and then I am
going to try Ricky Tims cross the thread in front of the needle couching technique that was in the intro of Appliquick show 1912.
Going to wait for Barbara's blog on the applique before trying any more. HelenW

[Diane O.]

I couldn't find the information I'm looking for in the instructions, unless I missed it, and wanted to know if there is a preference in which direction to press the seams when sewing the rows together to finish the block. Sue mentions the direction to press when working on the 4 patch blocks, but I didn't see any mention of which direction to press the final seams. As I did each row, I pressed towards the HST units or the Center square, but I'm not sure which direction would be best for the final two seams. Since they are going to be next to the double 9 Patches, we would want the seams to nest, so which would be the preferred pressing direction for the final seams in the block?

Thank you,
Diane in Colorado Springs.

[Diane O.]

Hello

I have seen this somewhere about the seam direction. Did you watch the Quilt Show video. I'm sure it was on there.

Adele

[Margo C.]

I “twirled” my seam allowances just like the 4-patch intersections, and think they will nest perfectly with the adjoining 9-patch blocks. I am working with kit fabric and hope I didn’t shoot myself in the foot from the get-go by using the red border fabric for all of my shoo-fly blocks! :whistle:

EDITED- now that I look at the seams, I think I need to re-press half of them in order for them nest. This is making my brain hurt!

[Barbara B.]

PRESSING SHOO FLY BLOCKS:

I will address this in the Month 2 blog for everyone to read but it is a legitimate question that deserves a bit of discussion now.

The Shoo Fly blocks will all join Double Nine Patch blocks and we would like those side-by-side seams to nest.

I twirled the seams, as Margo did in her photo, so they will look like this when being sewn into the quilt top--in December:




Here are two Shoo Fly blocks, pressed and unpressed--it is difficult to press those seams against the four patch blocks, I used sizing or Best Press to take charge:




I usually press seams the way they most want to go but it is good to plan ahead for good pressing. Since these blocks are symmetrical you can simply rotate them a quarter turn when laying out the blocks. Of course, that might mean the dog fabric in the Kit is sometimes on its' head, but that's just life, right?

[Barbara B.]

Margo, the Kit should have a 3.25 yard piece of border fabric and a .75 yard piece--the smaller piece is for the binding. As long as you don't cut off more than a half yard from the long piece, you will still have enough length of border fabric to cut long borders, parallel to the selvedge, so you don't have to piece the borders.

The Kit is generous but you don't want to run out.

Thanks for mentioning this. In my quilt the border fabric was not used in the quilt blocks at all, only in the borders.

[Barbara B.]

Adele, someone asked this question on the Month 1 blog--I answered there.

It is better to have these discussions here so everyone can find them. I'll watch for that in the future.

Thanks for reading the blog--it's how I "teach" this quilt this year.

[Margo C.]

Thanks Barbara! Good to know!

[Diane O.]

Thank you Margo and Barbara for the responses. I never thought to twirl the seams when sewing rows together, but do it all the time for 4 patches.
As I was finishing up my shoo fly block yesterday, the final seams didn't want to easily go towards the 4 patch units and that is what got me thinking about what direction they needed to be pressed. I didn't want to have to go back and press them all the opposite way, when we finally get to the double 9 patch blocks, and found out they wouldn't nest well. I will have to remind myself that the double 9 patch blocks have all the seams going away from the small 9 patch other than the center one, and that should help me while pressing the shoo fly blocks.

The BOM has barely started and I have already learned something new... twirling seams for rows, not just 4 patches.

Margo, the back of your block looks so nice and neat, I hope my blocks can look that good when I'm done with them all. :-) And if all your blocks are pressed like in your picture, they are exactly like Barbara's blocks, so I don't think you need to change the direction on any of your pressed seams.

Diane in Colorado Springs

[Helen W.]

Barbara and Margo,
Thank you for the pictures of the back of the blocks. I would have been repressing almost all my seams. Your method is so clean and
great for making the intersection flat. I took a screen shot of the pictures and printed it out so I could put it by my iron. HelenW

[Helen W.]

I jotted down some notes on all the great tips that have been posted. Then I thought maybe the list could help some of the other quilters doing Afternoon Delight. So here it goes.
1. Accuracy--Cut a plastic template to use for trimming blocks to size. Template plastic 7 1/4 square. Mark horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines on it. Place center point on center point of block. Mark, then use ruler to cut to size. Oversize your patches when cutting fabric, and trim to Perfection after stitching.
2. Use heavy starch on fabric for more accurate cutting of patch sizes and flatter blocks.
3. 4 patch in Shoo Fly block-- Line up points on the corner triangles with seam going down the middle of the 4 patch for placement of the triangle.
4. Soak Blocks as you go rather than the whole quilt at the end. Soak and swish, do not throw in washing machine.
5. Pressing flat block intersections, swirl intersection of seams in both the 4 patches and the intersection of joining rows on the shoo fly block.
6.Using the Precision pressing pen and glue helps with flat blocks.
7. Take a screen shot of Margo and Barbara's posts of the pictures of the back of their blocks. Print and keep at ironing board when making shoo fly blocks.
If I missed some suggestions sorry, I am learning so many new ideas I just love this forum.
HelenW

[Judith A.]

Helen,
Great summary of tips. Thank you.

Judy