broken dishes

Broken Dishes
Block finishes 7 inches
I plan to set it 14 by 12, to measure 98 by 84 inches; 168 blocks.

I love this simple traditional block and knew I would eventually get around to using it for one of these quilts.

Cutting
Solid:
four triangles cut from a 4 inch strip, using the EZ angle or Bonnie Hunter's Essential triangle tool
Print:
four triangles cut from a 4 inch strip, using the EZ angle or Bonnie Hunter's Essential triangle tool.
Hint with directional fabrics: cut a piece 18 inches. Fold it back on itself and make the cuts. The four resulting triangles will be oriented 4 different ways keeping the print directional in the resulting block

Sewing and pressing
Lay out the triangles to watch for orientation. I lay it out on a reference block so I keep the orientations correct.

Sew triangle prints to solids. Press towards the prints.

Lay out the squares, watch for orientation. 

Sew them together into 2-square units
Press towards the solid triangle

Sew together the horizontal seam
Do not press this seam until assembly.

Assembly with long columns (making 12 long columns to sew together):
Keeping horizontal seams horizontal, sew into 12 columns of 14 blocks.
Press each odd column with all horizontal seams going to the top.
Press each even column with all horizontal seams going towards the bottom
Assemble columns.
All seams will nest.

OR
(this is how I am doing it--I hope to complete the top this week--watch for that post!)

Assembly into units (leaving just 3 long seams to sew together at the end):
Sew 144 blocks into 36 4-block columns
Press horizontal seams going up
Take two units and rotate one, sew into an 8-block unit 
Make 18 of these
Do not press the vertical seams yet

Also, sew 24 into 12 2-block columns
Press horizontal seams going up
Take two of these units and rotate one, sew into a 4-block 
Do not press the vertical seams yet.

Set the 8-block units into three rows of 6 units each row.
Set the 4-block units into one row of 6 units.
Press every other row's vertical seams left or right.
Sew rows together.
All seams will nest.

Watch for my post of the completed top soon.

My directions of a traditional block.
Use at your pleasure.