Burdock block
Finishes 8 by 10 inches
I liked the zip quilt I made several years ago. And I like rectangle blocks. This is a design I came up with that made me think of the burs of the seed heads of burdock.
Burdock is an invasive species here in the midwest and a difficult weed.
We loved playing with the seed heads as children and used them to sculpt animals. My mother told the story of her friend Gert who, when they were children, sculpted a hat with them and proceeded to see if it fit. Gert had to have her hair cut very short to remove the burs.
I remember that once the burs got into a sock, they were there to stay but we had to continue to wear those painful socks as they were not worn out.
Cutting
Solid: five 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangles which will be cut further later
Print: two 2 1/2 by 10 1/2 inch rectangles; ten 2 1/2 inch squares which will be cut further later
Using Doug Leko's Mini Simple folded corners ruler, use the print squares and the solid rectangles to make the burs.
Burdock is an invasive species here in the midwest and a difficult weed.
We loved playing with the seed heads as children and used them to sculpt animals. My mother told the story of her friend Gert who, when they were children, sculpted a hat with them and proceeded to see if it fit. Gert had to have her hair cut very short to remove the burs.
I remember that once the burs got into a sock, they were there to stay but we had to continue to wear those painful socks as they were not worn out.
Cutting
Solid: five 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangles which will be cut further later
Print: two 2 1/2 by 10 1/2 inch rectangles; ten 2 1/2 inch squares which will be cut further later
Using Doug Leko's Mini Simple folded corners ruler, use the print squares and the solid rectangles to make the burs.
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| First bur placed using Doug's ruler |
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| Second bur placed using Doug's ruler |
Press to the print
Sew the five burs together
*NOTE: I found I have to take a scant 1/4 inch seam in putting the burs together. I measure when they are in pairs to make sure they are 4 1/2 inches, then in 4s to measure 8 1/2 inches, then when adding the fifth, 10 1/2 inches. This extra step takes time but saves frustration with the thread ripper later.
Press all burs in one direction. I chose to have my seams all go south. Could also be pressed open
Add sides--do not press at this stage
*NOTE; I found it best to have the long side pieces on the top going into the machine, the burs on the bottom.
Sew the five burs together
*NOTE: I found I have to take a scant 1/4 inch seam in putting the burs together. I measure when they are in pairs to make sure they are 4 1/2 inches, then in 4s to measure 8 1/2 inches, then when adding the fifth, 10 1/2 inches. This extra step takes time but saves frustration with the thread ripper later.
Press all burs in one direction. I chose to have my seams all go south. Could also be pressed open
Add sides--do not press at this stage
*NOTE; I found it best to have the long side pieces on the top going into the machine, the burs on the bottom.
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| Burs and sides ready to sew |
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| Bur pairs measured and are ready to put center together |
Once blocks are made, I press some blocks to the burs and some to the sides. Sew into vertical pairs nesting these seams, leaving some blocks unpressed until finishing the last row if making an odd number of rows.
I plan to set either:
9 by 9, 81 blocks, to measure 72 by 90 inches
I plan to set either:
9 by 9, 81 blocks, to measure 72 by 90 inches
or
10 by 9, 90 blocks, to measure 80 by 90 inches
I like how these blocks are coming together.
My design, use at your pleasure.
I like how these blocks are coming together.
My design, use at your pleasure.
What a wonderful block! So vibrant. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAnd burdock was the inspiration for Velcro's hook-and-loop.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great block design.