Block 3: O Canada...I Mean, Maple Leaf Block

This week's block of the Farm Girl Vintage quilt was the maple leaf block. Kim and I both chose to make this one in the larger size. It's one of my favourite blocks.

Some of you will recognize it from my house. It's the block I did in tile as a focus in the kitchen:

And it's the same block I put on the front of my house in 6-foot style:

Well, of course I was going to make the large size of this block for my quilt!

We were driving on Sunday so I decided to try to hand stitch this block on the road. I pulled out the pattern and the bag of fabric cuts and put them on my "work table" (my lap).

It started with four half-square triangles made by sewing two squares together. I marked the diagonal of the light squares with a water-soluble pen and sewed just to the side of the line.

The left block (above) is sewn and and finger pressed. The bottom block is sewn and the other two are marked for sewing.

Here are the four blocks finished.

I've cut the excess fabric from the back and finger pressed the seam.

Except for one, the rest of the squares in the block were solid pieces of fabric. The block is assembled like a nine-patch. I sewed column 1 to column 2, leaving the thread connected between the blocks.

I did backstitch at the beginning and end of each block. But this way, the blocks were connected in the right position when I sewed the rows together.

Here the columns are sewn together and the top two rows are joined.

Just one more seam to go!

I managed to finish it before it got dark and here it is ironed and everything!

I measured it and it is even 12.5" square like it's supposed to be!

I got to join my mother-in-law at her quilt guild meeting the day after the drive. It was a nice time and the best part was show and tell. I love seeing people's projects. (How can you resist a quilt with Godzilla on it!! :) My mother-in-law pushed me to sign up for show and tell so I showed my one block and the book it came from. They said I had to come back now when the quilt was done because one block is just teasing!

Here are the blocks so far in a mock up assembly:

_________________________
Kim also got her block done early and here it is in a selection of greens: