Triangle Thursday #24

Yes, I'm back to Triangle Thursday again.  Sorry for the long delay.  

A Dandy

This design is number 3124 in Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. It is attributed to Clara Stone probably published originally in “Hearth and Home”.  It was also in a booklet called “Practical Needlework: Quilt Patterns” published in 1906. You can get a printer-friendly version of these instructions here. 

Cutting directions are for 6”

Fabric	Number to cut	6”
Squares to make small Triangles,  4 of the green and 2 of the red	4 green, 2 red	1 7/8” squares, sub cut on the diagonal once.  Or you can use 1” template. Should end up with 4 red triangles and 8 green triangles
Large triangles	2 yellow, 2 red	3” squares, draw line down the center. Or you could use the 2” template
Center Square	1 green	1 7/8”
Square for little house units	4 yellow	2 ½”

Here are the pieces that will make up this block.

OOOPS!  I cut too many of the squares for the large half square triangles.  You only need 2 yellow and 2 red.

Start by making the square in the square at the center of this block. Fold the square in half and finger press at each center part. Refold the opposite way to mark the other two sides. Then fold each red triangle in half and finger press.  Match the finger pressed spots of the red to the green background square.  I pinned the two opposing sides and sewed.  No matter how you iron you are going to have a lot of seams meeting.  I ironed all to the red squares.  Repeat for the other two sides.

Make half square triangles:  I actually cut fabric for these so I marked the center diagonal of the square on the light square and matched right sides together with the dark fabric.  I sewed ¼” away from each side of the line. I cut it on the diagonal and then trimmed to 2 1/2” square. Alternatively, match a red triangle with a yellow triangle, right sides together and sew with a ¼” seam. Iron seam toward the red triangle.

Little house blocks… well they look like a little house to me! Trim the corners off the green triangles. I used the 1” template and then sliced off the little triangle bits.  It makes it so much easier to line up the pieces correctly.

Make sure you match up the green triangles to the yellow squares correctly.  Check the picture below of the piece as it is fed into the sewing

machine. There should be a triangle of the bottom fabric (yellow) showing through to the right.    Iron toward the green triangle. Then repeat with the other side. I always sew the triangles in the same order so each side overlaps the same direction. I know, it wouldn’t be very obvious but I do try to make them identical.

Once all the subsections are made lay out as shown below.  Sew into rows.  I ironed the center row  to the center block and the outside rows away from the center.  Sew the rows together and give it a good pressing. You’ve finished A Dandy block.

Happy Quilting!