2024 Block of the Month Game - May - Triangles
Back with the BOM! Thank you for joining in!
Rules : Every month will bring a tutorial for an easy, quick to sew modern block. Do you want to join the game and prepare that block? You may end up trying something new and fun to sew! Plus, no need to buy fabric: use your fabric scraps and (hopefully) make a dent in your stash! Once your block is completed, place it in an envelope with one stamp and mail it to me *at least* one week before our monthly meeting. You have prepared a second block? Grab another envelope, a new stamp and mail it to me (please only one block per envelope). I will draw a name from everyone who sent me a block. One block means one chance to win. More blocks mean more chance to win. The lucky winner will receive all the blocks that were collected that month. Think about it…you may be able to prepare a top in a few hours or so just by assembling the BOMs sent by participants! Don’t want to keep the top? Do a good deed and donate it to our SFMQG charity! Your participation in the game is appreciated, encouraged, but not mandatory. You may want to participate one month and skip the next. The more people participate, the bigger the collection of blocks will be for the winner. Look for Marie F’s full name and address in your Roster.
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If you like triangles, especially Half Square Triangles (HST), this month’s block is for you. As seen on “Saatchi Art” (saatchiart.com), Mike Smoller has interesting abstract paintings. One painting, “This is what I did”, includes many types of triangles and serves as the inspiration for May BOM.
The easy part of this block is that you will need to prepare 8 HST (Tutorial and pictures to follow).
The tricky part of this block is that you will need to select a selection of fabric in monochromatic colors. Each HST will be made with two squares of the same color, or hue, but of different value: light, medium or dark. Take a picture of your fabric with your phone and select the “mono” or “noir” filter to verify that the two fabrics contrast in value. Simply said, as you can see, I chose dark pink and light pink, dark green and light green, dark blue and light blue, etc. Remember: same color, different value!
For this block, you will need eight (8) 3.5”x 3.5” HST. You may have done HST before, and certainly have a preferred method. Just in case you don’t know where to start, I will quickly show you how I prepared mine. This method makes two HTS.
Cut 5” squares of fabric. Place two (same colors, different value), right sides together. Draw a line diagonally from one corner to the opposite one. Draw two other lines, ¼” from either side and sew along these two lines.
Cut along the central line.
Open the two fabric pieces and press. Trim to 3.5” squares.
Sew 4 HST together and the other 4 HST together.
Finally, sew a 3.5” x 12.5” strip of neutral color fabric to your 4 HST. I chose light grey, but you may use any neutral color or high value fabric.
With the 8 HST, you will generate two blocks sized 6.5” x 12.5”, each with 4 HST. You don’t have to sew these two together. Leave the final assembly to the winner of the month for a fun composition!
Finally, as a proud SFMQG member, you may go wild and modern. If you want to squeeze more than 4 triangles in and/or if you want to do wonky triangles, please go ahead! You will notice that Mike Smoller explores all types of triangles of any sizes.
Just remember that, to make the assembly easier, your final bloc size, HST and neutral strip together, should measure 6.5” x 12.5”. For USPS purposes, the two blocks should fit in one envelope with one stamp.
And…Done! It’s ready to mail: One block=one envelope=one stamp!
Thank you for participating and good luck in the draw!
MarieF