Previous Block of the Month:
Butterfly
Stitch a colorful
butterfly to celebrate summer.
According to Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of
Pieced Quilt Patterns, the "Butterfly" block was a
pattern by Ruby Short McKim of Independence, Missouri. Her mail order
company, McKim Studios, was a mail-order source for patterns. Ruby also
wrote a syndicated newspaper column with full-size patterns in the 1920s and
1930s.
BLOCK SIZE: 10 1/2" square
MATERIALS
- Green polka dot at least 7" square
- Yellow print at least 9 1/2" x 11"
- Blue print at least 1 1/4" x 4 1/2"
- Piece of muslin at least 6" x 12"
- Brown or black embroidery floss
CUTTING
Pattern pieces (link below) are full-size and include a 1/4" seam allowance.
- Cut 1: A, muslin
- Cut 1: D, muslin
- Cut 1: 3 1/4"
square, muslin
- Cut 1 each: B and
BR, yellow print
- Cut 1 each: C and
CR, yellow print
- Cut 1: 3 1/2"
square, green polka dot, then cut it in half diagonally to yield 2
triangles
- Cut 1: 3 1/4" square, green polka dot
- Cut 1 each: E and ER, green polka dot
- Cut 1: 1 1/4" x 4 1/2" strip, blue print
DIRECTIONS
- Sew the yellow print B to the muslin A. Press
the seam allowance toward the B. Sew the BR to the unit. Press the
seam allowance toward the BR to complete the top section.
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- Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on
the wrong side of the 3 1/4" muslin square.
- Place the marked square on the 3 1/4" green
polka dot square, right sides together. Sew 1/4" away from the drawn
line on both sides.
- Cut the square on the drawn line to yield 2
pieced squares. You will use one. Press the seam allowance open.
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- Cut the pieced square in half diagonally, as
shown, to yield 2 pieced triangles.
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- Sew the appropriate pieced triangle to the
yellow print C. Press the seam allowance toward the pieced triangle.
Sew a green polka dot triangle to the unit to make a pieced rectangle.
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- Make a reverse pieced rectangle in the same
manner, using the yellow print CR, the remaining pieced triangle, and
the remaining green polka dot triangle.
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- Sew the 2 pieced rectangles to the 1 1/4" x 4
1/2" blue print strip. Press the seam allowances toward the blue strip
to complete the center section.
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- Sew the green polka dot E to the muslin D.
Press the seam allowance toward the E. Sew the ER to the unit. Press
the seam allowance toward the ER to complete the bottom section.
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- Sew the top, center, and bottom sections
together to make a block.
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- Embroider the antennae using 3 strands of brown
or black embroidery floss and stem stitch.
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For the full-size pattern pieces for the
Butterfly Block, click here.
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