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Previous Block of the Month: Cosmic Angel
by Patti Bachelder

She takes about an hour to make, from cutting templates to machine piecing. Patti Bachelder made "Cosmic Angel" for a Christmas block exchange. You can make a whole host of angels or a single guardian angel for a special friend with her pattern for a 10" block.

BLOCK SIZE: 10" square

MATERIALS                                                                               

• Dizzle Dizzle paint, crystal
• Scribble paint, glittering gold                                                                
• Black permanent marker, Pigma.01 for a fine line or Sanford laundry marker for a broad line                                                                                   Scraps, fat-quarters or fat-eighths:
• Dark blue for sky
• Yellow for wings                                                                                
• White-on-white print for dress                                                             
• Flesh             

CUTTING                                                                                                      Note: Pattern pieces are full size and include a 1/4" seam allowance, as do all dimensions. It is important to match grainlines during cutting. You do not need to make templates for pieces marked "R"; simply flip the template over to reverse it and align the grainline for cutting. As you cut them, place pieces in order on a tray so you can visually identify them for easy sewing. And if you cut incorrectly (2:D instead of 1:D and 1:DR, for example), it will be obvious. Note that, if you use a directional print for the wings (E) or sleeves (1), you must cut 1 and 1 reversed so the prints will be mirror-image in the block.

• Cut 1: A, flesh
• Cut 1: B, dark blue
• Cut 1: C, dark blue                                                                    
• Cut 1: D and 1: DR, dark blue                                                    
• Cut 2: E, yellow                                                                         
• Cut 1: F and 1: FR, dark blue                                                      
• Cut 2: G, flesh                                                                            
• Cut 2: I, white                                                                            
• Cut 1: H and 1: HR, dark blue                                                      
• Cut 1: J, white                                                                            
• Cut 1: K and 1: KR, flesh                                                           
• Cut 1: L and 1: LR, dark blue
• Cut 2: 4 7/8" x 2 7/8" rectangles, dark blue                                            

PIECING                                                                                                             It is important to follow the pressing sequence, so there won't be unsightly shadows behind the light areas. Also, pressing is done mirror-image so you can quilt the dress and sleeves easily. Use a hot, dry iron for cotton fabrics. For machine piecing, be sure to begin stitching exactly 1/4" from the cut edges, with the needle in the "v" of triangles and parallelograms, for a perfect fit.

	Stitch A to B. Press seam toward B. Join the AB unit to C as shown. Press toward C.
	Stitch D to an E. Press seam toward D. Repeat for the other side of the block with DR and E pieces. Press seam toward DR.
	Stitch D/E to the A/B/C unit. Press toward D/E. Stitch DR/E to the A/B/C unit to complete Row 1. Press toward DR/E.
	Stitch F to a G. It is particularly important here that you begin stitching the "v" as shown. This unit will be up to 1/8" off if you don't. Press the seam toward F. Trim off points. Repeat with FR and G.
	Stitch F/G unit to H. Press seam toward H. Repeat with FR/G and HR.
	Stitch the F/G/H unit to I. Press seam toward I. Repeat with FR/G/HR and I.
	Stitch the F/G/H/I unit to the left side of J. Press seam away from J. Stitch the FR/G/HR/I unit to the right side of J to complete Row 2. Press seam away from J.
	Sew Row 1 to Row 2, matching the points a the neck. Trim points. Press this seam open, to reduce bulk.
	Stitch K to L for left foot. (Watch the "v" again.) Press toward L. Trim off points. Repeat with KR and LR for right foot. Press seam toward LR. Trim. Stitch left and right feet together, matching seams. Press the seams open.
	Stitch a dark blue rectangle to either side of the feet to complete Row 3. Press seam toward blue. Stitch Row 3 to Row 2. Press seam toward blue.

FINISHING TOUCHES                                                                               Draw happy face with a marker. Press the entire block and square it up.  Use the Scribble paint to draw the angel's halo. Test it first by squeezing the tube gently and touching it to the fabric, "drawing" the halo with even movements. Apply a small amount of Dizzle Dizzle to index finger and lightly spread on a scrap, to get a feel for how much goes how far. Then finger-paint the wings, sleeves and dress. Allow to dry overnight.

To Printout the full size patterns for Cosmic Angel, click here.                        

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