Classic Modern Quilts tour & tutorial!

giveaway has ended. please scroll down for the tutorial

Hi everyone! It's my turn on the Classic Modern Quilts blog tour!

My block was the Depression block. FYI, I showed my husband Troy the paper with all of the designs we were picking from, and told him to decide which one I should make. They were all so cool, I just couldn't make a decision! He likes simple, so I think that's what drew him to this block.

Top row, 3rd from left

And this block is super simple. Composed of half square triangles, this is a great scrap buster. I used a charm pack of 2wenty Thr3e by Eric & Julie Comstock (for Moda) to create my depression blocks.

I made all three block sizes out of 5 inch charms, so as promised, here's a little tutorial!

The larger blocks are pretty simple, and you probably already know this method. Stack 2 charms, right sides together. Draw a line diagonally, corner to corner, and then stitch 1/4" on each side of the line.

Cut on the drawn line, and voila! 2 HST. Trim to 4 1/2" square.

The medium blocks are made by stitching around the outside of your stacked charms. Once you've gone all the way around the charms, you will cut diagonally, from corner to corner, in both directions.

Pat yourself on the back, you just made 4 HST at once! Trim to 3" square.

Then there's the smallest blocks. These finish at 2 inches! Again, stack two charms right sides together. This time, you're going to be drawing two lines, diagonally from corner to corner, making an x.  Then you sew 1/4" on each side of both lines.

Cut along your drawn lines. You will have 4 triangles that look like these.

Cut a line from the long edge to the point of the triangle, lining up the bottom edge with your ruler.

 
Ta-da, you just made 8 half square triangles at one time! Trim them to 2 inches square.

So, to recap, two 5 inch charms can make two 4 1/2" HST,  four 3" HST, or eight 2" HST. Good to know, right? :)

Today my friend Tia and the quilter behind those gorgeous swirls above is also on the blog tour, so be sure to hop over and visit her! And tomorrow it's Amy Smart's turn, she blogs over at Diary of a Quilter. Enter to win a copy of Classic Modern Quilts using the rafflecopter widget below, and if you're the lucky winner you'll be contacted via email next Wednesday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And of course, you can always purchase the book if you're not feeling lucky. Available at these fine establishments :)

Pickledish
Marmalade Fabrics
the Intrepid Thread