Greetings, quilting enthusiasts! If you’re eager to deepen your quilting knowledge or looking for a new project to stimulate your creativity, you’ve come to the right place. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the construction of Block Five of the Storm at Sea, a captivating pattern that will surely add intrigue to your quilt collection. As always, practice makes perfect when it comes to quilting, so let’s dive right in!
Diving into the Storm at Sea Block Five
This engaging design is characterized by its side diamonds, central triangles, and interesting corners. It offers a beautiful blend of colors, providing a perfect storm of visual interest. While it may seem complex, our step-by-step guide will make the process easy to understand and execute.
Required Materials
To ensure a smooth quilting experience, gather these materials before you begin:
- Background fabric
- Dark blue fabric
- Medium blue fabric
- Medium red fabric
- Green fabric 6″ x 12″ ruler
- Glow-Line™ tape
- Triangle in a Square ruler
- 4½” fussy cut ruler
- Optional: perfect corner ruler
The dimensions for each component of the block are as follows:
Background:
- Side diamonds: (1) 6″ strip
- Corners: (4) 4½” squares
- Central triangles: (2) 4″ squares
Dark Blue:
- Side diamonds: (1) 19″ x 8½” piece
- Corner triangles: (2) 3⅝” squares
Medium Blue:
- Central triangles: (2) 5″ squares
Medium Red:
- Corner triangles: (6) 3⅝” squares
Green:
- Center: (1) 4½” square
Creating the Diamond Patches
- Fold the dark blue piece measuring 19″ x 8½” lengthwise, with right sides together.
- Mark a line ¼” below the red line on the wrong side of the triangle in a square ruler using Glow-Line™ tape.
- Place the marked line on the bottom fold, with the top of the triangle in a square ruler along the raw edge of the fabric. Cut out four triangles.
- Unfold triangles to create a diamond shape.
- Fold the wrong sides of the 6″ background piece and cut four pairs of 3″ x 6″ rectangles.
- Cut each pair diagonally once and make two stacks of triangles with right sides up.
- Arrange the left triangles in the top-left and bottom-right corners of the diamond. Flip the right sides of the diamond together towards the triangles.
- Position the diamond so that the triangle extends beyond the diamond at the top, creating a point on the flat top.
- Chain sew with a ¼” seam allowance. Press the seams towards the background. Trim the points.
- Add the right background triangles to the bottom left and top right sides of the diamonds. Sew on the chain line, press the seams towards the background. Fold and crease the center of the diamond.
- Using the Triangle in a Square template, place the teal lines on the patch’s seam lines. Trim off the excess. The patch should measure 4½” x 8½”.
Making the Corners
This method uses the Perfect Corner Ruler™.
- Draw a diagonal line on the 4½” background square using the 2½” marking on the ruler along the edge.
- Cut the dark blue and medium red squares measuring 3⅝” diagonally in half.
- Arrange the triangles around the marked background square.
- Using the markings, place the right sides of the triangles together with the square. The long edge is placed ¼” beyond the line. The points should stick out equally on both sides.
- Sew on the line. Add two triangles in opposite corners. Press away from the background.
- Trim off excess from the triangle using the 4½” Fussy Cut Ruler. Add the remaining two triangles. Trim away the background. Repeat for all four corners.
Constructing the Center
- Cut the two 4″ background squares and two 5″ medium blue squares diagonally once.
- Lay out the pieces around the center square.
- Sew two background squares to opposite sides of the center square. Press away from the center. Trim off tips.
- Sew remaining background triangles. Press away from center. Square up to 6¼”.
- Sew the medium blue squares to the center block on opposite sides. Press away from the center. Add the last two triangles. Press away from the center. Square to 8½”.
Sewing the Block Together
- Lay out all the patches to complete the block.
- Sew the middle vertical row to the first vertical row. Add the third row. Press seams to the outside.
- Turn the block and sew the final seams. Press seams to the outside.
The use of the Perfect Corner Ruler is with the permission of Forever in Stitches, LLC.
Utilizing the Triangle in a Square Templates
Acrylic Triangle in a Square rulers are available from Quilt in a Day. Utilizing these rulers simplifies the process and ensures more accurate cut pieces. If you don’t have these rulers, you can create a workaround. Just trace the triangle template on template plastic, cut it out, and when indicated to use the triangle ruler, trace around the triangle template with a marking pen. Then, use a 6″ x 12″ Ruler for rotary cutting along the lines.
Full Pattern: Click Here
By following these instructions, you will create a stunning Storm at Sea, Block Five for your quilt. Remember, quilting is not just about the final product but also about the process and joy it brings along the way. As you navigate through this design, let it inspire your creativity and contribute to your ongoing quilting journey. Happy quilting!
