Crossing over from winter to spring?



Hello - what a week - we seem to have visited winter and come back to spring in just 7 days! Also I seem to have spent a lot of time in the car traveling to Preston and Wickham Market in Suffolk, to do demonstrations and teach workshops - a busy week but it was lovely to meet so many of you.
Now this week I've made a block called Arkansas Crossroads - do you ever wonder where the names originated and why - I know I do.
Anyway back to the block - you will need 4 fabrics for this block, - dark, medium, medium light and light.

I used the Big Shot machine and the following Bigz dies to cut the fabrics - 657611 and 657607.
Using die 657611 I cut 4 triangles ( 2 1/2" half square triangles, unfinished ) from each of the dark and medium fabrics.
With die 657607 ( 2 1/2" squares, unfinished), I cut 4 squares from each of the medium, medium light and light fabrics.
Remember that all seams are 1/4" unless stated and press the seams as you go - wherever possible towards the darkest fabric.
Join the dark and medium triangles together.

 



Layout the pieces for the first row, see picture below,



 

 and join them together.
Repeat this once to create row 4.
Lay out another set of squares, see picture below

 

and join these together to make row 2, and then repeat once to create row 3.



Join  a pair of rows together, being careful to match seams.

 

and repeat once.

Then join the two pieces together -



and there is the complete block.
We're well on the way now.
I'll be at Sewing for Pleasure next week - running some applique workshops - do come and see me if you're there - and that could be a clue to the type of block I'll be showing next week.
Have fun.
Angela