Words to Live By BOM | Month 4

Written by: Natalie Crabtree

Hello quilters, and welcome to Month 4 of the Words to Live By BOM! The blocks included in this month feature simple techniques such as stitch and flip and HST unit assembly, but they offer complexity and intricacy to the bottom right corner of this quilt! Lots of little pieces to assemble this month, but I promise that it is worth it.

Let’s talk about the Month 4 panels!

When Stacie approached me with the initial panel concepts, I was interested in the Schoolhouse panel immediately! Anything resembling a house, I adore. I’m constantly drawn to architectural art, quilts and quilt blocks. I can’t get enough of quilty house blocks, cityscapes, and nostalgic architecture quilt accents such as this schoolhouse!

The black bear is bold, tough, and STRONG. I’ve named her Rosie after Rosie the Riveter! Not only does she provide a strong element to this quilt, she’s delicate and feminine with floral illustrations mimicking Fabric F used in the Words to Live By BOM.

Block 7 was inspired by Pick-Up-Sticks, an old-fashioned children’s game! I paired it with the schoolhouse panel to represent playtime, fun and creativity.

Block 7 requires a bit more assembly and care, as the pieces are smaller. I was careful in handling the pieces so that they didn’t stretch or shift. Take your time with piecing, ensuring that the ¼” seam is exact. Be sure to press, not pull, when ironing the small rectangles.

When ironing the small stitch and flip units created in Steps 1-6 of the Month 4 pattern, I made sure to iron towards the stitch and flip corners (Fabrics F and P) as this allows most of the seams to nestle during final block assembly! Don’t you love when that works out?

What a unique and stunning block!

I really enjoyed sewing Block 8! Block 8, also known as a Card Trick Block, is a well-known block. But I wanted to give quilters a chance to create this block using stitch and flip techniques and HST unit assembly. I find that it provides an easy stress-free alternative to using triangles.

Once you have created your HST units using the HST Unit Assembly Guide on Page 2 of the pattern, lay out HST units with the 3 ½” squares from Fabrics K and M. I find it helpful to lay out the units exactly as shown in the diagram, and check for accuracy a couple times. Laying the pieces out onto your workstation allows you to ‘audition’ the orientation of the HST units and the Fabric K/M squares for accuracy.

After sewing on the drawn diagonal line and before trimming, open up the unit to make sure you know which side of the stitch and flip unit to trim.

Check out the picture below of my units arranged on my workstation before sewing! You can see both types of units laid out at the left side of the picture, and the completed units on the right side of the picture.

Before pressing the completed units, I used my trusty Quilt In A Day 6 ½” Triangle Square Up Ruler to ensure accuracy. I checked that the unit measured 3 ½” unfinished, and also checked to make sure my diagonal seam ran directly to the corner of my unit. This extra step will ensure that your points are intact! The thick diagonal green line on the ruler should align with the stitching on the wrong side of the unit as shown.

Complete Block 8 using a fun 3 ½” Fabric C center, the stitch and flip units and leftover HST units!

Pair Block 8 with the black bear panel (Rosie) to complete the bottom half of Month 4.

Once you sew Block 7, Block 8 and both panels together, Month 4 of the BOM is complete!

I hope you enjoyed the fun, intricate Month 4 blocks and panels! In the next Month 5 blog, we get to assemble my favorite block of the quilt along with my favorite panel, the sun panel! I hope you join us in Month 5.

Find us on Instagram @gingibermakes. Share your work with the hashtags #gingiberbom and #wordstolivebyquilt so that we can follow along with your progress! 

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