Okay, here it is! A tutorial for the Shoo Fly block used in my Checkered Past quilt. This is such a fun block to make and easy! It reminds me of the nursery song “Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me”…….but I digress.
A quilt with nothing but these blocks would be beautiful, as would a scrappy version. It would also look great combined with other blocks to make a finished top.
The Shoo Fly block finishes at 10”.
Materials Needed:
- 2 – 5″ print/color squares
- 1 – 2-1/2″ print/color square
- 2 – 5″ background squares
- 4 – 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ background strips
First, you will need to make 4 half square triangles (HST). Using a fabric safe marker, draw a line from corner to corner on each of the 5″ background squares (draw on the wrong side of fabric).
Pin a background square on top of a print/color 5″ square, right sides together.
Stitch a scant quarter inch on each side of the drawn line.
Cut directly on the drawn line, making two triangles. Press the seam to the darker fabric on each piece. You now have two HST.
Trim each square to 4-1/2″.
Using both of the 5″ squares of background fabric, make a total of 4 HST.
Sew two of the HST to each side of a 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ rectangle, making two rows. Your two rows will look like this:
Sew the short side of the remaining two 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ background strips to either side of the 2-1/2″ print/color square.
Sew the three rows together, making sure to line up seams. Press seams open.
Square block to 10-1/2″.
Congratulations! Your Shoo Fly block is complete!
If you missed it, you can find the tutorial for the Checker Block by clicking on the Tutorial tab at the top of the page. Combining these two blocks makes a beautiful quilt.
I am still procrastinating on quilting my Checkered Past quilt, but I am determined to start on it before July is over. Since I have an all day HandiQuilter class on Friday and Saturday, that leaves tomorrow for me to keep my promise to myself to start before the end of the month. I hope I can keep my promise! 🙂
Linking up with Let’s Bee Social and WIP Wednesday.
Great tutorial. Glad I found your site, finally figured it out, (I’m a bit slow, lol) went to the previous one on Blogger, and last post was 2013!
A start doesn’t have to be big! I do love this version of the block. Thanks for showcasing it.
Me to Leanne… me to! I love this block as well and one of these days I will make something using your tutorial. thanks!
Love your tutorial. Do you know how the song, “Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,” got it’s name by song writer and composer Guy Wood? He was sitting in the dentist’s office waiting for his appointment. There were cooking and women’s magazines on a table, and one the covers of the magazines featured recipes for a Shoo Fly Pie and The Apple Pan Dowdy. So he went home and wrote the song and that’s how they both became famous.
Lovely tutorial. I hope you get a fun day of quilting in tomorrow, and the class sounds wonderful, too. Enjoy!
I love that block, though I haven’t actually made it for anything yet…The list of things I want to make (someday) is ridiculously long!