I’m doing my best to stay caught up on the new FQS Designer Mystery BOM.

I could have sworn I took pictures of my cuttings for  Block 3 before assembly – but I can’t find them anywhere.  I believe I mentioned in an earlier post however, that I had no problem getting my two blocks cut out from the one package.  I was excited about the block pattern too – it was another basket block.

Here is my complete block (took it before daylight this morning, so lighting isn’t good):

 

I think this may be my favorite basket block so far that I have made.  Although I have the Sweet Caroline pattern from Fig Tree that I am anxious to start.

My impatience showed itself though with this block.  I was careful in getting everything squared and sized as I went along – until I did the ‘flower’ pieces of the block.  I just got cocky that my 1/4″ was doing fine and went to town.  Here’s a closeup after I trimmed the final block to 12 1/2″ square:

Those points will be cut off when I join this block to others in the quilt.  Not just the points in the picture above, but ALL the flower points will be cut off somewhat.  I’m not happy about it.  And I was really impatient and stupid to trim the blocks down .. KNOWING that it was going to do this.  I just thought I could live with it.  I probably won’t.  I will probably pick these two blocks apart back down to the base basket and repiece the outer patchwork that I prematurely trimmed from scrap and do it again.  Next month maybe.

Block 4 of this series arrived around the 10th of the month and I have it cut out and ready to piece tonight.

No problem with the fabric allowance.  However, the cutting calls for 5 1/4″ squares in many of the fabrics and then they are all cut twice on the diagonal.  Well, … I couldn’t quite get the full 5 1/4″ square on the second set – it would have been off about 1/8″ one one side … so I just adjusted it to cutting out two 3 3/4″ squares and slicing them only once diagonally and I got the same result!

 

This block has a lot fewer pieces and a lot fewer steps to put it together than last month.  Does that bother me?  Heck no!!  Nothing wrong with an easy month!

Here are my leftovers after getting two sets of pieces cut out:

 

Still lots to put in my scrap basket!  Thanks FQS!

Finally – here are my first three block sets together on my design wall.  Block 4 will be up there soon enough!

 

Thanks for visiting today – see you again soon with Block 4 and then I hope to move on to a little work on my  Robin’s Nest quilt next.  I have a slew of BOMs starting in a month or two from FQS and I need to be ready!!

Take care,

Jennifer