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Block 9 - Diamond in a Square Variation  Size: 12" finished

Diamond in a square. There are other names, of course. Square in a square. Square on point. And you can always make up your own, if you don't like any of these. Be my guest.

This is a four-patch. Two 6-1/2 inch unpieced fabric squares and two 6-1/2 inch pieced squares put together to make one 12-1/2 inch (unfinished size) block. The triangles in the corners of the pieced sections are made in much the same way as last month's flying geese units. I want us to work with this block (and this idea of putting triangles in the corners) because it's a shape that is used often in quilts -- but also because we can make "connecting blocks" or "snowball blocks" this way. And that leads us to two-block quilts which are quilters' secrets, or "how to cut the piecing time in half and still make a spectacular quilt."

What to cut --
Let's make one diamond in a square variation to get the technique just right, and then we'll see where we can go with this.

For the unpieced sections and the centers, cut ..

• Two dark squares, each one 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches (Fabric A).
• Two squares from another dark fabric, each one 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches (Fabric B, or use Fabric A again if you like).

For the corner triangles, cut ..

• Eight light squares, each one 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches.

Sewing --
Mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of each of the 3-1/2 inch squares, corner to corner. One straight line. (Pencil? Disappearing purple ink? Just a careful crease?) We are going to sew these little squares onto the bigger square (I know you knew that, but I had to say it) and the easiest way is to follow Pat's good diagrams.

Time to choose again, just like with the geese last month. You can trim off both extra triangles, or just trim the extra light one. Not trimming off the very bottom one leaves the big square intact, and keeps everything square and on-target. The little squares do add some weight and thickness. But PLEASE do try it. It might be just right for you.

Construction -- Diamond in Square -- Trimming one layer of fabric
			Put one 3-1/2 inch square on the corner of one 6-1/2 inch square. Match the edges really well. Sew along the line you drew. Trim seam of Light Fabric down to 1/4 inch. Finger press away from the center of the block. Careful! Bias! After you have trimmed, press the triangle away from the center of the block.
			Sew another square on the opposite corner. Be even more careful! More bias! Trim. Press.
			Sew a triangle on the third corner. Trim. Press.
			Sew a triangle on the fourth corner. Trim. Press.

Construction -- Diamond in Square -- Trimming both layers of fabric
			Put one 3-1/2 inch square on the corner of one 6-1/2 inch square. Match the edges really well. Sew along the line you drew. Trim seam of both Light and Dark Fabric down to 1/4 inch. Finger press away from the center of the block. Careful! Bias! After you have trimmed, press the triangle away from the center of the block.
			Sew another square on the opposite corner. Be even more careful! More bias! Trim. Press.
			Sew a triangle on the third corner. Trim. Press.
			Sew a triangle on the fourth corner. Trim. Press.

Completing the block --

Now lay out the four 6-1/2 pieces (two solid squares of Fabric B and the two you just made with Fabric A) so that it looks like this:

Finishing the block --
In the places where we have sewn two triangles onto the corners (and the triangles overlap) there is an "X" formed by the stitching. Remember with the geese how we sewed a couple of thread widths outside of the "X" so as to not blunt the point of the witch's hat? We are going to do that same thing again. Put one 6-1/2 inch pieced section right sides together with one 6-1/2 inch plain square -- and with the pieced section on top so you can see the "X" -- stitch the seam. Sew one pair, press the seam this way. Sew the second pair and press the seam that way. Put the pairs together to make the 12-1/2 inch block. Not hard!
 

Here are two quilts made with this Diamond in a Square block. In the quilt on the right, I rotated every other block. The optical illusions are surprising, aren't they?

Variation of the diamond in a square 12-inch block --

Look at this block. It's another variation of the Diamond in a Square, but all four sections have diamonds in them.

The idea is the same, but the whole-block construction is a little harder because we would be matching points in four places when we start pairing up the four sections. Maybe you want to make this one instead of the first one to save for our sampler quilt. To make a 12-1/2 inch (unfinished) block that looks like this one, this is what we would cut:

For the centers (the diamonds) ..

• Two light squares, each one 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches.
• Two dark squares, each one 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches.

For the corner triangles ..

• Eight light squares, each one 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches.
• Eight dark squares, each one 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches.

Something entirely new -- making the connection --
We can use just one section of this month's block (one-fourth of the whole 12-inch block) and work some magic. Consider one of the sections with the triangles in its corners, and call it a "connector block." (Sometimes this kind of block is called an alternate block.) If we put a 12-inch connector block together with a 12-inch pieced block, we can create all sorts of terrific designs, and give ourselves huge places for fancy hand quilting, or a big place to show off a wonderful print (those pink dinosaurs I was wondering how to use!). The connector block looks like this:

Don't reach for the rotary cutter until you see the new and improved connector block below.

Correcting the connection --
Now look at this Snowball block. It's a variation of the connector block, usually called a "Snowball." The difference here is that the triangles in the corners are smaller.

Here's the secret --
If you plan the triangles to be the right size, when you pair a Snowball block with a pieced block, you will have a continuous flow of pattern -- and a whole new design! For instance, if we have a 9-inch nine-patch block and want to make a connector block to go with it, we need the corner triangles to extend out 3 inches (or the same distance as the first seam in the nine-patch block). To make this connector block, we would cut out one plain 9-1/2 inch block, and four 3-1/2 inch squares for the corner triangles.

Here's a quilt made that way. It's made with a 9-inch NinePatch and a 9-inch Snowball (finished block sizes). NinePatch Snowball

NinePatch & Diamond in a Square		NinePatch & Snowball
What a difference a Snowball makes!

Here's another quilt with its Snowball size adjusted to match the pieced blocks, and I put some appliqué on the Snowballs. (Don't sigh like that! I love Sunbonnet Sue!) Snowball w/Sue Pinwheel Square Snowball w/heart

	Washington Puzzle
	Diamond in a  Square

Economy Block Diamond in a  Square

And if you really want to drive yourself nuts, see what kinds of quilt designs you can come up with when you put triangles only in two corners (maybe opposite corners or maybe not!) of your connector block. Or put two entirely different blocks together. Would an Eccentric Quilt and a Ribbon Star block make a good combination? Eccentric Quilt Finished Quilt Ribbon Star How about a Garden Patch and a Shoo Fly? Let's see --

Garden Patch Shoo Fly

Our quilt --
I got us off on a side track this month, didn't I? I do hope you will make one 12-1/2 inch Diamond in a Square variation and save it for the sampler we are going to put together. All this "other stuff" is just grist for the mill. You are cutting and sewing faster and faster now, I know -- and there are possibilities dancing around in your mind when you look at fabric. Where DO you get your inspiration?

Mine usually comes from fabric. When I think maybe finally I am tired of quilting and I have none in me that needs to be made, a trip to a good quilt store puts an end to that nonsense! I see the fabrics on the shelves, in the quilts and books .. and little siren stacks of FQs ... and another quilt creeps into my imagination. Sometimes it comes on tiptoes, just swirls of quiet ideas, and other times it shouts and swaggers in, completely finished, all but the making of it.

Next month --
Straight lines! Adios triangles!! I hope your September is full of falling leaves and the promise of family coming home for the holidays.

LDRS HBBY RathrB