Tuesday's Tile - Oh, I Didn't See That Coming!

Quilter's Tile - The Fan

8" x8"

©2012 Sharon V. Rotz

When I was searching my stash for pink fabric, I discovered this paper pieced fan block between the pieces.

I laid it aside, but it kept calling to me. It measured 8" so it would be perfect for a Quilter's Tile.

I auditioned several fabrics looking for the best background.

This fabric fit the mood of the picture in my mind.

Contemporary styling was not the choice this time. Out came a variety of traditional trims.

I opened up small sections of the seam allowance, tucked the end of the rickrack in and added narrow rickrack along each point.

When I checked my block it was definitely not square, as you can see. Vertically, it is on the line. Horizontally, it is at least a 1/2" off.  Could this be why it didn't make it into the original project?

All to often, I have seen quilters take out their rotary cutter and square ruler and trim off the excess, mis-shaping the block in the effort to make it square again.

I like to pin the outside of the block to a square corner and see if I can steam press the block back into the correct shape. Here is the bumpy block pinned in position.

And, after steaming, it is laying flat and square.

Since I have no idea where the pattern is for the outside of my fan, I will make a new pattern. When the fan was laying on the paper, I traced along the outside edge.

Using a flexible curve, I drew a line 1/2" inside my first line. This will become my cutting line.

The pattern piece drawn and cut to size.

The seam line will be midway between my two lines.

The fabric was cut using the new pattern. It is marked in quarters and pinned to the fan ready for stitching.

Stitched on, a perfect fit.

The fan was finished with machine quilting and lace around the edge for a binding. I added, not tiny pearl beads, but  dots of Pearl White Lumiere paint.