Begin Sewing the Mystery Quilt
Find the first group of fabrics you cut (3-1/2" golden yellow squares, lightish green 2" squares and deep red 2" squares).
- Draw a diagonal line on the back of each green and red square, from one corner to an opposite corner.
- Gather four green squares and one golden yellow square. Place a green square in one corner of the yellow square, right sides together and edges carefully matched, with the diagonal line as illustrated. Secure patches with a straight pin (or set a warmed iron down on the fabrics to help them stick together.)
- Sew a seam directly on the marked line. Trim through both layers about 1/4" past the line as illustrated. Flip the new triangle at the corner upright and press the seam allowance towards the block center.
- Repeat to add a green square to the remaining corners to assemble a Snowball quilt block that measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2".
- Make three more identical blocks (each corner with a green triangle).
Assembly Tip: Sew all four corners of a block and place the iron on the sewn unit to set the seams. Clip corners and press open.
Second Snowball Block Configuration
- Make 16 more Snowball quilt blocks, sewing green squares to two sides and red squares to the remaining two sides as illustrated.
No Waste Corners: Jean Vallee, one of our community members, sews an extra line 1/2" past the first -- towards the corner. After cutting away the tips (halfway between the two seams), she has ready-made half-square triangle units that can be used in another project. You'll have to trim them up, and the technique will probably be more useful when making larger units, but it's a great way to conserve fabric. (You might consider putting several units from the same project together to make a doll quilt.)
