Sunday, April 27, 2014

RSC Sampler Cracker

So, I thought the earlier Knot block was called cracker, but perhaps I was confused.  This one is most definitely Cracker.
Warning -- It has very odd measurements.  I think most blocks do that have a square in a square layout.  I tried to minimize the oddness, but it is an easy block despite the quirks.

 You will need one square and one rectangle of light purple and one square and two rectangles of medium or dark purple.  I was using charm squares and didn't have two matching light squares.  Instead I chose two that I thought coordinated nicely.
Each square is cut at 4 inches.  All the other directions I found all asked for 3 7/8, but for one block I would rather sliver trim at the end than cut odd sizes.  If I were making a whole quilt I would probably make a different decision.
Each rectangle however is cut 4.75 by 1 15/16.  Yes, I said one and fifteen sixteenths.
 Really it is just a smidge shy of 2 inches.  I was tempted to cut everything to two inches and use a generous seam allowance, but I measured the odd sizes instead.
 First sew all three rectangles together with the light in the middle and the dark on either side.
Next cut each square in half diagonally and finger press to find the center.
Finger press your rectangle set as well and match the centers before sewing on each purple triangle to either end of the rectangles.
Press away from the center and trim the dog ears.
 Repeat the process of finger pressing and finding the center of the light blocks.
Sew the light blocks to opposite corners adjacent to the purple rectangles.
 Here is where my block is just a tiny bit big because I cut my squares to regular sizes.  I used s 6.5 inch square up ruler to make sure my block finished to a perfect size.  Honestly I was surprised at how little fabric was trimmed away.  I worry that my block would have been too small with smaller squares to start.
Here is the finished block.  It came together so quickly that I think it was worth weird measurements.  

3 comments:

Cathy Tomm said...

Thanks for all these blocks. I hope to get some more done this week. I have done a whole king size quilt in this cracker block. It is on my bed and is about 14 years old.

Deb A said...

Yikes - three new blocks to make! Good thing this week is a lot less busy than the last three! Thanks so much for posting these blocks with instructions.

Kate said...

I have lots of purple to use up, so I'm glad to see these new blocks.