RSC24 Hen & Chicks Block 5 - Big O

Big O is a simple block that forms a ring of color.  It could be pieced with squares and HST units, but given the uniform color plan, I will be using snowball corners with larger rectangles to minimize seams.  

Start with two rectangles and 7 squares based on the size of the block you want to make.  5 squares are background and two are from red.  

Take 4 of your background squares and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.   

Arrange the squares so that the diagonal lines both angle up toward the center of each rectangle.  You may want to pin the squares in place temporarily, depending on the size of your block.  I pinned for the 6 inch block, but not for the 3 inch version.  Sew on the drawn line for all 4 squares.  If you like, you can double sew outside of the drawn line by half and inch in order to yield bonus triangles.  Again, I did this for the larger, but not the smaller block.     

Fold the background squares out toward the corners and press.  Even up any uneven edges and trim away the extra fabric layers below.  

Now arrange your center row with one background square framed by two red squares.  

Sew the three squares together and press toward the dark.   

Now sew all three rows together and press both side seams toward the center (it is better to minimize bulk in the diagonal seams than the straight seams).