RSC24 Hen & Chicks Block 6 - Bright Hopes

Usually I like simple blocks that look complicated.  This is a complicated block that looks simple.  Counterintuitive I know, but such a nice way to use up bricks.  Bricks are rectangles that are twice as long as they are tall, minus the seam allowances of half an inch.   The complication comes from needing to sew a partial seam, but that isn't too hard once you get the hang of it.  

You will need 4 rectangles of red and one center square of background.  These should be different with enough visual contrast that you can tell them apart.  If they were all the same, it would be a simple happy square.  

The fun of this block comes from the way the blocks rotate around the center square.   

The key is that your first seam can not go all the way to the end of the center square. Fold the center square down onto the right end of the bottom rectangle and then sew from the end to no more than halfway down the square.  If you look closely at the block above, you can see a seam 

Just in case you can't see ( I used matching thread!) I drew a dark link on this one showing where the sewing line should be.  It should be at least an inch long and should leave enough room at the end for you to do a bit of folding later.  

Then go ahead and press the seams, I went in toward the center square but later wished I had gone the other way.  It didn't matter for the 6 inch block, but it made things dicey on the 3 incher.  

Now the next 3 seams are totally regular.  Just work your way around the circle, counter clockwise sewing a rectangle to each edge formed from the center square and the short end of the preceding rectangle.  Here is rectangle 2.

Then sew on rectangle 3.  

Rectangle 4 is still easy enough, you just need to fold number 1 out of the way.  

Now that you are back where you started, you have to complete the circle.  This is why you left the seam open at the end when you started.  Fold the block so that rectangle 4 and the end of 1 joined to the center come together.   

Sew from the down the side until you get back to where you started, joining back to the partial seam between rectangle 1 and the center square.  

I suggest pressing after every seam, this isn't a good candidate for chain piecing for that reason.  It is a cute though, even if it has some tricky aspects.