Qube Block of the Month Sewalong: Month 6 ( August 2025)

 Hello there,

Already time for block 6 in our sewalong! Before you know it it will be time to assemble your blocks into a quilt top! And while we are on that topic, someone asked me if I would be providing finishing instructions for these blocks. 

That would be a bit tough as I don't know what size Qubes people are using, and don't know what setting people will choose ( straigh set, on point, with sashing, etc) so my answer to that is no, but I will do my best to help each of you figure out what you might need, depending on your specific blocks. I hope that is satisfactory.

Let's make block 6, which is called Clay's Choice, but is also known as Clay's favorite, Clay's Star, Harry's Star and Henry of the West, and was apparently named after a famous politician by the name of Henry Clay. 

Here is the Accuquilt version:

                      ( click here for the link to the Accuquilt patterns)

This block only uses 2 die shapes: # 2 and #5, so pull those out and start cutting :).

This is what you will need to cut:

So to summarize: 

From shape 2 (square), cut 4 background squares

From shape 5 (hst), cut 4 background triangles

From shape 2 ( square), cut 4 of color 1

From shape 5 (hst), cut 4 of color 1

From shape 5 (hst), cut 8 of color 2

Of course you can choose whatever colors you like, but do make sure to keep your "star points" the same fabric/color so that they stay prominent.

I recommend laying your pieces out so that you keep them all in the correct order, like this:

And then start by sewing the HSTs ( half square triangle). For these pieces I found it very helpful to use a fabric scrap ( or leader) to start off my sewing. Whenever I forgot, my corners were pulled down into the throatplate and it was a mess!

I have started pressing all my seams open because I find my blocks end up truer to size when I do, but you do whatever works best for you. 

After sewing the HSTs, I decided to sew the rest of my block in quarters, but you could choose to sew them in rows ( if sewing rows you could press all your seams to the right, while pressing the next row all to the left, etc, but if you are pressing open this really won't matter. 

I found it helpful to pin not only the side I was sewing, but also the seams in the middle of the block, just to keep everything nice and in its place. 

And finally, sew your two halves together, and voila, Clay's Choice is finished!

I ofcourse had to make a 4" block too: 

And here are the two together: 

Here is a photo of all my 4" blocks so far:

And all my 12" blocks:

Which block is your favorite so far??

Have fun sewing this one and do share your results in the facebook group( https://www.facebook.com/groups/madewithaccuquiltsupportgroup) ~ I love to see all your blocks! 

And, as always, don't hesitate to ask questions if something is unclear. I am here to help!

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique

Qube Block of the Month sewalong: Month 4 ( June 2025)

 Happy June, everyone! 

Time for block 4 in our Qube sewalong already! Almost halfway through because we are sewing 9 blocks all together ( but if you choose to do more that is totally fine!).

This month's block is such a pretty one ( but I think I said that about last month's block too ;) ). 

It is called Mosaic No.15 and here she is:

When I first glanced at this block I thought it was made with just Half Square triangles, but on closer inspection I realized it used both half AND quarter square triangles, plus the square on point~ so a perfect block to build on the previous months' tutorials!

Ready to get started? Here are the dies you are going to need for this block ( and remember, ALL Qubes have exactly the SAME shapes, but they vary in size, so you can make this block with ANY size Qube you own!)

DIES NEEDED:

SHAPE 4 ~ Quarter Square Triangle~ need 4 of each in 2 different colors for  8 QSTs in total. ( big white and big floral triangles in my block above)

SHAPE 5~ Half Square Triangle~ need 4 of each in 3 different colors for 12 HSTs total. ( small brown, white, and pink floral triangles in my sample)

SHAPE 6~ Square on Point~ need 1  ( blue floral in my example)

*Don't let the QSTs and HSTs confuse you...when I first looked at this block I assumed the QSTs would be the smaller triangles, and the HSTs would be the bigger ones...WRONG! So just trust the process ;).

*by the way, if you would like to download this free pattern from the Accuquilt website, here is a link for you: Mosaic #15( click)- page 71 and 72. 

These are the Accuquilt  directions for their block/color choices:

You can ofcourse choose to use as many different fabrics as you like!

Just a few really important things to remember while cutting your fabric: 

• place your fabric on your die in line with the cutting blades, NOT the die edge. 
  
  
  
• make sure your selvedge ( tighly woven edge) goes under the roller sideways, with the sticker on the die facing out to the side 
  
• if you need multiples of a certain shape you can fold your fabric double ( up to 6 layers of fabric are fine) 

  

  
  
• in the same vein, if you are using a small Qube, you might find you are cutting more than you need for this block, so just reduce the size of your rough cut fabric, like I had to do while making my 4" block. 

  

  
  

  

  
  

You might wonder about the measurements written on my dies. They show me at a glance what size I need to rough cut my fabric. Your measurements will probably be different, depending on what size Qube you are using. 

When you have cut 21 pieces of fabric you are ready to begin assembling your block:

I like to lay out my pieces in the correct spot. The block won't fit together quite right because of the seam allowances, but it really helps to keep all your pieces organized so you know what you are sewing next.

For this block you are going to start by sewing together  the center square and the upper left and lower right ( in my sample BLUE)  triangles. Press away from center or press open~ you choose. On the one hand it is nice to have opposing seams to "nest", but on the other hand that intersection gets a little bulky and it might lay flatter if seams are open.

Next, sew together the remaining large triangles ( blue and white on my block) on the upper right and lower left. Press towards the darker fabric. Then sew these units to the center square unit.

Now it is time to sew together the 8 smaller triangles on the outer corners to make the corner squares. I pressed towards the darker fabric. You will make 4 of these. 

And finally, you are going to sew your flying geese units together.  

The flat edges of your triangles should line up, and at the tip ( on the  right in my photo) you will see a little peak. Sew a perfect 1/4" seam and then repeat on the other side. Press towards the dark side. 

All the components of your block are now ready to be sewn together!

Sew your corner squares to your geese ( I pressed mine towards the outer squares, but you can choose to press open. 

Next, you are going to sew the top and bottom to the center of your block.There are a few seams to match up, but nothing to guide you in the center, where the tip of the square on point should meet the tip of the geese. Pin carefully at those points, remembering that you want to sew right on that previously sewn line in order to not lose your points! 

And if you find you have extra fullness, just pin the heck out of it! 

I found it really tricky to make my points come together perfectly, but it might help you if you stick a pin right under the tip, straight through to the other side ( make sure it comes out in the correct spot on the underside too) and then pinning everything in place. 

 

As you can see, my points are not meeting perfectly, but they are good enough for me and I despise using my seam ripper, so I won't! And hey, at least I have points ;)

So that is Mosaic #15! So pretty, right? And here is how it looks together with my previous months' blocks: 

As you know, I am sewing my blocks with a 12" ( seen above) and  4" Qube. It is pretty fun to see these little blocks form so perfectly, something that I never would have accomplished ( or even attempted!) with a rotary cutter!

And just imagine how much fun this block would be made with the 16" Qube....you would have a bed-sized quilt in no time! If you want to check out some of the other Qube sizes you can click HERE (click). { if you buy something through one of my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you}.

Here is my 4" block all done: 

And here are all my 4" blocks so far:

And finally, my 12" and 4" block, side by side:

Aren't they sweet? 

Good luck making your block(s), and please do not hesitate to ask questions if something is unclear. I worked on these blocks and this blog post for many, many hours in a row, and my brain has turned to mush, so I might have written words that make sense to me, but not to anyone else. ;)

Happy sewing, and see you back here next month!

Monique

Accuquilt tutorial: How to sew together Flying Geese blocks

 Now that you own  some Accuquilt dies, and you have perfectly cut your shapes ( dog-ears off, and everything!), how should you sew them together? Sometimes it is not that obvious, so in today's tutorial I will show you how to sew Flying Geese components together.

When you flip your small triangle unto the big one, you want to line up those flat pieces~ on the bottom...

....and at the top:

Next, you want to sew 1/4" seam from corner to corner:

Press towards the small triangle, and then move onto the left side:

( do you see how nicely the corners match up?)

Place the left small triangle on top of your sewn shape, matching the flat sides again:

Sew 1/4" seam from corner to corner again:

Press towards the small triangle.

Your Flying Geese block is done! All your corners should look nice and square and there shouldn't be any fabric peeking out anywhere ( but no worries if there is a bit!)

As long as you have a 1/4" seam allowance left at the top of your big triangle, your blocks will sew together and you should not lose your points!

I hope this is helpful to you!

After I wrote up ( and took photos of) this tutorial, someone in my FB group shared that she was taught to start sewing at the left bottom corner , sew to the tip, finger press open, and then sew the right triangle from the top down to the right corner. I have not tried it that way, but I wanted to share that method as well, because it might work better for you! So please give these methods a try and see which one you prefer ;).

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique