Friday, August 16, 2019

Seashore Splendor Block 14 - Anchor

Are you ready for the fourteenth block of the Seashore Splendor Quilt Along?  I know some of you have fallen a bit behind - that is so easy to do!  We still have several months to go until we are done, so don't worry, there is plenty of time to get your blocks finished.  I've been working hard myself to get caught up, too.  I have a daughter getting married next week, so I wanted to make sure I had this block done so I don't have to worry about anything next week!

Today's block is another great seashore inspiration - an Anchor!

Most of this block is fairly simple piecing, but there are a lot of pieces to keep track of!  I've written the instructions so you can cut each section as you go - for me this made the most sense and helped prevent me from sewing the wrong pieces together.  This block will take about a half yard of background fabric - you can use light or medium sea for this and 1/4 yard of your dark sea fabric.

Start out by cutting out the arm section.  I like to lay my pieces out in the positions they need to be sewn in.  I work at assembling any units that need to go together.
For this block you'll be making several mirror image sections, so make sure that you aren't making two sets that are identical!  That doesn't work for this block!  Then I sew the next set of units together.
Continue sewing the next section...
Then complete the arm section by sewing to the center.
The next section is the eye of the anchor.  These pieces are a bit smaller, but it all goes together easily.
Use the sew and flip technique to add triangles to the long side pieces, and assemble the center section.
Sew the top triangle and the side strips to the the center.
Then add the side triangles.  You can trim the extra fabric off at this point or wait until your block is complete.

Now it's time to work on the bottom section.
Ok, this looks a little crazy, but don't worry - it's really not that bad!  First, sew the three small squares together.  Sew the long strips together (I changed the instructions a bit to make them the same size so you don't have to worry about centering them)  Then sew the small triangles to the center of the strips.  Sew the larger triangle to the center of the long side of the large rectangle.
Next, trim the extra fabric from the strips to make two striped triangles.  
Sew the three small squares to the top of the large rectangle, then add the striped triangle to the sides, matching seams where the stripe meets the top of the rectangle.  You can trim the extra fabric off now, or wait until you assemble your block.
Just the side units left now!  
You can see how easy these are to sew!  Dark square to light rectangle, small triangle to top of rectangle, then large triangle to outer side.  Mirror images again, so be careful!
Now you just add the sides to the center, then add the top and bottom.  Take some care to match seams where needed.  This completes the center of the block.  At this point, make sure to trim up the edges, and you are ready to add the setting triangles.  
Oops - forgot to get a picture of my finished block!  I'll add that ASAP!

This block will challenge you, but it's worth it!  Wouldn't this make a stunning pillow?  I think I'll have to make another for that project!  Download the pattern by clicking the link below:

Download Anchor Block here!
Thanks for following along!  Here's a look at our progress so far - how is your quilt coming along?


PS - I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop today to celebrate my birthday - 15% off everything, including PDF patterns, and finished quilts.  Visit PamelaQuilts on Etsy to save this weekend!


2 comments:

BarefootThunder said...

I love this block. Thanks much.

Susan said...

Love this block and the idea of using it for a pillow. Thanks. Also, happy birthday.