Hi I’m Jenny from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Today I want to talk to you about
the fall leaf block or the maple leaf block. This is a darling little block. I’ve used
them here in this table runner, and this is made by using Jones Fabric by Victorian Albert
Museum from Rowen Fabrics. So it’s just a darling line, and I think leaves can be
any color, any time. Traditionally, we make them at fall time, but think how cute a spring
time leaf table runner would be. This block is made by using squares. It is based on a
square and I am going to show you how to make one out of a jelly roll strip. So for this,
you are going to need 6 background squares and 7 printed squares, and 1 1/2 by 4” strip
for your stem. And I have a special trick for that stem. So what we’re going to do
is 4 of these need to become half square triangles, so we are going to take our one of our background
squares, and we are going to come to the iron here and press a line so that we have a sewing
line on there. You can draw it if you like. We are going to put them right sides together,
and we’re going to sew straight down this line right here. Now I have one right here
that is already done, and we’re just going to take that and cut off the edge. Like this.
And Iron this open.
So we are just going to roll that back like that. So now that we have all of our half
square triangles made, we can lay out the block. I have a block right here set, set
right here, so I can know exactly where to put things, cause you guys know I am kind
of angley challenged. So what we are going to do is start with our block like this. And
we are going to lay our half square triangles and this will be the first row and I suggest
laying out the whole block before you sew because it is really easy to get this mixed
up a little bit. So your second row consists of ½ square triangle and two of the printed
squares. The third row is a half square triangle, a printed square, and your stem block. Now
to make this stem block, traditionally they’re applicade on, but you know me I am fast, I
like to do things fast and easy. So I have this 1 ½ by 4 “ strip, and I just cut it
a little longer to give me some room and I am going to iron that in half, like this.
And then we are going to, our block here has an ironed crease in it and we are going to
lay this stem right along this crease and we’re going to put our presser foot right
along this edge and sew a quarter of an inch. So let me show you how we do that. We are
going to go over here. And we are going to sew this right down. Like this. Then we are
going to head to the ironing board, and we’re going to press that over, I am going to trim
of these threads. And what I’m going to do, is I am just going to fold this over like
this. And then I am going to go back to the sewing machine and top stitch that down. So
that’s going to make our stem, and we didn’t have to do any applicade. Now you can hand
applicade that on down there if you want, it’s a great way to hide all the little
edges of your seams. So there’s our, our little stem, all topstitched right there.
Then we need to trim it up so we can sew it in, so it stays block size, so we’re just
going to line up our ruler along the edge and trim that. And there’s another. We want
to turn it back into a square.
And then this one also. There we go. Now we just get to put it right in there, and you
can see how the leaf block is going to look and now we just need to put it together. So
I am going to start and do this in rows, and I am going to put these two together. Just
keep them, you know lay them right next to each other so I don’t get my angles mixed
up. Then we will put that last one right there. I always open it up and check again. Because
you don’t want a leaf going, then one of your leaves parts going in the wrong direction.
Easier to check then to pick out. So here we go, I am going to press this down. And
I’ll lay it back and now we’ll do the second row.
And again, remember this is based on a square, so if you want to use, you know, 5” squares
for this and make big leaves, or you know any size you want, it will work just great,
it all the squares are the same size in this block. Now we just need to attach these 3
rows So I am just going to lay them right on top of each other, from the, from one you
know from the bottom to the middle row. And I like to take a few stitches and stop and
make sure that my seams are nested nicely. And if one seem is laying one direction, then
I’ll push that seam the other. And then we have one more row on here. Make sure that
I have it in the right spot. And I just line up again the very top edge. Anchor it with
a couple of stitches and then I am going to lift this up and I can feel which direction
that seam is going and make sure they are nested in there nice and tight.
And one more. And we are going to trim these threads off of here, I have a bunch, it looks
kind of like a wholly mammoth at the moment. There we go. Alright. So now I am going to
head here and just press this open. Give it a shot of steam, I like my steam. And we have
made a darling little leaf block. So now that you have made your cute little leaf block,
you can use it in just about anything. A table runner like I’ve done is cute, or you could
make a big quilt. To make this table runner, what I did, was I used an inch in a half sashing,
to make a, to sash between the blocks so that they all come together this way. This is an
inch in a half corner stone in the middle. My first border is also an inch in a half,
tiny little borders. And then I have this outer border that is 3”, and so with about
12” of fabric, you can border a little table runner like this. So we hope you enjoyed this
tutorial on the leaf block, from the Missouri Star Quilt Company.