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Balkan Puzzle Block of the Month #3: Quilt Sew-Along (2019)

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

Create a stunning Balkan Puzzle quilt block with Debbie Shore's beginner-friendly sewing guide.

Perfect for quilters looking to master a new technique, the Balkan Puzzle block creates the illusion of larger triangles, simply through the way they’ve been arranged. Debbie says: "The parallelograms remind me of a Catherine wheel. My top tip for sewing this block: throughout the project, keep referring to the main picture of the block you are making (here it's in step 7); it’s very easy to get your triangles going the wrong way!"

Throughout this sew-along, I will introduce you to a traditional quilt block that you can construct in your own time over the course of a few weeks. At the end of the year, once all of your twelve blocks are individually quilted and ready to go, you can then stitch them together to create a beautiful, practical quilt for your home. For those new to machine quilting, sewing each block separately means you can not only fit each block in around your busy schedule, but you’re also not having to manoeuvre a large volume of fabric under your needle all at once, making it far more manageable. For more information, visit my Introduction to the Block of the Month Quilt page.

If you’re new to quilting, it may be an idea to have a practise at cutting and sewing the ¼in (5mm) seam allowance accurately with a spare piece of fabric. This is an especially good idea if you have just purchased a rotary cutter and self-healing mat, and you need some time to get a feel for how to use them. For more advice, take a look at my rotary cutter tips and techniques video!

Go back to block two and make our Pinwheel quilt block.

Move onto part four and sew a Diamond quilt block.

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You will need:

Equipment

• Sewing machine
• Iron

Materials

• To complete Block 3, you will use 4in (10cm) strips to make:
• Eight half-square triangle units measuring 3½in (8.85cm) square in background colour (BC) and contrast colour (CC) 1
• Four half-square triangle units measuring 3½in (8.85cm) square in BC and CC 2
• Four half-square triangle units measuring 3½in (8.85cm) square in BC and CC 3

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