January block.....Pixels!

 So, this month there is good news and bad news.

Good news....This is a pretty cool block!

Bad news....probably the most labour-intensive of the bunch...not difficult at all, just a bit time-consuming. But it's worth it.

The key word this month is "organization"!! ...and I'm here to help you with that. Of course, go about the block however seems easiest to you...I'm just sharing what worked for me.

As I worked on my block, I reminded myself of the old adage...how do you eat an elephant?...one bite at a time! So just settle in, do each step carefully, and before you know it you'll have a beautiful block!

First pick out your fabrics...you will need 6 feature fabrics and one background.

And, yes, I know my directions are printed in black and white...it seems that I need to buy a new colour cartridge for my printer!

You'll see though, to keep my fabrics organized, I marked the colours of the fabrics onto my directions. 

Then do the cutting. You can see in this picture how I kept mine in order so I wouldn't mix things up.

Because of all the pieces involved, and the size of them, it's important to do precision piecing, with a scant 1/4" seam. You know your own expertise...if you have doubts about your precision abilities, please see the following special note.

Special note:

 If you are nervous about the size of the pieces and the amount of seams in this block, here is an idea for you.

For the background pieces for Blocks A & B, cut the pieces a bit wider. 

For instance Block A, the pieces that are cut 1 1/8" x 2.5, cut them maybe 1 1/4" x 2.5" instead. Do the same for the other background pieces for Block A...and for the background pieces for Block B. 

 This will result in a slightly larger Block A (&B), which you can then trim down to a precise 2.5" block.

Gather together all the pieces you'll need for Block A...

Sew them together as per instructions, and repeat for Block B.

I then organized my blocks like this...

Now the fun part! 

Following the diagram at the lower left of your instruction sheet, lay out your blocks. You'll note that the instructions advise you to rotate some of the blocks so that you never have to worry about seams creating bulk. You can see this in the circled bits in the picture...this was before I rotated a few of the blocks to make them play nicely together. 

I sewed the blocks into together and was happy with the result!

I'm not going to lie...this block took more time to construct than the previous ones....but it was not difficult. 

Please remember to share your completed block on Instagram using #tqgmodernBOM so we can all look at your block.

You can find the instructions....HERE

Please note...the link may  not be active until after Monday evening. 

Have fun, everyone...can't wait to see your blocks!