Welcome back for the second week of our Alaska Rainbow Quilt Along!
I am beyond thankful for all of you who’ve joined in so far, and if you haven’t yet – why wait – check out last week’s blog to see what you missed and jump right in, you’ll catch up in no time. We’ve already learned so much with our first 2 blocks, I’m so proud of everyone. The #1 lesson from last week is how important it is to have a nice, accurate, quarter inch seam allowance.
You must keep it consistent from the beginning to the end of the seam.
This week we will be working on Blocks 2 and 9, so grab your Alaska Rainbow Pattern, Alaska Templates, rotary, ruler, fabric pencil, and Aurifil thread 2310 – let’s get to it!
Block 2 – we will need to make a total of 4 Block 2’s. Let’s begin by arranging pieces to form the block. This block has two new shapes compared to the blocks we made last week. We’ll start with those.
Assemble the new pieces – one Diamond A and two Half-Diamond B’s.
Mark both Half-Diamond B cuts. Edyta’s Tip: I like to keep my templates and pencil close by to mark the fabric so that I can correctly position them for pinning.
Once marked and pinned, sew the first Half-Diamond B to Diamond A. Press seams open before moving on to the other Half-Diamond.
This is how the finished unit will look.
Don’t forget to open your seams instead of pushing them all in the same direction. Repeat steps for the remaining 3 Diamond wedges.
For Block 2’s corner units, mark, pin, and sew Triangle D to Wedge C like last week. Repeat this step 3 more times to make all four corners of the block.
Arrange your sewn units to form the whole block.
Sew units following the basic kaleidoscope skills we learned last week.
Pin and sew into 2 halves before pinning again to sew the halves together to complete the block. Press and trim. Repeat this whole process 3 more times for a total of four Block 2’s.
Block 9 – We will be making a total of four Block 9’s. Arrange all your fabric as shown above. Now I know this one looks familiar, as it should after last week, but don’t be fooled— this is indeed a new block! Notice how the block’s colors are reversed.
Start by selecting two Wedge C’s and one Triangle D. Now using your pencil and template, mark Triangle D.
Pin Triangle D to Wedge C at the marked points before sewing. Press seams open before adding the next Wedge C.
Repeat this process 3 more times to make all four corners of the block.
Combine the units so that you have two halves of a block.
Press seams open to complete your block. Repeat steps 3 more times to finish all four Block 9’s.
Now lets spill some adorable fabrics into our scrappy blocks! I’m so excited about this option! It offers such freedom to be creative and a chance to use up any leftover fabric bits and pieces. To clarify for those quilting the scrappy version of Alaska Rainbow – I am still following the pattern, I’m just simply giving myself the creative freedom to pick fabric prints and colors as I desire. That being said, once I create a block, say Block 10 for example, all three of my remaining Block 10’s
will be identical in their fabric selection and layout to the first.
This is very important to do in order to achieve a cohesively stunning and balanced quilt.
Scrappy Block 2 – Cut your fabric using the Alaska Templates and arrange them as shown above. Continue to follow the same steps of marking, pinning, sewing, and pressing as directed in the pattern to complete your blocks.
Repeat this exact color arrangement 3 more times for all four Block 2’s.
Scrappy Block 9 – Cut and arrange your pieces as shown then follow the steps above to complete the block. Repeat this exact color arrangement 3 more times for all four Block 9’s. For more details please visit our YouTube channel.
This has been so much fun! I can’t wait to play some more and prepare our blocks for next week! Please make sure to tag us in your progress pictures along the way at #alaskarainbowquiltalong Happy Quilting! Edyta