Birds in the Air Quilt Block Pattern

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To sew a Birds in the Air quilt block, you will need:

• Fabric in your desired colors
• Sewing machine
• Rotary cutter and mat
• Ruler
• Iron and ironing board
• Pins
• Thread

Here are the steps to sew a Birds in the Air quilt block:

1. Cut out your fabric pieces:

• From your background fabric, cut one 4.5 inch square and four 2.5 inch squares
• From your bird fabric, cut two 4.5 inch squares and four 2.5 inch squares

2. Create the half-square triangles (HSTs):

• Take each of the 4.5 inch squares and pair them right sides together, one background fabric square with one bird fabric square.
• Draw a diagonal line on the back of each of the background squares.
• Sew 1/4 inch seam allowance on both sides of the diagonal line.
• Cut along the diagonal line and press the HSTs open with the seam allowance towards the bird fabric.

3. Assemble the block:

• Take two of the HSTs made in step 2 and pair them together right sides together, one with the background fabric facing up and one with the bird fabric facing up.
• Make sure the seams of the HSTs are nesting.
• Sew 1/4 inch seam allowance on both sides of the center diagonal.
• Cut along the center diagonal line and press the seams open.
• Repeat with the other two HSTs made in step 2 to create another half of the block.
• Join the two halves together by sewing 1/4 inch seam allowance along the center diagonal line, making sure the seams are nesting.
• Cut away any excess fabric, and press the final seam open.

4. Trim the block:

• Using a ruler, trim the block to 4.5 inches square, making sure to center the diagonal seam in the middle of the block.

Your Birds in the Air quilt block is complete! Repeat the steps to create more blocks, and then join them together to create your quilt top.

 

This is a great technique for making half square triangles that eliminates the need to directly manipulate the stretchy bias of the triangle. It utilizes two easy to cut squares producing two half square triangles.

On the back of the lighter fabric, draw a pencil line, diagonally from corner to corner.

 

Stack a pair of light and dark squares, right sides together. Sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance on each side of the line.

You will end up with something like this.

Now cut along the diagonal line.

 

Press the seam together to set the seam. Then press towards the darkest fabric.

To trim the block to the exact size line up the diagonal 45°angle with the ruler on your seam.

And then carefully trim your block with a rotary cutter.

 

Sew the squares together.

Mark the wrong side of the unit with a pencil line aligning the corners of the squares and the intersection of the seams.

Line up the corner of the square or triangle you will add to the corner of the unit:

Sew a seam one thread's width from the marked / ironed line. This tiny allowance makes room for the fold of the fabric so that the point isn't cut off the triangle.

Then fold the triangle into position, using the squares to assist alignment then press.

Trim away excess fabric to reduce bulk. Leaving a 1/4" seam, and trim the ears.

 

How to Resize Quilt Blocks:

The first step in modifying any quilt block is to decide on the size of your finished quilt block. You can come to a decision based on a number of factors: doubling a pattern, cutting your pattern in half, or choosing the size based on your available fabric.

NOTE: When working from a pattern’s cutting instructions, make sure you remove the seam allowance before doubling or tripling the size. For instance, if your pattern calls for 3-1/2″ squares, first you’ll subtract the sum of the seam allowances (1/2″), double the finished block size (from 3″ to 6″), and add the seam allowance back in (1/2″). So, when all is said and done, you will cut a 6-1/2″ piece of fabric.

Resizing Square Blocks:

Square blocks are the easiest to resize. Simply add to your finished block measurement. For example, if you’d like your finished block to be a 4″ square, you’ll need to cut a 4-1/2″ square of fabric.

Resizing Rectangular Blocks:

Similarly to the square, for rectangle blocks, you’ll add to the length and width measurements of your finished block. If you’re doubling block that measures 3″ x 4″ in your quilt, you’ll cut a 6-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ rectangle of fabric.

Resizing Half-Square Triangle Blocks:

When you want to change the size of a Half-Square Triangle block, add 7/8″ to the desired finished block size. To make a 4″ finished block, you’d cut 4-7/8″ squares.

Resizing Quarter Square Triangle:

Since there are two cut lines and two seam lines in a Quarter-Square Triangle block you’ll need to add 1-1/4″ to the desired finished block size. For a finished block that’s 4″, you’d cut your squares 5-1/4″.