Thursday, January 6, 2011

Step-by-Step Devil's Puzzle

To make the Devil's Puzzle block, with it's 16 HST's (Half Square Triangles), start by cutting 2 1/2" strips from your light, medium, and dark fabrics to use with your favorite right angle triangle ruler. Mine is an Omnigrid but there are several other brands.
Stack the the light strip on top of the dark strip with right sides together and trim the left side square.
Then turn the ruler to make your first cut; a diagonal running from northwest to southeast, or upper left towards lower right. On my ruler this is lined up on the 2" mark inside the little yellow circle. That's because these HST's will finish at 2"when sewn into a quilt. Please notice that at the upper edge there is a built-in notch.
After your first cut, flip the ruler around so that the two inch mark line is against the very top of the strip-set. Please note that the little clear pointed tip of the triangle ruler is SUPPOSED TO hang off the edge of the fabric. It is actually eliminating one set of dog ears to be trimmed. Now make your next cut, which is straight up-and down.
Make four light/dark sets of triangles and handle them gingerly to keep them together as you sew on the diagonal edge, or the hypotenuse.
Then make four of the same sets using medium/dark strip sets.
Then make eight of the same sets using medium/light strip sets.
Press all 16 open to the darker side.
Because this design is easily confused, I kept a small diagram right beside me at the sewing machine and double checked it as I sewed pairs, then pairs into four-across rows, then rows together. I had no mistakes! Yippee! Do the best you can making the seams nest.


Then it is off to the ironing board! I am guilty of slipping into back-and-forth ironing sometimes instead of lift-up-and-down pressing. Here is where you want true pressing! I do back and front, finishing with a bit of starch.






If you try this block, I hope you have as much fun as I did! It's also known as Winding Blades or Flyfoot.

2 comments:

Ella said...

I just finished this same block from
the Civil War Block of the week

Katie said...

I LIKE that! I'm saving this idea for my charm square challenge coming soon!!

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