Indiana Puzzle, by Rachel

Surprise, surprise! I chose another star block. The first time I saw this it was called Indiana Puzzle, so that's what I'm calling it.

You will need four coordinating fabrics and a background fabric. Technically, you could make it with two coordinating fabrics, but the directions are for four (you are smart enough to figure it out for two fabrics).
Cutting Directions:
Background: cut (4) 5" squares and draw a diagonal line on the back, then cut a 3 1/2" square
All coordinating fabrics: cut (1) 5" square and one triangle from a 2 7/8" square. The easiest way to do this is to cut out a 2 7/8" square from one fabric, cut it in half on the diagonal, and then use one of the triangles as a pattern to cut the remaining triangles from the other 3 fabrics.

Sewing Directions:
1. Sew the 5" squares together, background with each of the fabrics, sewing a scant 1/4" seam from each side of the drawn line. Cut along the drawn line and press to the darker fabric. Square each unit to 4 1/2".

 2. All you have left is the center of the block: four triangles and a square. Sew triangles to opposite sides of the square and press the seams toward the triangles. My experience is that these should be full 1/4" seams.

 3. Take the two remaining triangles and repeat the process, sewing them to the remaining opposite sides. Press toward the triangles again. Trim to 4 1/2". My square turned out to be 4 3/4" untrimmed, which meant I was trimming off the points. If your square is less than 4 1/2", unpick and take smaller seams.

4. Lay out the squares according to the picture and sew together into rows. Press and sew the rows together. Congratulations, it's done!

Christmas Sewing

Rachel and I were both busy during December sewing for family members. We wanted to ooh and aah over ourselves for a moment by displaying our wares: