Sunday, June 9, 2013

Four-Lily Block Tutorial - Part 4

We'll complete the Four-Lily block in this final part of the tutorial.  Just two seams to go and the block will be done!

In Part 2, we made one Center Unit:

In Part 3, we made two Lily/Corner Unit combinations:

Today we'll join all three pieces together to finish the block.

As you may have guessed, we'll need to mark, match, and pin before sewing.  Starting with the Lily/Corner combo, fold the piece in half, then in half again.  On the first fold, you don't really need to finger-press the fold at the edge (unless you want to), because we'll instead be using the seams that match up in the center to align the central portion of the block.  But do finger-press the second fold.  Do the same with the other Lily/Corner combo.

Do the same with the Center Unit. Fold in half with edges even along one long side; fold in half again and finger-press a crease at the fold.  Repeat the process for the other long side, aligning edges on that side, folding, and finger-pressing.
Open the pieces and mark the creases with your fabric marking pen.

Pin one of the Lily/Corner combos to the Center Unit, right sides together, with the Center Unit on top ("Thinking of U").  Start at the center, matching the seams there, and pin.  The seams should butt against each other.

Now pin the two ends of the pieces together. 

Match the remaining marks and pin, and then pin in between as necessary to keep the edges in place for sewing.

Sew this gently curved seam, keeping edges of pieces aligned, removing pins as you go, and maintaining a scant 1/4-inch seam allowance.  Finger-press the seam toward the Lilies.

Repeat the process to attach the other Lily/Corner combo to the other edge of the Center Unit.  With a dry iron, press seam toward Lilies and press the entire block.  Trim/square block to 16-1/2 inches.  That's it! 


Here is the very first Four-Lily sample block I made back in October 2012.  I was so thrilled that it turned out!



And here are some made while working on the Thoroughly Modern Lily quilt:


I hope you found this tutorial helpful.  Thanks so much for following along!

Updated March 2023:  You can now download a condensed PDF version of the Four-Lily Block Instructions, HERE.  Click the download symbol at the top of the page that opens.