How it's made - flower baskets

Today I thought I'd show, step by abbreviated step, how I put together my little flower baskets!

The block measures 6-1/2" pieced, using three different fabrics - I chose red for the petals, black for the basket, and gold for the background. **PLEASE NOTE: I used my Deb Tucker Trimmer to make the HST's, so I cut my fabric for that ruler.  If you use another method, you'll need to cut fabric in the appropriate size needed**

You'll need to cut these pieces:

Black - (1) 4 x 4" square
Gold - (1) 4 x 4" square, (3) 2 x 3-1/2" rectangles, (3) 2-1/2 x 2-1/2" squares, and (1) 2 x 2" square
Red - (3) 2-1/2 x 2-1/2" squares and (1) 2 x 2" square

First you'll create half square triangles using your favorite method.  I'm using my Deb Tucker Trimmer, so I drew stitching lines on the back of the gold 4" square, paired it with the black square, stitched and trimmed.  Your black/gold units will measure 3-1/2" and you'll have two of them. You only need one for this basket, save the extra one for a future project!

Now do the same again, using your gold and red 2-1/2" squares.

After trimming, the red/gold units will measure 2".  You only need five of these units for the block, just tuck the extra one away for a future project.

You'll also need to sew the red 2 x 2" square to one of the gold 2 x 3-1/2" rectangles, using the flip and sew method to create a diagonal corner (I used my Simple Folded Corners ruler).

Lay out the units as shown below:

Remember - this is an abbreviated tut!

Notice how the block now has four main areas - the petals at the left, the petals-plus-basket in the middle, the background with part of the base sticking out on the right, and the base of the basket at the bottom. 

Starting from the left, sew together the two HST pairs and attach the 2 x 2" gold square to make one vertical (petal) unit.  Sew together the HST pair (petals) at the top, and attach it to the black and gold unit (this piece is not yet sewn together in the picture).  Sew the last HST to the bottom of the 2 x 3-1/2" gold rectangle on the right side.  Lastly, sew the remaining 2 x 3-1/2" rectangle and the pieced rectangle together for the base.

We will sew the block together in vertical rows.  Starting from the far left - attach the red and gold petal unit to the middle  (body) of the basket.  Now sew the gold and red panel to the right side of the block.  Lastly, attach the base (it got turned upside down in the picture).

This the finished block.  Please let me know if the instructions are unclear, sometimes I don't say (or type) everything I think - which might not be so bad!  If necessary I can add more pictures.

Sew forth and sew on