I was going back over some entries and realised I never got round to giving the instructions for the Feathered Cross. (Sorry Andrea) So I decided to make another block to illustrate it, but this time using 1 1/2" half square triangles instead of 1", just to test out the measurements.

For each block you need twenty four 2" HST, made by whatever method seems fit to you.

Four strips (the red) 2" by 5"

One 5" square (the blue)

For the background you need

One 7 5/8" square, cut twice on the diagonal

Two 4 1/8" squares cut once on the diagonal

Nub the corners of the large triangles at 5", and the small ones at 3 3/4". This will help when you come to set the block together.


Join the triangle units into 8 strips of three. A word of warning here peoples, and take note cos I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true! You need to sew these in two different orientations, half facing one way, half the other.
Look at the completed strips below and chain piece 4 pairs of triangles together in the proper direction and then 4 more in the opposite direction (I keep checking and flipping to make sure, this is really easy to stuff up.

Then add the remaining triangles to these pairs to make the eight strips.
See how they are mirror images? Rotating the same strip just won't do for this pattern.

Now sew the red 5" strips to the triangle strips, making sure they face the right way. The light sides of the strip will be next to the red- I sewed one with the dark next to it and had to unpick....
Lay the block out and sew into diagonal rows, then join and add the corners.

Done!

This is simple to press except for those diagonal seams across the block. I hate pressing the triangles back on themselves, so this is what I do at those intersections. I open them up (don't bother unpicking the seams, the direction is wrong for it to swirl) and press this little kite shape in. The front of the block lays much flatter and nicer, and there is very little bulk here.
The block ends up being 13 1/4", or 12 3/4" finished. Not a bad size, and the pieces were much easier to handle. Just look at the size difference compared to the original block, it looks ginormous.

And just for fun (cos this is what designers do)- here are three other orientations of this block, just by changing the position of the triangle strips... So if you stuff up, perhaps you can make one of these! Quite like this first one.

And at the group get-together a friend was showing the Feathered Cross to some visitors and exclaiming over the small size of the triangles. One lady looked at it with absolute disgust written all over her face and said "Why wouldn't you just throw them all away ?!!"

Hmm, I didn't think of that, I'll know not to bother next time!!