Hazel & Little Hazel: Part 3

[UPDATE] Since launching Part 3, Glenda noticed (and I'm ever thankful to her!) that TEMPLATE F had the grain line pointing in the wrong direction! This is an annoying but important detail. Please re-download the Part 3 pattern (page 2) to view the correct grain line for TEMPLATE F.

This month we are working on the zig zag circular points and adding in the background. You can opt to piece in the background as I have by sewing them in, or you can stitch your completed centre circle onto a background fabric. Last month a lot of you learnt the value of patience and practice in perfecting your piecing technique! It really does take time and practice but the results are well worth the effort. 

I've really loved seeing all the Hazels and Little Hazels come together and taken aback by how many 'live' Hazels are being made right now and shown over in my Facebook BOM Group - it's a fabulous spot to share what you're doing and get any needed advice. For those of you still struggling with your Y seams, please go back and re-read my post about how to make Part 2. You can find all Hazel related posts in the Hazel archive at the top of this page. It's the perfect place to read up on techniques and see how I did it myself. Make sure Part 2 is made accurately and sitting flat before moving on to Part 3. 

These are what your Templates look like in Part 3. Take note that there is an inside curve and an outside curve. Ignore my G & H sample markings, these templates are known as E & F.

Here are the two fabrics I have opted for, notice that their sides do not match in the length

 Bring them together to create pairs, right sides facing inward

and stitch them together

Like this. Again, notice that the top and bottom of my first triangle is longer than the green - don't try to correct this, it's not an error

Now line up your next connecting piece

so when you line up this next piece, it meets up

like this

this is where I start stitching, you can see my stitch line here

this is how the seams go, I've finger pressed my seams towards the darker (red) side

this is how they look from the front

I've notched every one of my triangles in the middle out of habit for accurate reference when sewing, so I always know where the middle is. 

Then I line up my stitched together zig zag rim to check for accuracy before sewing in

Then I stitch it in

Next, when the ring was completed, I stitched in my background.

My background in this image is a striped background so I adjusted my pattern to create a specific look, don't be distracted by this - follow the pattern. In fact, since this photo was taken, I have since changed my background back to a print fabric. 

And this is what the seams look like inside

An important note on ironing: in my own opinion and experience, you shouldn't press your blocks in between creating them. I have not ironed or pressed any part of my entire centre block - and won't until the centre is complete. Then I will press it before adding my side blocks. When you iron or press, you can easily distort the pieces. And it's just not necessary - it doesn't add accuracy. I only ever finger press and I work and as you can see, my pieces fit perfectly.

This post is related to Part 3 of my current free BOMs "Hazel' and 'Little Hazel'

To join my Quilt BOM Group over on Facebook, click the image above

Don't like Facebook? You can download Part 3 files of Hazel and Little Hazel right here on this blog, right now:

to download 'Hazel' Part 3, click here now

to download 'Little Hazel' Part 3, click here now