Snowball Blocks for Babies

There are lots of pretty snowball blocks on the design wall in my studio at the moment. Every single one of them is going to used in a small quilt for a baby in a hospital Special Care unit.

Each baby quilt will measure 18″ by 24″ when it is finished. The snowball blocks will be 6″ square when finished, so the quilts will be three blocks wide and four long.

I am one of a group of quilters who work together to make a quilt each month for charity. This is part of ‘do. Good Stitches’, set up by quilter Rachel Hauser.) Unusually, I am the person organising the project this month, the so-called ‘queen bee’.

This is what I asked the group members to do: Please make six snowball blocks. Use cheerful prints for the centres of the blocks; cut a 6½ x 6½” square for each block. For the corners of each block please use fabric in a solid colour; cut four squares of the same colour, each 2 x 2”. Choose colours from: mid-tone red, jade green, lime green, aqua blue, sky blue, sunshine yellow and orange for the solids and any suitable prints.

Getting the mail has never been so exciting! I have been receiving packages of the most charming snowball blocks, as you can see in the photo. Each day I go into the studio (to do something else) I move them round again to achieve the best possible combination of colours and prints. I have to wait a little longer though, because there are a few more still due to arrive!

If you want to make your own snowball blocks, this is what you need to do.

(a) Cut out as above.

(b) Draw a line diagonally across each of the small squares.

(c) Pin a small square in each corner of the big square.

(d) Stitch on the marked line.

(e) Fold the small square on the stitched line and press.

(f) Cut the seam allowance of the two lower layers to quarter of an inch.

You can find full instructions – with colour photos – in my ‘Playtime’ quilt pattern, which uses this method although the blocks are a slightly different size. It’s such a pretty quilt. Buy the pattern here

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