Sweet Strawberry Mini Block

It's tiny. It's cute and it's very sweet. Do you like strawberries? I do! I have been a little bit obsessed with painting mice and strawberries over the last few weeks and one night (instead of sleeping of course) I ended up making this tiny block that I call "Sweet Strawberry". My so Big now Boy called it an "Apple-esque Strawberry". I have to agree, it does look like an apple or even a radish to me, but I am going to stick with the strawberry for now. :-) It is a very quick and easy block to sew and absolutely perfect for small scraps.

Did I mention that this block is tiny? It's only 2 1/4" by 3 1/4" when finished without the side panels, but it is fun to sew and to use in your projects. I cannot wait to show you what I am going to make with this strawberry, but first let's get this block done.

Things you need:

• Fabric scraps for the strawberry, leaves and background
• Pins
• Rotary cutter / cutting mat
• Small Quilting Ruler

Cutting Instructions:

• 1 square - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" pink print for the strawberry
• 1 square - 1" x 1" green print for the small leaf
• 1 square - 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" green print for the large leaf
• 3 squares - 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" background fabric
• 1 rectangle - 1" x 1 1/2" background fabric
• 4 squares  - 1" x 1" background fabric

Please note: I missed one of the 1" squares for the background on the photo bellow. Please cut 4 as per cutting instructions!

Assembly

Step 1: Starch all the pieces of fabrics before cutting. It will make it easier to cut the pieces and sew them together. Using a cutting mat and a rotary cutter, cut all the fabrics according to the instructions. Draw diagonal lines on the wrong side of all squares apart from the strawberry print one.

Step 2: Place one 1" background print square on top of the left corner of the strawberry print right sides together and sew diagonally on the line. Trim leaving a 1/4" seam allowance and press towards the background fabric. Repeat  the same with the right corner using another 1" square. Hehe...I have just noticed that I placed the strawberry upside down on this photo.

Step 3: Place a 1 1/2" background print square on top of the left corner of the strawberry print right sides together and stitch diagonally on the line. Trim leaving a 1/4" seam allowance and press towards the background fabric. Now repeat the same with the right corner using another 1 1/2" background print square. The pieces will overlap on top.

Oops...the block is upside down again, but you can see how the larger pieces are overlapping. :-)

Step 4: Place one 1" green print square on top of 1" background square right sides together. Do the same with the two 1 1/2" squares in green and background prints. Chain piece them sewing diagonally on the drawn line. Trim leaving a 1/4" seam allowance and press towards the background fabric. 

Step 5: Take one 1" background print square and sew it to the top of the small leaf.  Press towards the background fabric. Then sew the small leaf and the large leaf together. Press towards the large leaf.

Step 6: Take the background print rectangle and sew it on the side of the small leaf. Press towards the background fabric.

Step 7: Mark the middle of the strawberry on the top edge. Please make sure the large background triangles are at the bottom of the block! Match the middle of the strawberry to the seam between the two leaves, pin and sew. Press towards the strawberry fabric.

Please note: if you want your strawberry to be less pointy at the bottom part, trim the bottom of the block all the way to the pointy bit (where two background triangles meet).

Trim the block on all the sides if required and add the background fabric around your block sewing the sides first and then the top and bottom. Now you are done! Have fun growing your strawberries! If you do grow some sweet berries using this tutorial and want to share them on Instagram, please use the #stitchingnotespattern hashtag and be sure to tag me too @stitchingnotes or if you are using any other media, please link back to this tutorial. Happy sewing and strawberry growing! Larisa xox