Tulip nine-patch from Moda Bakeshop

Tulip block from Moda Bakeshop

I love this little tulip block from Moda's Bake Shop. You need scraps of a tulip fabric, background fabric, and a leaf fabric -- plus any fabrics you want for borders. For the tulip and background, I used fabrics from the Strawberry Fields Revisited line by Fig Tree Co. for Moda. I used strips of the background fabric for the first border, as instructed in the Moda how-to. All seams are stitched with fabric right-sides-together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance and using a 1/4-inch presser foot with 1/4-inch seam guide.

Composition of the pieces for the tulip.

To construct the block, you will need:

• One scant 3" square of leaf fabric

• Three 2.5" squares of background fabric
• Two scant 3-inch squares of background fabric
• One 1.5" square of background fabric
• One 1.5 x 2.5" rectangle of background fabric

• One scant 3" square of tulip fabric
• One 2.5" square of tulip fabric
• One 1.5" square of tulip fabric

For borders cut about one yard of strips of desired width (up to two inches) for each border.

To prepare nine-patch squares:

Cut one 3" square of tulip, and leaf fabrics and two 3" squares of background fabric each diagonally into two triangles.

Sew leaf and tulip triangles to background triangles. 

Press, and trim to 2.5" squares

Sew 1.5 inch square of tulip fabric to 1.5 inch square of background fabric.

Sew that construction to the 2.5 x 1.5 " rectangle of background fabric.

Arrange sewn and cut squares into a nine-patch configuration to form a tulip image as shown in photo above.

Stitch bottom three squares together.

Stitch center three squares together.

Stitch top three squares together.

Vertical strips shown pressed and arranged in tulip design.

Stitch bottom strip to center strip.

Stitch top strip to center/bottom strip.

Trim block to 6.5" square.

Sew first border of background fabric to one side of block.

Sew first border of background fabric to opposite side of block.

Two sides of first border, pressed.

Sew first border of background fabric to top of block.

Sew first border of background fabric to bottom of block.

Complete first border of background fabric pressed.

Trim border if necessary to make even border width.

Finished tulip block with background border.

Sewing first strip of second border.

Sewing second strip of second border.

Sewing third strip of second border.

Sewing last strip of second border.

Second border installed.

Added first strip of third border.

Sewing second strip of third border.

Second strip of third border, turned back after stitching.

Two sides of third border installed and pressed.

Sewing third strip of third border.

Third strip of third border sewn and turned back after stitching.

Sewing fourth strip of third border.

Tulip nine patch with three borders installed -- to be set on point.