Puss in the Corner......

(I think this is also called Expanded 9-Patch. The quilt above was made by Cyndy A. who was our teacher for this workshop)

I took a workshop from our local quilt guild today and learned a fast way to make Puss in the Corner blocks. This may not be new to others, but it was new to me and I found myself getting a lot done in a short time! This block can be made any size you want, but these instructions are for making 5" finished blocks which will then be 4 1/2" when sewn into a quilt top.
Here are step-by-step instructions:1. Start with a large stack of 6" squares of fabrics. This is a great way to use up left-overs and make a nice scrappy quilt with an old-fashioned look.

2. Stack a pair of squares with right sides together. Make a cut at 3" and then one at 1 1/2" as shown above. (If you are starting with a different size make first cut at the half point and the second at half of one of the halves).

3. Sew the two dark strips to the side of the light half and the two light strips to the dark half.

4. Leaving the two sewn pieces folded lay them on your cutting board and....

5. ...cut them as you did before. Cut at the 3" mark and then cut one half again at the 1 1/2" mark.

6. Iron them open. Now put the pieces together as shown above, matching the corners of the squares.

7. Ta da! Now you have two Puss in the Corner blocks that are opposites of each other!

I found that if I cut a large stack of them with the first set of cuts, that I could than sit and chain piece them in pairs. Then I made my second cuts, ironed them open, and sat again to sew the final seams. This went quickly. I've made over 70 blocks already! They can be set in a quilt in many ways. They look very nice set on-point with a neutral fabric in-between.

Here are a bunch of my pairs pinned on the board. Should be a very scrappy look when I get done and is a great way to use up left-over pieces from other quilts. Obviously if you want all your blocks to look the same, this method won't work. You will always get a pair of opposites from your two originals. The nice part is you are never messing with little 2" squares. I also found that the corners matched up nicely in almost every case without me having to pin anything before sewing. A great time saver!