Circles Blocks 17 & 18: Summer Day and Hip to Be Square

This post shows the general assembly order of two blocks:
#17: Summer Day • included in the SHINE: Finishing Pattern
#18: Hip to Be Square • included in the pattern SHINE: Nine More Blocks

Summer Day • Block 17

If you have not had a chance to look at the other blocks, please refresh your working knowledge of English Paper-Piecing and read through a few of the free tutorials on this website.

In addition, because this block is part of the Shine Finishing Instructions Pattern, this overview will be brief. All pieces and the block key are in that pattern are sold in my PayHip shop here.

In all cases, prepare your blocks. A good reminder for hand basting is found on the post for Shine Circles Block 2. A post to read for glue-basting (which is what I ended up liking the most) is on the post for Shine Circles Block 8.

In this block, prepare all the pieces by glue-basting, or thread basting down all the seam allowances around all the pieces.

For block 17, found in the Shine: The Circles Quilt Finishing Instructions pattern, following the key printed there, stitch the Flower Petal to Flower Petal Base. Repeat until all units are complete.

Now stitch the Flower Tip C to Flower Tip Base B. Repeat until all units are complete.

Pair these up and stitch the Flower Petal Unit to the LEFT side of the Flower Tip unit. You should have 12 units, total. It will look like the illustration above. Join these together, again in pairs. You should have 6 units at that point. Join 3 of those units together, then repeat. It will be two halves of a circle.

Stitch in the outer wedges in between the flower petals. Shown below is one half of the circle with the wedges attached. Notice that how one wedge hangs over the edge at the top right, and how the lower left is absent a wedge. It will be attached to the other half, and overhang as in the existing example. From there, join those edges together to make a circle. Attach the center circle, and then attach the block to your background fabric. All instructions for those are either in the purchased patterns, or on the tutorials on this website.

And yes, I do swap out my thread colors to match my fabric if the contrast is high. For example, I would not use white thread on those sections where the red will be sewn to the blue.

After completing the EPP portion of this block, follow the instructions to appliqué it down to the background block, either in the pattern or on any of the free tutorials listed on the Overview Page.

Hip to Be Square • Block 18

This is basically a series of putting two pieces together, then two more, then adding the outer wedges and the center circle, then sewing it all to the background square.

In all cases, prepare your blocks. A good reminder for hand basting is found on the post for Shine Circles Block 2.

A post to read for glue-basting (which is what I ended up liking the most) is on the post for Shine Circles Block 8.

Most of the instructions for this block are found on the pattern, SHINE: Nine More Blocks, found at that link in my pattern shop.

Here is the full index of blocks. Many are here on this website.

I offer two additional block patterns for sale in my pattern shop.

The first one above, Summer Day • Block 17 is a bonus block and is part of the pattern SHINE: Finishing Instructions.

The other pattern I offer as related to SHINE: The Circles Quilt is an additional set of blocks. It’s called SHINE: Nine More Blocks and is also in my pattern shop. Here’s the index: