POMPOM GALAXY quilt block tutorial - PART 1 -

Thank you for checking this tutorial out! It took 1 year and 8 months to finally write the tutorial!

 

 

I have taken some photos of the process when I made this version of POMPOM GALAXY quilt. It's not scrappy version that currently I'm working on but I hope it helps you to get started.

 

I made a template using Heavy Duty Plastic Templates by DRITZ. It's harder than other plastic templates but I like it because it's stiff and easy to trace the curved line. 

The digital pattern includes the printable templates and the paper pattern includes the printed templates (They are printed on regular white papers). 

I did the alternative way which fold the template in half. I marked where the fold line is. 

 

This plastic template can slide so I used masking tape to do a little trick.

 

Attached the rolled tapes to the back of the template.

 

Flip the template and place the template onto the fabric. It prevents the template to slip and keep it steady. Mark the cutting line.

 

***Although I cut the fabric using the small rotary cutter without tracing the line. I can't recommend to do that since this template is not made for it. It's only for tracing purpose. So to be safe, please use it to mark the cutting line. ***

 

Open the cut fabric. Now you have the background.

It seems like I forgot to take the photos of the half circle! Oops! I didn't fold the template for the half circle.

 

I made the crease mark with finger press. Fold each in half and finger press to make the center mark, and then fold each again to make the quarter mark.

I used the fabric glue stick to attach the background to the half circle.

But I don't always use the fabric glue stick. Sometimes I feel like I want to use the pins to secure. It totally depends on my mood at the moment. But I like using the fabric glue stick more for this project. Click here how I use the fabric glue stick.

 

Make sure that the background fabric is on top when you sew. I sew the curves very slowly. Click here if you would like to see how I sew.

 

Form the back side after piecing the half circle. 

 

Press the seam toward outside. 

 

It might be difficult to see in the photo above but some of the parts are not straight. It can stretch a little as I sew. So I trim slightly. Please don't trim a lot! It changes the shape of the circle.

 

 

Piece the skinny strip. It looks straight nicely.

 

When you sew two half circle units, I mentioned in the instructions (STEP 5 on Page 9) to make sure that two units line up. You can eyeball it but I do mark the edge of the curve line. (piecing line)

 

And make sure that the marked line and the edge of the other half circle line matches. 

 

Pin to secure.

 

After piecing. 

 

It happens for me but sometimes the edges of the block don't match nicely... I think it happens because my cutting was a bit off and/or the way I pieced the half circles was off...etc...

 

Oh my...It's not straight at all! (I think especially THIS block!)

 

But no worries! I wanted to have nice square blocks so I added the trimming process here. This way I can have all beautiful blocks!

If you would like to make scrappy version, you can follow the steps that I showed you here except your have to piece the skinny strips instead of one piece of fabric for the half circle.

 

 

I will write another tutorial later for how to piece the corners after these process. But for now, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and you are ready to make some POMPOM GALAXY quilt blocks!

 

Happy quilting!