Dreamcatcher Dusk Round the Year – Card Trick – Block Three of the BOM Quilt

Card Trick Block tested by Manju Narain

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BLOCK PATTERNS WILL NOT BE FREE AFTER NOVEMBER 15, 2020.

Visit my online shop for downloading the pattern for free till November 15, 2020.

This is the third block of the Block of the Month Quilt, Dreamcatcher Round the Year, tested for me by Manju Narain! It is a twist on the traditional card trick, a block I always wanted to make but never got around to doing. So when I was designing this quilt, this was one of the first few blocks I included.

Cindy Ellerbe tested the final version of the block!

The block is foundation paper pieced and finishes at 18″; the inset circle is 15″. The instructions and templates can be downloaded from the links at the end of this post; patterns for the previous two blocks can also be downloaded there.

Fabric Requirement

Colour	Colour Code	No of Pieces	For Background	For Ring- rectangles 2″x 3″	For wedges	For ‘cards’ 3″ HSTs	For card `strip borders’ 1.5″ wide
	1	4	25″ x 10″ Or 19.5″ square
	2	60		2″ x 108″ strip cut 36 rectangles	1.5″x 16″ cut 8 (1.5″x 2″)		1.5″x 72″ Cut 1.5″ x 4.25″ (8) 1.5″x 4.75″ (8)
	9	2				2 HSTs from 3″ squares
	3	11			2.5″x32″ strip – cut 8 (2.5″x 4″)	3 HSTs from 3″ squares
	8	3				3 HSTs from 3″ squares
	7	13		2″ x 21″ strip – cut 7 rectangles	1.5″x 8.5″ cut 2 rectangles		1.5″x4.75″ (2) 1.5″x5.5″(2)
	5	15		2″ x 27″- cut 9 rectangles	1.5″x 8.5″ cut 2 rectangles		1.5″x4.75″ (2) 1.5″x5.5″(2)
	4	17		2″x 33″ – Cut 11 rectangles	1.5″x 8.5″ cut 2 rectangles		1.5″x4.75″ (2) 1.5″x5.5″(2)
	6	15		2″x 27″ – Cut 9 rectangles	1.5″x 8.5″ cut 2 rectangles		1.5″x4.75″ (2) 1.5″x5.5″(2)

Colour code the fabric you plan to use. Follow the instructions to cut the fabric. If your fabric is pre-starched, it gives a nice, crisp, neat finish to your final block!

1. All these tiny pieces can be confusing. I often pin the cut fabric pieces to each template
   using the colour code as a guide –or I get confused what goes where!! Sometimes I just pin them template-wise in lots and pin a post it note with the template number on each lot. (I did not, for this block and put gold pieces  where the yellow was supposed to go. Thankfully, I realised this before I assembled the block, so could switch over the templates!)
2. Here are my strips cut from selection of fabric for my block.

3. 

4. Take print outs of the Templates.pdf file with your printer settings at 100% or actual size. You have the following templates:

• 8 triangular templates numbered A to H for the cards
• 8 wedge templates I to P for the cards
• 6 arcs for Q to V for the outer ring
• Template W in 2 pieces W1 and W2 for one quarter of the outside square, to be glued to make one template. (Remember to cut 4 fabric pieces W, X, Y and Z with this template. It is recommended you add about an inch on the straight sides when cutting the background, to be trimmed later)
• Take a print out of the Instructions File and keep it hand. It also contains the Master Template which shows you the template layout to help you assemble the block. Remember, it is a mirror image!

So now we are ready to start piecing.

Piecing Instructions

1. We piece the inner circle (with the card trick) first. It is then joined to the outer ring.
2. The triangular template is like a log cabin of sorts! We start as always, with pieces 1 and 2 . The first piece is placed with wrong side on unprinted side of paper. Piece 2 is place on top of the first piece, so that right sides are together. Hold the template against the light to check if the seam allowance is okay – approximately ¼”. Pinning helps.
3. The beauty of paper piecing is the perfectly matched points and corners, without bothering about accurate ¼” seams!

4. 

3.  Here is another look at the template. You will notice that

• When pinning the pieces, I have extended them about a ¼” beyond both seams, that between B1 and B2 as well as that between B1-B2 and B3
• All the excess fabric is allowed to hang below the template, because when I unfold it after sewing, it should cover the piece 2 completely.

4. When sewing the pieces together, remember to take the seam about a ¼” beyond the seam line you are crossing.

5. Unfold the piece 2 and finger press  

6.  Fold back the paper to expose the seam and trim it to ¼”. Avoid trimming the overhanging rectangle till the whole template is pieced.

7. Similarly join the other pieces in sequence, opening them , finger pressing and trimming at each stage till all your triangular card templates are ready.

8. Now trim to template size.

9. Piecing the wedges – These are simple enough, just 3 pieces each! Here also avoid trimming pieces to template size till the whole is pieced. The main wedge piece (blue here) is quite big and unwieldy. Pin it down before trimming .

10. Now time for a pause and some patting yourself on the back! Using the master template as a guide, put all the pieced templates together. Woo hoo! That is pretty!

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• Perhaps you want to rearrange that a bit?

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• 11.  The final bit of piecing is the ring – this is much easier than you might think! This is the way I do it.

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• These are the first three pieces attached and pressed open. The seam between the blue and yellow pieces has been trimmed to a ¼”.
• 12. Flip it around.

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• Now fold the template on the upcoming seams.

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• Turn around so that you can see the fold on the fabric pieces too.

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• 13. Trim the rectangular pieces to ¼” plus beyond the fold.

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• This is how it looks from the printed side.

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• 14. Now we are ready to attach the next pieces. As always, we need to make sure that the upcoming piece will cover the paper section completely when pressed open.
  

• In no time all but two of my rings are stitched and I can’t resist putting it together.
• I quite love it!

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• It is past midnight, but I can’t stop now! Quickly the last two rings are pieced.
• And here are all the pieced templates arranged to form the block.

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• But now I am not sure if I really like the colours, are they too dark?
• So I tell myself it is a card trick in a dimly lit, smoke filled card room! That is my story and I am sticking to it. So, there!
• The next day I try rearranging the templates…

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• …and…

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• As usual, the assembly instructions will come up in a separate post. If you are wondering why I always do that – the reasons are technical. I write the post in an MSWord file and publish it to the blog directly. The file is unable to handle too many pictures at a time!
• Just to make up for making you wait for the assembly guide,  I am going to show you two really lovely, inspiring  pictures.
• Here are the two halves of the block tested for me by Cindy Ellerbe.

• Cindy’s Card Trick

• And this is what Manju Narain did with her card trick block!

• Manju Narain’s stunner of a runner!

• Okay, are you ready for the magic trick? Here is where you download the files:
  • Templates and Instructions for Foundation Paper Piecing Block 3 Card Trick, Round the Year Block of the Month Quilt

Please note that the downloadable patterns and instruction files for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year quilt blocks are being migrated to my store MadsPatch and will not be available for download for free from 15th November 2020 onwards.

Buy Pattern for the Card Trick Dusk Version here.

Buy Pattern for the Card Trick Rainbow Version here.

Author: Mads

In alphabetical order: daughter, mother, painter, philosopher, poet, quilter, seeker, wife... View all posts by Mads