The Star’s 2015 Quilt Project, Block 6: ‘Got everything I wanted’
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It’s Christmas in June with Block 6 of “Hazel’s Diary,” The Star’s 2015 quilt project.
This year’s project, a 1950s-style quilt with appliquéd wildflowers over pieced blocks, is inspired by real diary entries written by a Missouri farm girl. On Christmas Eve 1950, teenager Hazel Hyde received a five-year diary from her parents. She faithfully wrote in the book every day.
Today: Part 6, “Best. Christmas. Ever.”
In June 1952, H.P. and O.M. Arnold announced plans to build a drive-in theater in Macon, Mo. It opened Oct. 1, 1952.
Oct. 2, 1952
Stayed home tonite & studied. Tomorrow nite a B.B. game with Ethel at Callao. The new drive-in is open at Macon. Dale says we are going sometime. Good. We are also going skating, too.
The Macon Drive-in Theater was taken over by Dan and Iris Arnold in 1975. They ran it until a tornado destroyed the screen in 2004. They did not rebuild.
A month after the drive-in opened, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president.
On Dec. 1, 1952, Hazel wrote: “I’m glad December has finally arrived. It gets to seem more like Christmas every day.”
That year her gift for Dale, her boyfriend, was “a jug of Seaforth mens cologne.”
Dec. 21, 1952
Sun. – Dale came up today & brought Patti (his little sister). She is a little doll. She cried when they left cause Dale wouldn’t take his present. He brought me a great big box. I’m dying to know whats in it. Ruby gave M. a perm. today.
Dec. 24, 1952
Christmas Eve again & it was wonderful this year. Got everything I wanted but a watch band. Dale got me dresser lamps, real cute. We (family & I) went to show & came home (and) unwrapped gifts. Teachers gave H.S. kids a skate party.
Dec. 25, 1952
We went to Gramps & Grammys this aft. & visited. Ruby & Babs stopped by & I stayed & went home with them. They brought me out later. This is the best Christmas ever.
To read the complete transcript of the diary, plus recipes and additional quilt patterns, visit hazelsdiary.wordpress.com. The site also has information on how to buy a PDF of this installment.
Shelly Pagliai of Wien, Mo., designed the quilt.
PART 6, ‘BEST. CHRISTMAS. EVER.’
Block size: 18 inches finished
Supply list
1 (12-inch by 18-inch) rectangle and 1 strip (8-inch by WOF) white background fabric
1 (4 1/2-inch) square red check
1 (6 1/2-inch by 12-inch) rectangle green print
1 (6 1/2-inch) square red print No. 1
1 (7-inch by 14-inch) rectangle red print No. 2
1 (2-inch) square yellow print
1 (1 1/4-inch) square black print
1 (20-inch) square red solid
Cutting instructions
For the pieced block:
From white background, cut:
1 (4 1/2-inch) square (A1)
2 (5 1/4-inch) squares. Cut these squares in half twice on the diagonal to make a total of 8 triangles. (A2)
2 (3 1/4-inch) squares. Cut these squares in half twice on the diagonal to make a total of 8 triangles. (A3)
8 (2 1/2-inch) squares (A4)
2 (3 1/2-inch by 121/2-inch) rectangles (A5)
2 (3 1/2-inch by 18 1/2-inch) rectangles (A6)
From red check, cut:
4 (1 7/8-inch) squares (B1)
From green print, cut:
1 (5 1/4-inch) square. Cut this square in half twice on the diagonal to make a total of 4 triangles. (C1)
4 (2 7/8-inch) squares. Cut these squares in half once on the diagonal to make a total of 8 triangles. (C2)
From red print No. 1, cut:
4 (2 7/8-inch) squares. Cut these squares in half once on the diagonal to make a total of 8 triangles. (D1)
For the appliqué elements:
From red print No. 2, cut:
1 of each flower petal using templates A and B
From yellow print, cut:
1 star using template C
From black print, cut:
1 circle using template D
From red solid, cut:
1 block frame using the template available at hazelsdiary.wordpress.com
Assembly
Sew the short side of an A3 triangle to one side of a B1 red check square as shown. Press seam toward the triangles. Sew another A3 triangle to an adjoining side, making sure you have it turned correctly, again pressing seams toward the triangle. Make 4. See Fig. 1.
Sew a green C2 triangle to this unit. Press seam toward the green triangle. Sew another C2 triangle to the other side as shown, again pressing the seam toward the triangle. Make 4. See Fig. 2.
Sew two of these units to the sides of the A1 background square. Press seams toward the A1 square. Sew an A4 background square to each end of the two remaining units. Press seams toward the squares. Sew these to the other two sides of the A1 square. See Fig. 3.
Sew an A2 background triangle to each of the two short sides of a green C1 triangle as shown. Press seams toward the A2 triangles. Sew a red D1 triangle to each end of this unit. Press seams toward the red triangles. Make 4. See Fig. 4.
Sew two of these units to the sides of the block. Press seams away from center. Sew an A4 background square to each end of the two remaining units. Press seams toward the squares. Sew these to the remaining sides of the block, again pressing seams away from center. The block should measure 12 1/2 inches. See Fig. 5.
Sew the A5 strips to two opposite sides of the block. Press seams toward the strips.
Sew the A6 strips to the two remaining sides. Press seams toward the strips.
It should now measure 18 1/2 inches. See Fig. 6.
APPLIQUE DIRECTIONS
Refer to the placement diagram and, using your preferred method of appliqué, attach the appliqué pieces to the block in alphabetical order. The appliqué pieces overlap some of the colored patches in the block. The red solid block frame is attached using reverse appliqué, or can be attached using fusible web.
Look for Block 7 of “Hazel’s Diary” in H+H on July 19.
This story was originally published June 20, 2015 at 7:41 PM with the headline "The Star’s 2015 Quilt Project, Block 6: ‘Got everything I wanted’."