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Soft Edge Blocks
It is amazing how a relatively small change in a design can
dramatically alter the blocks appearance. The only difference
in the two "Harvest Compass" blocks shown here is that one has
the soft-edge technique in the corners and the other does not.
There is very little work involved in making this change and
it is well worth the effort.
- First find a fabric that has mirror image motifs, such as this paisley from the "Golden Harvest" fabric collection.
- Divide the corner square or triangle of your block in half diagonally from the corner and make a template. Place that template on a motif in the fabric that has a mirror image and find a suitable place to cut that will be easy to applique. Draw part of the design from the fabric directly on to the template, then turn the template upside down and find the exact mirror image of the piece you just cut, and cut the second piece.
- Sew the two pieces together along the angle that goes to the corner, then baste under the portion that will be appliqued.
- Applique this piece to the corners of the block, before you add the border.
For more information on this exciting technique, see the previous tip
on Soft-Edge Piecing
and the book Soft-Edge Piecing by Jinny Beyer.