Sorry Bonnie, couldn't wait!

I was admiring all the gorgeous stuff on Bonnie Hunter's site when I came across a wonderful quilt called 'Tulip Fields'.  She was teaching it as a class, and while it may be in her new book (my copy is on order!) I just couldn't resist having a go.

 

 

Here is the basic block.  Made fabric square cut in half, a light square and a half square triangle cut in half.  Easy!  Well, it obviously was for Bonie, and the ladies who had the benefit of Bonnie's brainpower and instructions, but I struggled!  I decided to make the made square 5" (to make a 4" finished block. That would make the light square 2"  finished and the tulip petals a 2 7/8" pair of squares. 

 

Whoops!  what has gone wrong here?  After quite a bit of cutting, sewing, recutting and resewing, I gave up.

 

But only for a few hours.  I knew I would see Jane from Sew Create It today, and was sure she would be able to work it out.  She's a mathematical whizz (and a whizz in other departments too!) and she quilckly worked out my error.  The half square triangle was the correct size, but not if I was cutting it in half!  I needed to add seam allowance.  Doh!  The half square triangle should be made from 3 1/8 squares, to give the necessary seam allowance.

 

There we are!  A lovely block, thanks to a little help from a friend!