Taking some inspiration from Lucie Summers, in her book "Quilt Improv", we're making porthole blocks this month! If you want to explore more of her designs, I highly recommend taking the book out of the library.
Colour palette: Any prints that go together
Fabric:
1x 8.5x8.5in square (Main fabric)
1x 8.5x8.5in square (Lining fabric, can be anything as it won't be seen through the hole. Solids are great for this)
1x 6x6in approx. panel of fabric (for the inside of the porthole, can be pieced together)
You're going to need a 4in circle template. You can either make one yourself, print off the one provided (make sure to scale to 100% and measure across once you print it to make sure it is the right size), or pick one up from the BOM table.
https://patternuniverse.com/files/downloads/4-inch-circle-pattern.pdf
Piecing Instructions:
1. Line the two 8.5in squares together, right sides together. Find the middle and place the circle template in the middle as close as you can. Trace the template with a heat erasable pen.
2. Sew along the circle line that you traced.
3. Cut out the middle, leaving about 1/4in from the seams.
4. Take the lining fabric and bring it through to the front. Iron it from the back as it doesn't matter if the main fabric pokes through the back a bit, but you don't want the lining to be showing on the front. Ironing the circle might make it a tad wonky, but do your best to straighten it out. We will be trimming it slightly afterwards.
4. Place your pieced/one piece porthole fabric behind the hole, so that it shows through the hole on the main fabric side.
5. Using a 1/4in seam, sew around your hole to stitch the porthole to your block.
6. Take your ruler and square up the block so that it measures 8x8in.
Here is an example of a few blocks finished together. As you can see, I've included some of the pieces middles as well as one piece middles.
