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There Are Several Ways To Piece The Five Sections Of The Alexandrite Birthstone. This is just one of them. Enjoy the process of the Alexandrite Piece Plan
Section 1
- Sew together 1-1 and 1-2 (Creating Unit 1:2)
- Sew together 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 (Creating Unit 3:5)
- Sew together 1-6 and 1-7 (Creating Unit 6:7)
- Sew together Unit 1:2, Unit 3:5, and Unit 6:7 to complete Section 1
Section 2
- Sew together 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 to complete Section 2
Section 3
Let’s start by piecing the smallest units together first…
- Sew together 3-1 and 3-2 (Creating Unit 1:2)
- Sew together 3-3 and 3-4 (Creating Unit 3:4)
- Sew together 3-5 and 3-6 (Creating Unit 5:6)
- Sew together 3-7, 3-8, and 3-9 (Creating Unit 7:9)
- Sew together 3-10 and 3-11 (Creating Unit 10:11)
- Sew together 3-12 and 3-13 (Creating Unit 12:13)
- Sew together 3-14 and 3-15 (Creating Unit 14:15)
Now you can sew the following units together…
- Sew together Unit 3:4 to Unit 5:6 (Creating Unit 3:6)
- Sew together Unit 1:2 to Unit 3:6 (Creating Unit 1:6)
- Sew together Unit 10:11 to Unit 12:13 (Creating Unit 10:13)
- Sew together Unit 10:13 to Unit 14:15 (Creating Unit 10:15)
Now let’s work on those angled seams…
- Align the center facets of Unit 7:9 and Unit 1:6 with right sides together. (The pieces on each side won’t match up; your fabric sandwich will look like it has wings.) Pin together the center facets (3-2 and 3-8), leaving the “wings” free.
- Stitch together the center facets, starting and stopping exactly 1/4” from the edge of the center facet (at the intersecting seam line). Remove pins.
- Pull the edges of 3-1 and 3-7 together and align the hash marks. Pin. Starting 1/4” from the center facet, sew to the edge of the unit. Remove pins.
- Now pull the edges of Unit 3:5 with 3-9, and align the hash mark. Pin. Starting 1/4” from the center facet, sew to the edge. (Creating Unit 1:9)
- Now do the same on the other side: position Unit 1:9 with Unit 10:15. Align the center facets, pin, and sew.
- Gently align 3-7 with Unit 10:13, pin, and sew.
- Gently align 3-9 with 3-15, pin, and sew.
- Iron seams toward the center of the mini-block you’ve just created.
Section 4
- Sew together 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 (Creating Unit 1:3)
- Sew together 4-4 and 4-5 (Creating Unit 4:5)
- Sew together 4-6 and 4-7 (Creating Unit 6:7)
- Sew together Unit 1:3 and Unit 4:5 (Creating Unit 1:5)
- Sew together Unit 1:5 and Unit 6:7 (Creating Unit 1:7)
- Sew Unit 1:7 and 4-8 to complete Section 4
Section 5
- Sew together 5-1 and 5-2 (Creating Unit 1:2)
- Sew together 5-3 and 5-4 (Creating Unit 3:4)
- Set aside 5-5; we’ll come back to it in a moment
- Sew together 5-6 and 5-7 (Creating Unit 6:7)
- Sew together 5-8 and 5-9 (Creating Unit 8:9)
Now let’s sew the units together…
- Sew together Unit 1:2, Unit 3:4, and 5-5 (Creating Unit 1:5)
- Sew together Unit 6:7 and Unit 8:9 (Creating Unit 6:9)
- Sew together Unit 1:5 and Unit 6:9 to complete Section 5
Now we’ll sew the entire Alexandrite gem together…
- Sew together Sections 2, 3, and 4
- Sew Section 1 to Section 2-4
- Sew Section 5 to Section 1-4
Birthstone Series Resources
Click on the name of the gemstone below for a listing of its Piece Plan. The Piece plan is a step-by-step guide to help you piece each facet together in a strategic way to ensure that your block fits together perfectly.