Friends around the Square is the eighth block for The Splendid Sampler, a twice-weekly quilt along brilliantly organised by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. This time it was designed by Julie Karasek of Patched Works and it’s a lovely block, nice and straightforward, where you can concentrate on getting it as neat as possible!

I’ve learnt loads already on this quilt along, like spray starch is now my best friend!!  Each week the designers give us tips to help us make the blocks. Joan Ford is writing tips every week and I found a link on her site about furling, this was new to me! Furling is pressing your seams to one side so they twirl in the middle, it gives a neat, flat centre to four patch blocks. Well I followed her instructions and it worked, I’m so impressed I’m even going to show you the back of my block…isn’t that neat!

My seams and points are definitely improving as the weeks go by, I’m pleased with this  block, the only thing I would possibly change if I was going to do it again would be fabric choice, I think I would have used a couple of very light fabrics instead of the green ones, or at least one. However when they are all put together it balances out nicely and once the sashings are in place, it will look different again.