One Two Buckle My Shoe

Apparently, the name for this block, A2 - One Two Buckle My Shoe, is based on an earlier naming convention, when both the columns and rows were designated by numbers. Since this is the second block in the first row, it would have been 1-2.

Redraft
Jane's original version of this block had 44 pieces. I reduced it to 40 pieces by combining two pieces in each corner -- to accommodate the tortoise-and-hare fabric. Basically, I merged a white square and a white rectangle to form an L-shaped piece. I considered eliminating a few more pieces since there are a number of white pieces adjacent to each other, but I wanted to maintain the interior diamond shape created by the seams. I had some regrets about my decision as I worked on this block, only because it was a lot of sewing and slow. Consider this:  in 12 places, six or seven pieces meet at one point making for tricky stitching and pressing.

Fabrics
The tortoise-and-hare fabric was previously used in M12 - Hopscotch. I like the way the hare's riding crops look like they are going to spin the hexadecagon (16-sided polygon) (an unplanned effect). The cream colored triangles were fussy cut with a tiny circle in the center of each. The fabric with the red wavy lines that create moiré patterns is a reproduction fabric, which I previously used in D12 - Crossed Swords; the same fabric also has a feather design.

Dear Jane Progress = 166 blocks (98%), 3,481 pieces
As of Saturday, June 11, 2011, I have 3 blocks to go!