Sidekick High/Low Technique Sheet | If These Threads Could Talk

The Island Batik Ambassador’s Challenge for July is “Pattern Play, Secondary Pattern”. I chose a simple design using BlockBuster 18 A Popped V pattern from Deb Tucker which uses Studio 180 Design V Block & Corner Pop tool and the Side Kick High/Low technique sheet.

Last year I made four Popped V blocks and loved the secondary pattern that came from putting together the blocks. Notice the nice sharp points?

I love my bright orange & green Island Batik fabrics. But, this time my blocks looked a little different…there’s a story there! I don’t know about you, but when I’m at a quilting retreat with my quilting buddies I’m usually talking way too much and that’s how mistakes are made! My in-attention to detail led me down the primrose path of error!

I was organizing my fabrics, I decided to make twelve 12″ blocks. When making a quilt block, we refer to Finished & Cut size units. The Finished size is the what the unit measures after it is sewn into the block, the Cut Size measurement is the size of the unit before it is sewn into the block. The Cut Size is what size you trim the unit to before sewing it into the block.

Checking the size chart in my V block instructions, I needed to cut 5″ strips to make 4″ finished V Block units. So far no problem. I pop off the corners of my V Block units with my Corner Pop tool and replace the corners with my beautiful orange Island Batik. I popped off the corners of the center squares and continue on.

Here was my downfall, I had not cut the starter strips for the Sidekick units. Instead of checking the technique sheet, I grabbed the Blockbuster pattern and looked at the “Cut Size” of 4 1/2″! Drat!!!! I cut all the background squares smaller than they needed to be. I continued to trim the squares for the replacement side triangles. I stitched the side triangles to squares, thinking “this doesn’t look right”, but I still kept yapping away, going down the primrose path of error.

Needless to say my sidekicks lost their points! That makes me “Pointless”, something I try to avoid at all costs! I did not have enough fabric to make new sidekick units. My secondary design has dull points, but it is a lesson learned to pay attention!