My Dandelion Quilt - Bear Paw

The names "bear paw" and "bear's paw" seem to be in free variation, both when I search online or look in Rosanne's quilting books, and in my own writing!  For the sake of this blog, I'll try to stick to "bear paw", but the other option is equally correct.  It's a nice representational block: it looks like a stylized pawprint.  Compare some actual pawprints with the block:

The paws and prints of an American black bear and brown bear, from The Grizzly Bear; the narrative of a hunter naturalist, historical, scientific and adventurous (1909) by William Henry Wright

Mini Bear Paw Quilt Block with Sashing, photo by sk (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/)

The quilt block bear is missing a toe, but otherwise it does look like a pawprint, and it is commonly used in rustic quilts for that backwoods feel.  I like the block for my Dandelion Quilt because, if done in greens, it looks like the leaves of a plant whorling out from a central stem. 

MATH

It's in the first step that I hear the quiet grumble of an unhappy bear.  I think that I'm looking at a 7x7 grid, design-wise, so my first step is to figure out the size of my smallest square: working with finished dimensions, I have a 12" x 12" block, so I do 12 ÷ 7 = 2.214 (and a bunch of other digits).  So, not an easy fraction, but it comes to about 2 1/5".  Can I cut 2 1/5"?  It's not marked on my ruler.  I decide to cut 2 1/4", which is a tiny bit big, and adjust for it by using slightly larger seam allowances, or by trimming my finished block to size.  (You can tell I'm a newbie, can't you?)  Experienced quilters are already huffing in exasperation, because they know exactly what kind of problem I'm setting myself up for.  Well, experience is a hard school, but fools will learn at no other, so prepare yourself for some foolishness!  Maybe you can be wise and learn from me. 

At least there are no square roots to confuse me!

ASSEMBLY

I start with eight-at-a-time Half Square Triangles (HSTs), as demonstrated here under the header "Pieces of Eight".  The block needs sixteen HSTs total.  I trim them to 2.25.  When I sew them to the larger dark green squares, they're a little too long, and I trim off some slivers to make a neat package. 

I assemble the bear paw, then add the sashing, and so on until the block is done.  Then I trim it to 12.5" x 12.5". 

eight-at-a-time HSTs

Assembly

first try: trimmed to 12.5" x 12.5"

UNWANTED PEDICURE

Here's where the measuring problem from step one manifests.  While the block looks nice to the unschooled, to a quilter, there's an obvious problem: the pointy corners of the bear's claws are too close to the raw edge.  When they are sewn with quarter inch seams allowances, the corners will get taken into the seam, dulling the points in the finished quilt! Below are a two pictures where I've laid a clear ruler atop the raw edge, with a quarter-inch overlap, so you can see the bear losing his pointy claws! 

Rosanne walks by at this point, and we both lament the trimmed nails.  Then I whine about how twelve divided by seven is a weird fraction... and she says "you might just have to make the sashing skinnier", which seems like a brilliant idea.  More math is required. 

MORE MATH

My new dimensions are:
SASHING RECTANGLES

• 2" x 5.75" unfinished
• 1.5" x 5.25" finished

CENTER SQUARE

• 2" x 2" unfinished
• 1.5" x 1.5" finished

I double check my math, using the finished measurements, because the seam allowances will be subtracted anyway.  On a sashing row, there's two sashing pieces by length, and one center square: (5.25 x 2) + 1.5 = 12.  On a row with the smallest squares, there are six small squares and one sashing piece by width: (1.75 x 6) + 1.5 = 12.  On a row in the middle of the paws, there's two small squares, two large squares, and one sashing piece by width: (1.75 x 2) + (3.5 x 2) + 1.5 = 12.  The math works out to 12" finished, whether I go across of down the block. 

As for my precut pieces, I can trim my Center Square pieces to size, but I will have to cut new rectangles, both longer and skinnier than my first try.  I'm glad I bought too much of the medium green, since I have enough to do so! 

So I trim and re-cut the fabric.  And, on my spreadsheet, I correct the cutting dimensions and instructions. 

SECOND TRY

It's a happy bear, this time!  Happy bumbling bear who just found a blueberry patch!  The pieces go together like a dream, needing hardly any trimming between steps, and the finished block is nearly perfect!  I trim off slivers to bring it to size, and it looks so nice!  Here's a side by side comparison of my first try and my second:

First try on left, second try on right.

Here's what I love:

• The block assembled easily.
• The narrower sashing brings the paws closer together, makes the block more cohesive. 
• The measurements (2.25" and 2") are not to complex to cut.  No more 1/5" nonsense. 
  
• The points are preserved!
  

So what shall I do with my first attempt?  I briefly dance with the idea of making it anew, and "doing it right this time", but I feel my motivation draining as I think it.  The pursuit of perfection is always the road to procrastination, for me.  So I take a deep breath, look at the first attempt, and say "You're part of my story, and you're okay."  I will sew it into the finished quilt, lost points and all. 

Triumph!

Can you see it from the back of a galloping horse?  No?  Don't worry about it!  
                                                                                                                                                -Rosanne, quilting mentor, quoting her quilting mentor! 

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Other Dandelion Quilt posts:
Design
Sky and Wishies
Pieced Dandelions
Delectable Mountains Block