Swirly Seams

I first came across this technique a couple of years ago - it was on an Eleanor Burns tv show and it is brilliant. Any time you have a 4 patch you can achieve this really flat intersection without having to open up your seams. And of course that makes for easier quilting.............
I have quite hurriedly put together this little tute with some orphan HSTs I had lying about - please excuse the horrid fabric, and the photo quality......

So here we have 4 HSTs waiting to be joined in pairs.

I have chained pieced these two pairs but you don't have to for this technique.

Fuzzy pic to show the chain link thread, in red.

Push the bottom seam of one pair towards the right and the top seam from the other pair to the left, you can feel them interlock and you might like to pop a pin in to secure until stitched.

Now, normally you would press up or down or in dismay, maybe even open.........

Another blurry pic, but can you see the stitches in the seam allowance? Unpick these and the wee linky loop if you chain pieced.

Now you want to swirl your seams in a clockwise direction and the centre point should just open out. (you might need to help it along) Now I always, always do my pressing on the right side. If you press on the wrong side you sometimes create tiny pleats that just won't iron out.

Once you have pressed it nicely, turn back and have a look at the intersection - you will have a teeny, tiny pinwheel if you have used HSTs in this formation. If you just try it out with a 4 patch of squares, you will produce a teeny, tiny 4 patch.

Go on, try it, it's a magic moment!! (I don't get out much)