Tea Leaves ......to keep warm or busy?

My knee therapy is coming along ok, after a bit of over doing it.  Consequently my physical therapist assigned a new exercise that required me to clean a table off in my sewing room.  It sits higher so I can swing my legs with weights.  Well, to get the table in a manner to sit , a bit cleaning and decluttering was needed.  In the process I found a  pattern to make these place mats by Poor House.  My friend Caroll D is always advocating using scraps.  While I have used the 30's fabric for projects, I have never considered them one of my favorites - well until know maybe! 

Multi colored 30's fabric tea leaves

My great neighbor Judy and quilting buddy and I came across a quilt make with a cathedral-like pattern at an Amish shop in Shipshewana, Indiana.  Of course I couldn't believe the Amish quilter when she said how easy this technique is - well - it is easy and fun!

 I played around with the best way to iron the seems - open is absolutely the best because of all the thicknesses.  Above is how I did most of my tea leaf squares, singly and joined.

 Can you not tell these squares were my first made! 

Uniform color squares using sister fabrics.

Too much in a hurry and mis-aligned the folds for opening.   It's still pretty though.

Left over squares

 Start with a square for the base - tea leaf, then cut 2 more squares of the top fabric.  Fold the top fabric in half diagonally.  Sew each half on the base using a 1/4" seam to outside edge.

I also discovered that making the 4 square block first before opening the folded edges gives a better peak into the base fabric. 

Have fun trying this method - it really was fun and easy!