Taking on the Tumbler

One quilt block I have always wanted to try is Tumbling Blocks, and when I came upon a tutorial for making them without the dreaded "Y" seams, I knew it was time to give it a try.  The tutorial was by Leah Day and she used the "Sidekick" ruler designed by Julie Herman of Jaybird quilts.

Since I already happened to have a "Sidekick" ruler, I pulled out a few scraps and gave it a try.

The traditional Tumbling Blocks pattern calls for three diamond shaped pieces, but the strip pieced version uses two diamonds and two triangles:

 I decided to experiment with the 2 1/2" size, and sewed my pieces into two vertical strips:

When the strips are sewn together, the Tumbling Blocks magically appear:

Having some success in the 2 1/2" size, I decided to experiment with the 1 1/2" size:

Here are my finished samples side by side:

I have a plan for these adorable little blocks, now that I know how to go about making them.