Farmer's Wife 1930s QAL Blocks 7 & 8: Augusta and Aunt

Time for week four in the year long Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along.   Block 7 is Augusta (p.166, letter p.48).

Fabric credits:

Kona Candy pink

Moda Daysail Hatch in green

Gracie's schoolhouse classics Blue Dotty Blossoms

Fabric Cutting for Foundation Paper Piecing

I rotary cut the squares making my square a little bigger than the CD rotary cutting instructions. I used freezer paper templates and this technique for the triangles.  I precut all the fabric pieces before I piece each section.   

Rotary Cutting

I rotary cut the squares making my square a little bigger than the CD rotary cutting instructions.

Squares : cut (5) 2" squares (very slightly bigger than required)

Large right angle triangles: cut (2) 4 ½" squares, sub-cut twice diagonally to make 4 quarter square triangles.

Small right angle triangles: cut (1) 2 ½" squares, sub-cut once diagonally to make 2 half square triangles.

Templates

For the remaining triangles I use freezer paper template.  I trace from the foundation paper piecing pattern onto freezer paper and I don't include seam allowance.  Instead I add ½" all round as I cut it out.  As many of the same pieces are repeated, I use the first piece of fabric I cut as the template for the subsequent pieces.  The rest of my tips for this block are listed below.

Top tips for this block

• Use templates for the triangles without right angles
• Use a water based glue stick- I use Sewline- to stick the first piece of each section
• Chain piece where sections are repeated
• Mark the seam allowance where needed (on the wrong side) to find precise seam point intersections.
• Use the stab pin method (see pic) to hold points like in this tick mark tutorial or baste like Charise. Doing this on the outer corners will help to keep your block square and to size.

Reading the letter for Augusta, I marvel at the line;

"Not many dresses could be afforded as it took about fifteen yards of the 24-inch calico to make a housedress."

Fifteen yards!  And such narrow fabric too.  It must've called for some very creative dressmaking.

Block eight is Aunt (p.167, letter p.97), so I'll hand over to Justine who is guest posting on this block at Sew Justine Sew.  It's a great block for larger prints and fussy cutting and I can't wait to see her fabric choices, she's likes a bold print and strong colour contrast.  Here's my version.

Fabric credits:
Windham Tiger Lily, Cats on Grids by Heather Ross
Kona Mango

• Use the hashtags  Don't forget to use #fw1930sqal on Instagram and the Flickr group if you like to share there.  
• For individual blocks, you can use #anneblock and #aprilblock on Instagram.  Fat Quarter Shop and Angie are using these hash tags, #fw7augusta,  #fw8aunt, I'm using both hashtag systems!
• You can also copy and paste links to any blog posts you do on these blocks in the comments and I'd love to visit and take a look. 
• I'll be introducing this post on periscope.tv/@verykb with a short broadcast  around 2.15-2.30pm GMT today and it'll be available for 24 hours to replay before it disappears! Link will be in my twitter feed @verykb and I'll post on Instagram and twitter about 15 minutes before it does out.  I'll be talking about templates and accuracy.

Please note:  I have linked to my sponsors on items bought through them and elsewhere for anything that has come from other shops.

You can join the quilt-along at any time, all the posts are here for you to catch up with.  Back next Monday with Wynn and blocks 9 and 10.