Farmer's Wife 1930s QAL Blocks 61 and 62: May and Milly

It's time for blocks 61 and 62 in this weeks  Farmer's Wife Quilt Along post.  Starting with block 61, May (p.220, letter p.126) and my fourth of the eight half- blocks I have planned for the  the twin sized quilt layout from the book (see this post for more info).  Fiona of Poppy Makes is the guest blogger for this blocs and she simplifies the construction with an English Paper Pieced May block.  With the Y seams around the pointy leaf style sections, it's certainly a good candidate for EPP.  I found that foundation piecing was almost the same to cutting out the shapes using templates and sewing them together.

Fabric credits:

Kona Buttercup

Windham Playdate Ditsy in Green

Atsuko Matsuyama, Ginham Ribbon Orange

When I select the blocks that would bevsuitable for half blocks, firstly I look to see if there is a seam across the diagonal, and then I consider if the design will keep it's integrity when half of it is missing. It worked well enough for block 61 but I thought the four different colours might get a little lost in block 62, Milly (p.221, letter p.54) so kept it full size.  It is an interesting block with different effects are created on point compared to a square layout.   My contrast could've been stronger- maybe a yellow solid would've been a better choice- but I wanted to see if I make it work with four prints.

Fabric credits:
Yellow: Moda Garden Project, Vintage floral pear yellow
Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Penny and Friends, Square Dance Camelia
Bonnie and Camille for Moda, Daysail crosshatch in aqua
Windham Story book classics, Daisy Dots (purple) 

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

This block using the same shape throughout so I pre-cut my pieces as usual and this time that meant 32 half square triangles, cut first as squares and then sub-cut into triangle.  The piecing is in rows and once everything is cut, the block goes together relatively quickly and the seams nest nicely.

Rotary Cutting Dimensions 
(cutting approx. ¼" larger for foundation piecing)
Aqua: cut (2) 2 ¾" squares; sub-cut square diagonally to yield 4 half square triangles
Yellow: cut (4) 2 ¾" squares; sub-cut square diagonally to yield 8 half square triangles
Purple: cut (4) 2 ¾" squares; sub-cut square diagonally to yield 8 half square triangles
Background/light: cut (6) 2 ¾" squares; sub-cut square diagonally to yield 12 half square triangles

Top tips for this block

• Pre-cut all pieces
• Use a water based glue stick. I use Sewline, to stick the first piece of each section
• Chain piece sections  
•  Pressed section seams open
• Use gentle starch spray like Flatter to smooth out lumps and bumps.  I found it helps a lot!  I use it sparingly as it is pricey and only tend to spray it on a finished block

Remember you can:

• Hashtag  #fw1930sqal on Instagram and add photos to the Flickr group if you like to share there.  
• For individual blocks, you can use #Mayblock and #Millyblock on Instagram, Fat Quarter Shop and Angie are using these hash tags, #fw60May,  #fw61Milly - 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. 

Sarah Edgar from Pretty Fabrics and Trims returns  next Monday for another guest post.