Factory Shirt in Nani Iro Pon Pocho: With High Round Back Adjustment

I have a back-log of projects to share dating back from the last couple of months and I'm off my usual day job for a two week break with lots of sewing work to catch up on  so I'd better get on with it.

I made a couple of Merchant and Mills Factory dresses over the summer- see here and here- and I modified the pattern from the start.  They were much worn and I could see the potential for a top using this pattern so after finding this Nani Iro Pon Pocho on sale during the summer at The Draper's Daughter I bought 1.5 metres and got planning.   I love the relaxed fit of my dresses- loose but not baggy or sack like, and I especially liked the drop shoulder detail which means that you can sew your sleeve in flat- so easy, who doesn't like that?  Setting sleeves in is always tricky!

I had a minor fit issue with my dresses; the front neck was pulling slightly to the back which after a little consultation with Fit for Real People- which I've found to be excellent on all fit issues that I've had- I found diagnosed as high round back .  I followed their instruction and added extra space to the upper back bodice to allow for rounding of the shoulders and back. I blame age, computers and sewing for this- all hard to avoid!  

High round back alteration is easy adjustment to make which basically adds a long narrow wedge to the back to accommodate the rounding.   I've annotated the photo to make it clear what had been added. It involves drawing a line from centre back and stopping at the seam allowance of the shoulder area.   I wasn't exactly sure where to put my line and this time it was quite high- I would go a little lower for a closer fitting top.  Cut along the line stopping at the seam to create a hinge.  Place a piece of pattern paper underneath and open out at the centre back around ¼" to ⅜".  On this I knew I only needed a little.  For other patterns I've made I would add ⅜"- I judge this by how much I feel I want to pull the top bodice forward at the collar when I wear it.  The top part of the centre back needs a minor truing up to keep that line straight.  That little fillet of paper creates just a little more room and gave me a great fit.

For other alterations, I used top patterns that I like the length and fit on so Tova and Carme to draft the waist width and hem length and Kanerva for the sleeves- I used the existing short sleeve pattern from the Factory dress, added length and narrowed it.  The cuff is finished with a cross cut binding. 

As with the dresses, I used David Paige Coffin's Shirtmaking book which I guess was reprinted as it has gone from being unaffordable and hard-to-find to being easily available and I finally got a copy of my own.  The only difference was with this collar, I used light fusible interfacing - Perfect Fuse in Sheer - on both collar and under collar to keep the double gauze under control - it frays very easily.  The placket, under collar and stand facing are from a fat 1/8th of Liberty lawn- it's amazing how a little piece of fabric like that can do all those jobs!  I squeezed this out of my 1.5m with nothing left, only the smallest scraps!  I am very pleased with the result.  It's a casual comfortable, warm top and it works well with my charcoal Fumeterre skirt.  It's easy to pull off and on over my head and the colour and print is uplifting to wear on days when I want to be more practical and keep warm!  I aways like to keep things simple with big prints and strong colours and this style offers a lot of potential for more simple tops with options like a lower neck and a rounded collar.  Thank you to my daughter as ever for her photos- she knows exactly what I want without me even saying. x

Farmer's Wife 1930s QAL blocks 11 & 12: Bea and Becky

Welcome to week 6 in the year of Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along.  I know some of you have been here from the start and some of you are joining in now- everyone is welcome!  The first block is 11, it's a basket style block called 'Bea' and Erin of Why Not Sew has written a guest post on this block, visit it here! (she'll be posting later today). Here's my version: Autumn (p.170, letter p.118).

Fabric credits:

Kona Bahama Blue

Kona Buttercup

Lecien Old New 30s Collection- given to me by a friend, found it available here.

I sewed up block 12, Becky (p.171, letter p.45), which has to be one of the easiest blocks in the book. Think of it as a week off for good behaviour!  I followed the rotary cutting measurements for this block and pieced it in the standard way.  If for any reason you prefer to foundation piece it remember the paper pattern has not been reversed to allow for the fact that you are working your block back to front.  As the block is in so many sections, each of which can be joined on separately, you will automatically make it to match the photograph so no worries there!  I found this a lovely block to concentrate on fabric choosing.  The block is really an exercise in colour and pattern composition.  The larger pieces allow for larger scale prints and a little fussy cutting.  I forgot to cut my kitty on point but  I'm happy with the end effect. 

Fabric credits:

Windham Tiger Lily, Cats on Grids by Heather Ross

Windham Tiger Lily, Roses in Blush by Heather Ross

Kokka Lighthearted Kitchen Floral in Mustard by Ayumi Mills

Kokka Lighthearted Plaid in Mustard by Ayumi Mills

Kona Mango

Kona Citrus

Kona Peony

Mint spotty fabric- Japanese cotton

The letter for this block makes me think about mindfulness.  It's all about the passing of time and how it gets faster and faster and sometimes our day to day experiences get lost in the stresses of life.  It only takes an upset- make you stop and appreciate everyone afresh and realise that all your stuff counts for nothing compared to the time you spend together.  My husband and daughter and our animals too are everything to me and I try never to forget that.  I turn down more work than I used to these days and I have no regrets.   Don't get me wrong,  I still cram in too much and work hard but I'm also prepared to walk away from things and spend time with them over everything else.   

• 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 #beablock and #beckyblock on Instagram. You can also use the Fat Quarter shop hash tags, #fw11bea,  #fw12becky.   I'm using both hashtag systems.
• You can copy and paste links to any blog posts you do on these blocks in the comments and I love to visit and take a look. 
• Apologies, no Periscope broadcast today.  I've lost my voice from a cold over the weekend - the perils of working with lots of young children - my vocal chords need rest and I'm not sure a silent Periscope would work either!  Back to normal next Monday and I'll cover these blocks then as well as next week's Belle and Betty.  You can read some of my thoughts on Periscope and it's potential for sewing bloggers here.

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 Fiona and blocks 12 and 13.   

Thoughts on Periscope and the Sewing World

Periscope is the newest form of social media to be taken up by sewing bloggers and Instagrammers.  It's an App, owned by Twitter and available for free on IOS and Android.  Best described as mobile  live streaming video with a social element, it has great potential for sewers on social media, especially fabric shops or designers as it can provide an interactive live experience for you and your customers.  I've been doing some Scopes for the Farmer's Wife 1930s quilt along, I'm www.periscope.tv/@verykb, and I use it to introduce the blocks each Monday and discuss any issues or tips that come up each week.    I am still very new to the Periscope experience so I am talking from the scantiest of experience, this is very much my first impressions of a new kid on the social media block.

Basic Stuff to Know

• 'Likes' are expressed by hearts- you tap the screen to get hearts.  Multiple tapping is a good thing to do.  it shows you are enjoying the content and gives feedback to the broadcaster.  The colour of heart that you get on your first tap stays constant throughout that broadcast.  
• Prepare before you broadcast.  Find out how to operate Periscope- turning it off and on for instance.
• You write your title before the broadcast starts.  You can use emoji and hashtags to bling up your title.
• Periscope always start with your camera facing away from you so make sure it is looking at something pretty.  Once you go live you can double tap the top of the screen and the camera will face you.  It also helps to have your phone stand or grip set up ready.  Some people hold their phone to start and then set it into position.  I start with mine in position and I check with the camera first that my head, body etc is fitting into the screen well!
• Watchers interact with you by giving hearts and be commenting through typed comments
• The broadcast lasts for 24 hours only.  It can be watched live or on replay.  You can't comment on a replay but you can give hearts.  

This blog post explains how to get started on Periscope as a broadcaster or viewing other's Periscopes.   And this one tells you what Persicope is and gives you further ideas on getting started.   I would recommend watching other people on Periscope before you broadcast yourself.  It will give you an idea of what's out there and what you want to add to that.  I'd also recommend following other sewing people- use sewing terms to search for them- quilt, dressmaking, sewing- all very straightforward.

 When you write your biog for Periscope it helps to include these terms too.  I also follow a really helpful Periscope guru, Alex Pettitt and I've found his broadcasts are incredibly useful, especially for newbies. He also has a website with Periscope related content.

This is a screen grab from one of his broadcasts.  You can see the comments which is the social element on the left and the multiple heart on the right.

Good things

• At its best, Periscope can show you live events from all over the world.  This could be a live news story, or a sunset, or a sewer in a different country showing you round their sewing room.  When the Alexander McQueen exhibition opened at the V&A, they filmed a tour round the exhibition.
• It automatically links to your Twitter account 
• It is interactive.  Watchers can comment and the broadcaster and the other commenters can respond. You as the broadcaster can comment in person and there may be a conversation between commenters too.  This means that questions can be asked and the broadcaster can change their actions.  
• The live nature of it makes it real.  If you tire of the perfect slivers of life shown on Instagram,  Persicope can give you a slice of reality.  Broadcasting live gives no place to hide!  Plus it lasts for 24 hours only, you can even choose to erase your scope straight after broadcast - I did that accidentally on my first Periscope!

Bad things

• It consumes time and your data allowance both for the watcher and for the broadcaster.   I use Periscope at home where I can use Wifi rather than my limited data allowance. 
•  Broadcasts are available for 24 hours only.  There are ways round this like Katch.  Some users go on to download their videos to YouTube.  I've downloaded a couple so you can see how Periscope is working for me.  You can transfer your broadcasts to your mac, complete with hearts and comments using this method, you need a newer device with a lightning style connector for this to work. I find loading on to YouTube takes ages so I don't plan to do this regularly. 
• Whilst instant spontaneous filming can work for some, for sewing related scopes you often need to do some prep.  I plan what I'm going to talk about, I get all my materials to hand and in front of where I am sitting.
• It's tough for women who scope.  There is a troll/pervy element of guys who drop into scopes purely with the aim of making sexual comments- these can often start with apparently innocent comments like "hey, I like you voice", or "which country are you in?" and then it descends into .. well you can guess.  I've followed advice from other Periscopers and avoided interaction with seedy scorers and instead blocked them without comment.  Blocking is easy and you can do this as a broadcaster or as a viewer of someone else Scope, just tap on on the picture of the commenter and an option to Block User comes up.  I've seen commenters blocked for sudden inappropriate swearing in comments and for sleazy comments. 
• For the most popular Periscopers it is not always possible for the watchers to comment on a broadcast, it gets too full and you get locked out.
• Click bait Buzz feed style titles are the way to encourage people to watch your broadcasts- I'm not a fan but I can't deny they suck people in.  Think of the time you've lost on Facebook looking at the top ten celebrities who've aged badly- that time is gone forever! 
• Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a whole load of nothing!  I feel I need to pick what I watch on Periscope very carefully otherwise it's a big time sucker!

 What's the impact for the sewing world?

Equipment wise, based on some other blogger recommendations, I bought a Gorilla grip to hold my phone and an LED light which is very bright indeed and useful for taking pics in the winter months as well as broadcasting.

I think a lot of people think initially that Periscope is going to be great for tutorials but as a live medium where you are both broadcaster and camera operator, it's pretty hard to do anything beyond the simplest tutorial.  It end to stick to chat about topics related to the Farmer's Wife blocks- it might be about using specific equipment or why templates are particularly useful for a block.  It's great for talking about fabric- it offers a visual medium where you can react and respond to comments and requests live.  I've seen shop owners like Lauren of Guthire & Ghani do this brilliantly-
find her at https://www.periscope.tv/@GuthrieGhani

Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics has used it to show new fabric lines and sewing machines.  She tends to present and her partner Jason films and relays comments and questions-
find them at https://www.periscope.tv/@justabitfrayed

For garment sewers, pattern and fabric designers, shop owners, Periscope is a great opportunity to show your products live.  You can see a moving representation of fabric or a garment, get an idea of drape, fabric density, ask a question about what you are seeing and get your response.  I know that the idea of appearing live in front of a camera is terrifying.  I am not a terribly outgoing person and I can still remember the enormous and overwhelming feeling of fear as I stood in front of a class of eleven year olds when I started my teacher training and Periscope reminds me of that adrenaline filled experience, but as with teaching, the more you do it the easier it gets and sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and do it.  Before you hit the broadcast button think about:

•  What are you going to say 
• What is your content going to be?  I've seen a lot of sewing room tours, and whilst they are always welcome they are quite a passive thing to watch. 
• Why choose periscope instead of a blog post/tweet/Instagram/standard video
• How will you interact?  When I use Periscope for the Farmer's Wife blocks, I often feel I am not making full use of the interactive element, it's something I'm working on.  

I do get the feeling that sewers like to observe more than they like to interact- I know that's the case for me, I enjoy being the spectator and the occasional commentator.   I do know that sewers enjoy meeting each other and Periscope can feel like you are doing just that and it makes the world a smaller place. Any thoughts?  Please share below.

October at Village Haberdashery

Annie and the team have been busy with a busy few days at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace plus all the preparation that is going into the crowd funding initiative to expand the shop to new premises and then open more branches around the county.  Meanwhile, more stock has been arriving, so time to take a look round!   The Good Karma range by Stephanie Ryan captures some of the bright colours still around on the sunniest days.

My favourite print in this range is the yellow- Possibility.  I love the painterly style of it. 

Ready for more colour? This is a knit fabric in an acrylic blend, a large print. 'Retro Swirl'.  

As there's no lycra in this jersey I think it would suit dresses or a drapey top like Zoe's Batwing design rather than something too tight.  The wrap dress by Sew Over it could be one option; the wrap and tie provides most of the shaping.  The Moneta dress by Colette has an easy style with the fluidity of the gathered skirt.  Annie describes this fabric as a lightweight sweater knit.

I saw a preview of Lizzie House's The Lovely Hunt collection when I attended her Meadow quilt class at Village Haberdashery in January.   It's a stunning range, rich colours, amazing artwork and I love the design continuity with her other collections.   The Raspberry Bramble in Green is a winner for me!

If you haven't caught Sandi's interview with Lizzie on The Crafty Planner podcast, I thoroughly recommend it.   Lizzie has a lot to say and is very open in her responses.  I found it a moving listen,

As with Carolyn Friedlander's last collection, Doe, her latest Carkai arrived at Village Haberdashery before  it arrived anywhere else. Its a collection with a bit of everything; low volume, rainbow colours, even a hint of metallics.  You can see all the fabrics here and there is a build a bundle option here. 

Time to rest your eyes?  I stumbled upon these low volume prints.  they are from a range called Tik Tok designed by Jen Ski for Moda.  I like the mid-century feel of these.  Fish Ecru Charcoal on the left and Stars Ecru Charcoal. 

I always check the Chambray fabrics at Annie's shop and there's a new one from Robert Kaufman, Chambray Union Anchors.  It's quite lightweight, I would say a good shirt weight so it would make great tops but you might need to consider lining for skirts and dresses especially if they lack fullness  

And to finish, I couldn't resist these foxy prints.  The upper fabric is a cotton sateen from Echino.   It's got a little metallic and would be perfect for a party dress, maybe a By Hand London Kim dress?  Lower down is Kokka Fox print on double gauze- so cute!  

Enjoy!

Farmer's Wife 1930s QAL Blocks 9 & 10: Autumn and Ava

It's week 5 in the year of Farmer's Wife 1930s Quilt Along.   My block is Autumn and Wynn of Zakka Art has sewn up Ava.  Block 9, Autumn (p.168, letter p.133).

Fabric credits:

Kona Candy pink

Kona Citrus

Makower Spot On

Windham Playdate Diamond Flower Yellow

Autumn is a straightforward block, it's only the size of the pieces that gets fiddly.  As usual, I precut all my pieces before foundation piecing each section. For the large rectangles and the larger squares, I cut using the rotary cutting instructions on the CD but I made my pieces ½" larger on each edge.  The dimensions for the remaining shapes are below:

Rotary Cutting for Foundation Paper Piecing

Small half square triangles: for each colour, cut (4) 2 ¼" squares, sub-cut each once diagonally to make 2 half square triangles from each square.

Large half square triangles: cut (2) 3 ½" squares, sub-cut each once diagonally to make 2 half square triangles from each square.

Centre tiny square: cut (1) 1 ½" square

Small rectangles: cut (4) 1 ½" x 2 ¼" rectangles

Top tips for this block

• Have a strong contrast between the fabric used for the background and all the other fabrics used.
• 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 centre of the outer long narrow sections (A and B) in the seam allowance before joining them onto the centre section to get good alignment.

The letter for Autumn is from a mother of four and her a precious half hour when her boys are either at school or busy and she has a little siesta, or nanna nap as I prefer to call it.   I think a lot of you know how much I love music and seek out new things to listen too.  British artist/.composer Max Richter has a new concept album called sleep: an eight hour lullaby to listen to whilst you prepare to sleep.  He did a special performance for BBC radio 3 at the Wellcome Collection where the audience had beds.  If you can listen to BBC appear radio, it's still available- all 8 hours- for the next 14 days. 

Block 10 is Ava (p.169, letter p.146),  Wynn has sewn a gorgeous block and shared some tips and her favourite hand sewing equipment in her post. She has an important point about flipping your templates which also applies to foundation piecing, something to remember for future blocks that don't have vertical, horizontal and diagonal symmetry.   Here's my version.

Fabric credits:
Windham Tiger Lily, Butterflies Brown
Atsuko Matsuyama, Ginham Ribbon Orange
Penny Rose Fabrics Hope Chest Blossom Yellow

• 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 #autumnblock and #avablock on Instagram. are using these hash tags, #fw9autumn,  #fw10ava, 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 have a busy work day tomorrow so my usual periscope.tv/@verykb short broadcast might not happen but I am hoping it will and it will be around 2.15-2.30pm GMT today indwell 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 goes out.   If I make it, I'll be talking about symmetry 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 Erin and blocks 11 and 12.   

Stylish Party Dresses by Yoshiko Tsukiori: Review

As you can see, I'm a fan of Yoshika Tsukiori's Dress books.  I bought the hugely popular Stylish Dress Books one and two a few years back.  I've made a couple of things from them which get regular wear and I enjoy the pleasure of looking through them for dressmaking inspiration, the clothes and the styling are always a treat for the eyes.   Tuttle publishing produce the English translations of the original  Japanese editions and offered me a copy of her latest book, Stylish Party Dresses for review, and of course I jumped at the chance!

These books are always given new titles for the English language versions and as with She Wears the Pants, something of the original title is lost in translation.  This book started as 'Formal and Little Black Dress' and that in many ways sums up the book.  Inside it you will find 26 garments for formal occasions- think weddings, special occasions, even funerals.  They are not all dresses.  Instead there a mix of tops, skirts jackets,  two-piece sets and a jump suit as well as dresses.   Formality is key.  This is reflected in both the designs and the fabrics used.  The two dresses below are a perfect example.  The dress on the left has a shantung silk bodice and a skirt made from multiple layers of soft tulle.  The dress on the right has an outer of lace and an inner lining layer of crepe de chine.

There's a large range of shapes including jackets/bolero patterns.   I liked 'G' Lace bolero.  Formal events are often in places with variable temperatures- weddings particularly rely on one outfit to get you through multiple locations so a jacket is essential!

 I also liked the jersey wrap-look dress below which like a few of the styles in the book, is shown in two versions, black and in a print.  Black garments are always hard to photograph so it helps to see  how a different fabric can totally change the mood of an outfit.  The photographs are clearer than some other Japanese clothing books I have- e.g. She Wears the Pants has some rather elusive photographs in keeping with it's edgy fashion feel but can make it hard to see design details!  The paper is has a soft sheen and I liked the luxurious wallpaper backdrops.

Each pattern includes practical details relating to the fabric used.  This includes laying out pattern pieces on lace to achieve a good pattern balance at the front and matching seams at the sides .  The photo below shows this for 'I' Lace A-line dress:

It also includes construction details for particular fabrics.  This diagram shows  how to sew pattern pieces with two layers- the crepe de chine lining and the russell lace outer.

This is the unique feature of this book compared to other Japanese dress books that I have.  The fabrics used tend to be more luxurious than the usual cottons that make up the vast majority of my wardrobe so instead there is lace, satin, tulle chiffon and georgette, along with some Liberty Tana lawn.

This style appealed to me, probably because it is less formal and I love pin tucks! There are pin tucks all over the front bodice and it is shown in Liberty lawn and also in polyester crepe de chine although I imagine it more as a top than a dress.  There are some subtle details in this style,  the cuff has hidden snap fasteners.

The Liberty Print jumpsuit is a fun inclusion and the fabric details include  quantities for directional and non directional prints which shows a little extra attention to detail.

I'm not sold on every style.  This one looks a little like skirt tucked into knickers although when I look at the line drawings I like the top and the skirt without the front pleats is a perfectly useable A line skirt with a yoke waist.

The mini dress with raglan sleeves has already proved popular on Instagram.  I've seen a few versions made up.  Its a great style to maximise a graphic or large print and would easily crop to make a top.  I like the sleeve length on this dress.

I also like the frilled black bolero in the outfit below (shown over a long chiffon dress).  It's sewn up in a polyester georgette so the frill drapes softly.

There's a mix of shapes from loose flowing tunics to shift dresses, to mini skirts,  to two-piece skirt/top outfits and more traditional fit and flare dresses.  There are also some very interesting details- neckline back bows,  unusual sleeve pleats and detachable collars and dramatic back views; the blouse in the outfit below has a deep v at the back  plus a neck tie and a dipped longer hem and is shown in silk jacquard.

You can see more pictures and an interesting review, as always from Yifarn at Japanese Sewing Books.  The layout of this book follows other's Yoshiko Tsukori has written with photographs at the front, followed by written instructions and detailed diagrams.  There is a double sided pattern sheet to trace off in a pocket at the back and seam allowances are added with information on the recommended widths in the cutting layouts.  This book was kindly provided for free by Tuttle publishing for reviewing purposes. 

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.