Aunt is Block 8 of Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt
I love the on-point square in the middle as it’s perfect for showing off your fussy cutting skills. I’m a sucker for fussy cutting and you’re going to see I plan on using it in all my blocks. These traditional blocks are a great way to have fun honing your fussy cutting skills as they provide great opportunities for working with squares and rectangles. I really hope you love this block as much as I do. It’s the next level up on the patchwork scale of complexity from Becky and Bonnie, but it’s so simple to do that once you’ve done it once you’ll want to do it again and again. (There’s a link in the instructions to a really great quilt block you can make that uses the techniques in this block to great effect!)
Tutorial: Block #8 “Aunt”
General Information
- I pressed my seams open.
- I used a Schmetz 70/10 needle.
- I used 50wt Aurifil #2600 (Dove) thread for piecing.
- I used the From Marti Michell Patchwork Templates Set A.
- I used Flatter by Soak in Yuzu 248ml as my starch.
- Fabrics shown in the tutorial are from the Gnome Angel Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Bundle on Fat Quarter Shop.
If you’d like to know “My Top 10 Beginners Patchworking Tools” you can find them by clicking here.
Measurements for the pieces needed to construct this block will not be provided in this tutorial. It is a pre-requiste of making this block that you have a copy of the book, The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them. Measurements can be found in this book and it’s associated media.
The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird – available from: Amazon | Pink Door Fabrics | Fat Quarter Shop | The Quilting Company | Interweave (Affiliate Links)
On Point Blocks
Please note I am not doing my blocks on-point. If you are fussy cutting your blocks please be mindful of your fabric placement so that the motif will sit correctly if you decide to put your blocks on-point.
Conversion Chart
You can find the From Marti Michell Patchwork Template Conversion Charts by clicking here.
Helpful Links & Videos
Marti Michell shows you how to cut using your ruler and templates:
For another video on this template set click here.
BLOCK CONSTRUCTION PDF
The Author and Publisher have made available a PDF file of the block rotary cutting instruction and construction details as provided for in the book to assist those that are waiting on their books to be delivered. You can download this block by clicking here.
The block PDF’s and the Marti Michell Conversion Charts are provided to your as a courtesy and are not for further distribution. Anyone found to be circulating these PDF’s via their own website, Facebook Group, Guild, social media, etc. will be removed from all emails, the Facebook Group and details will be passed on to the publisher. We take our responsibility to respecting copyright seriously and we will not endorse, support or tolerate breaching it. Thank you for your understanding.
How to Make the Block
General advice:
- Tolerance Levels: you need to decide what is an acceptable tolerance level for “mistakes”. For example if your blocks are consistently 6¼” instead of 6.5″ are you ok with this. Or if your seams matching are less than an eight of an inch “off” are you ok with this. There’s no hard or fast rule and it’s different for everyone, so remember it’s your quilt so make your decision for you.
- Press your seams at each step. Click here for a great article on how to press your seams for patchwork.
- You can iron and starch your fabric prior to cutting. I also starch when pressing bulky seams.
- When pinning, pin away from you so that you don’t move your pieces when pinning.
1. Use your rotary cutter and ruler to cut all pieces required for the block as per the instructions in the book. Cutting instructions can be found on the disc that came with the book. Block directions are located on page 167. You can also use the cutting instructions on the conversion chart.
2. Join the top right 8B to 8A. If you’re using the From Marti Michell Patchwork Templates Set A you will be able to just line the pieces perfectly only the edge. If you’ve cut your pieces as per the templates in the book you will have to line up the bottom edge of the triangle so that there is a quarter inch of the triangle extending past the square.
You can fold your square in half and finger crease the fold to make a centre line, this will make it easier to line up the point of the triangle. (Rita (of Red Pepper Quilts) has a tutorial on making an Economy Block that uses this same principle and may help you see this method in action.) You will use this same technique for all four triangles.
3. Join the lower left 8B to 8A.
4. Join the lower right 8B to 8A. This is where the beauty of the engineered corners of the From Marti Michell Patchwork Templates Set A comes in handy. If you’ve used the templates you can just line up the corners. (See diagram 4A.) If you’re not using the templates you would use the same method as shown in step 2.
5. Join the top left 8B to 8A.
6. The next stage of this block construction can go really quickly as you’ll be able to chain piece. If you’re unsure of what chain piecing is, click here for a tutorial on how to do it.
Join the top right 8D to 8C. Join middle right 8C to 8A. Join bottom right 8D to 8C.
7. Again you’ll be able to chain piece this step. Join the top left 8D to 8C. Join middle left 8C to 8A. Join bottom left 8D to 8C.
8. Now that you have your 3 rows you’ll want to join the top row (1) to the middle row (2) and then the bottom row (3) to the middle and top row. The process is the same for each row.
Tip: Use your pins to line up the seams. The impact from this block is the square that is formed in the middle. Be mindful of not cutting off your triangle points. If you have to use your seam ripper, do it. It’s worth getting right with this block.
9. Press the final seam and step back to admire your completed block.
Accompanying Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Block Tutorial
When I hosted the 2015 Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt Sew-Along I had some blogging friends jump in and make the blocks and share their thoughts, tips, tricks and alternative fabric choices with everyone. These tutorials provided a great way for participants to find some new bloggers to follow, learn more about the craft we all love and get some alternative ideas for fabrics and colours.
You can find this blocks accompanying tutorial here*: Jodi @ Tales of Cloth
*Please note: Where possible I will link to the accompanying tutorial, however given the time that has elapsed since the first event in some cases the tutorial may be missing. In this case I will link to the blogger directly so that you can check out their work.
Book Details
The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird – available from: Amazon | Pink Door Fabrics | Fat Quarter Shop | The Quilting Company | Interweave (Affiliate Links)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a very small commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link, in fact in some cases I can offer you a better price via an affiliate link. I will not recommend something that I do not use myself. These commissions help me keep being able to provide you with great content for free. Thank you, in advance for your support!
Angie, I have been quilting for many years, but have always rotary cut. I am questioning myself on the triangles. When I have cut triangles before it is from a square, then cutting the square in half or fourth to make the triangles. In the book it states that the 4 triangles are a certain size. Would I cut a square that size and then cut the square in fourths. I am really overthinking this and any help would be appreciated.
Hi Janice,
My advice would be to find the triangle template in the folder on the CD and print it out and use it as a reference/accuracy check if you want to use this method of cutting your triangles. I probably wouldn’t go with this method (4 from a square) of cutting triangles. If I didn’t have the templates I would have cut a square with a side that measures the length of ONE of the two shorter sides of the triangle (one of the ones that met at a 90 degree angle – not the length of the diagonal) and cut it in half to make two. Does that make sense? Example if one of the straight sides of the triangle was 3″ I would cut a 3″ square and slice it on the diagonal, corner to corner, to make 2 triangle then use the printed template piece to make sure it’s the right size.
Let me know if it doesn’t and I’ll email you and we can talk it through and I can find others that might be able to help.
🙂
I am rotary cutting. The math on the center portions does not add up to 6.5 nor does it line up with the two sewn tops/end units. As mentioned before the pdf templates do not print true to size and my book hasn’t arrived yet. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Aleisa,
I’m a little confused, the PDF templates will print true to size if you have your printer settings correct (which can be the tricky thing to work out at the start). When you say the math doesn’t add up to 6.5, do you mean in total? The centre square will not be 6.5″ as it will be surrounded by the borders.
Might be best if you email me so that we can work it out together as I think I may be misunderstanding your comment. You can drop me an email via my contact page on the site.
Talk soon!
I’m slowly caught up.I am enjoying the detailed description on how to construct the blocks and reviewing them over and over; including the alternative ways to accomplish each. I’m excited to say for the first time I have my sharp points on my center diamond.
That’s so great to hear Tracine and I’m so excited that you got sharp points. I still get a thrill every time I fold the fabrics back to see if the points have matched or not (and I hope that thrill never disappears!).
I am really enjoying this QAL; although I am finding it hard to wait for each new release. So much so that I have guessed ahead and made a few additional blocks on my own; ones on the simpler side that I am thinking will be the next from the release list. I also love how you comment on each corresponding letter. The sentiments still fit in our lives today.
…Debbie
Thanks Debbie. I admire your initiative and I’m hoping we throw some curve balls at you with how we’ve grouped the blocks so you’re not waiting even longer for new blocks to make. It’s amazing how much the letters still resonate all these years on. These woman are capturing my heart.
Angie, I am so grateful to you for all your hard work to get this QAL going. It is absolutely awesome. I am however, interested in your fussy cutting of the centre square.
Are the blocks all eventually going to be set on point? If so, should the fussy cutting be sympathetic to this positioning not how we would normally view a block. I’ve just remade my Bonnie after realising this and hope that I have not made a ‘rookie mistake’.
Hi Susie! The blocks can be set on point and if you follow the book instructions that’s how they’ll be assembled. However for my non-Fat Quarter Shop bundle version of the quilt I’m marching to the beat of my own drum and I’m planning on something else so these blocks will not be set on point. Does that make sense?
You are correct though, you should consider the block position in the layout when you fussy cut. However sometimes having it “off” balance can provide another dimension to the quilt depending on the print you’re using. Ultimately though, it’s your quilt and you should go with whatever you love. Hope this has helped. <3
Thanks for another block! I love yours your fussy cutting skills are perfect:-)
Thanks Hildy! 🙂
Beautiful Angie! Love it! 🙂
Thanks Anita! 🙂
Your fabric is so pretty! I hope things have calmed down a bit for you by now. I am so enjoying all of this…I love the tiny blocks and the tiny prints! Especially thank you for sharing the scripture too…
blessings…
MH
Thank you Mary! Things are beginning to take on a calmer tone and I’m sure more calm will return the further we progress through the sew-along. I had no idea it would have this kind of impact with people. It’s been a true blessing. It’s my pleasure. <3