Block 36 of the Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt is Geneva. Another simple yet striking block and this is the second last block we’ll be making! I foundation paper pieced this version. There’s no Marti Michell conversion chart this week however be sure to head over to Marti’s blog to check out some alternative patchwork ideas if you don’t want to make this block. Click here to visit Marti.

Tutorial: Block #36 “Geneva”

General Information

See tutorial for seam pressing details.
I used a Schmetz 70/10 needle.
I used 50wt Aurifil #2600 (Dove) thread for piecing.
I used Flatter by Soak in Yuzu 248ml as my starch.
I used Clover Wonder Clips to help keep my pieces in place.
I used Translucent Vellum to print my pattern on.
I used Sewline’s Glue Pen to hold my pattern to the paper.

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 by Laurie Aaron Hird – available from: Amazon | Pink Door Fabrics | Fat Quarter Shop | The Quilting Company | Interweave (Affiliate Links). Measurements, where applicable, can be found in this book and it’s associated media.

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

Take a Class

If you’re struggling with Foundation Paper Piecing, or maybe you’d like to take these new found skills and try out something a little more involved why not check out the Start Foundation Paper Piecing on Craftsy – click here to enrol (Beginner) or how about Mastering Foundation Paper Piecing on Craftsy – click here to enrol (Advanced).

Terminology

This method of block construction is called “Foundation Paper Piecing” however it can also be referred to as “Paper Piecing” which can get confusing as there is also a technique called “English Paper Piecing” (EPP) and it’s often referred to as “Paper Piecing”. I have tried to always refer to the technique as “Foundation Paper Piecing” in the tutorial, however I may slip up and refer to it as “paper piecing”. If paper piecing is mentioned in this post it only ever refers to foundation paper piecing.

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.
Where possible I chain piece all the pieces I can in one step. If you’re unsure of what chain piecing is, click here for a tutorial on how to do it. However, for the purpose of the tutorials I will step you through all the seams individually.

If you are planning to hand piece this block, or even machine piece it based on the templates, you can find everything you need on the disc that came with the book. Block directions are located on page 195.

Printing Instructions: All of the foundation paper piecing patterns that were provided with the book are mirror images of the completed blocks pictured in the book. This is only an issue for blocks that are not symmetrical.

Printing Mirror Image: Due to the multitude of printers, computers and programs on the market I’m unable to provide specific support for your particular setup. However here is a tutorial on how to print mirror image for PDFs that also contains useful links. (Click here for the tutorial.)

How to Print Your Pattern: Due to the multitude of printers, desktops and programs on the market I’m unable to provide specific support for your particular setup, however the principles are the same for every program and printer. You need to ensure you’re printing at 100% scale. My printer automatically defaults to 94% when printing the templates and patterns. This is how I change the scale when I print on my Mac and with my Canon printer. The arrow points to where I amend the scale settings by clicking the checkbox for scale and then changing the amount to 100%. If you are unsure how to scale your printing I strongly recommend asking Google (simply type “how do I print to scale for <insert your printer name and desktop (whether mac or windows)>”) or getting a computer savvy friend in to help. Once you’ve worked it out you’ll be unstoppable when it comes to foundation paper piecing!

1. Print out the foundation paper piecing pattern for the required block at a scale of 100%. Using paper scissors roughly cut out the foundation paper piecing pieces leaving approximately 1/8th of an inch of spare paper around the dotted line.

Tip: If you’re using Vellum grab each page off the printer as it prints and then lay them out to dry. You’ll want to make sure the ink doesn’t smudge and you really don’t want to get any of that ink on your hands and then on your fabrics.

Please note: For copyright reasons the numbers have been removed from the template pieces in these diagrams. Your pieces will have the piecing order numbers printed on them.

Fabric Measurements

Tip: When Foundation Paper Piecing I use a Sewline’s Glue Pen to hold my pattern to the paper where there is only one piece to the section. Just use a little dab of the glue to secure the paper while you work.

Now for the fun part, adding fabric! To help you out I’ve worked out the sizes you’ll need to cut each fabric piece to cover the pattern sections. Please note, given the nature of paper piecing section shapes and the limits on what shapes can be cut with a ruler these shapes produce fabric wastage. You may be better served using fabric scraps that fit, however for those of you new to the process sacrificing some fabric until you get the hang of it is not a big deal. Cut the following fabric pieces:

Fabric 1 (White)

Pattern Pieces: B6, C6, D6, A4 = 4.5″ x 1.5″

Pattern Pieces: C2, C4, D2, D4, A2, A4, B2, B4 = 1.5″ x 3.5″ (Cut 8)

Pattern Pieces: A8, B8, C8, D8 = 3″ x 1.5″

Fabric 2 (Black)

Pattern Pieces: A3, B3, C3, D3 = 2″ x 3″

Pattern Pieces: A8, A1, A5, A7, B1, B5, B7, B8, C1, C5, C7, D7, C8, D1, D5, D8 = 1.5″ x 2.5″

Tip: If you’re like me and get easily confused looking at the pattern pieces you may find value in using colouring pencils to mark the corresponding fabric colour on both the pattern pieces and the block diagram found at the top of the foundation paper pattern. Again, make sure that whatever you use to add colour to your templates doesn’t bleed on to your hands or fabric.

How To Foundation Paper Piece

In the interest of saving space and making the tutorials as easy as possible I will not be showing you how to foundation paper piece with this tutorial as it’s been covered previously. Instead, here are some links to foundation paper piecing tutorials that you can use to get acquainted with the technique if you’re unsure of how to do it.

Making the Sections

Using the Foundation Paper Piecing technique make all the sections of the block. If you are feeling confident you can batch process (which is a similar way of saying ‘chain piece‘ however as you have to remove each piece from the machine before you can start the next one it’s not technically chain piecing) each addition of fabric to a section.

2. Once you’ve made and trimmed your section lay them out in the block formation. Diagram 1 shows the layout from the back. Given how easily this pattern goes together I will only show you from the back to save any confusion. When foundation paper piecing I always work with the fabric facing down when assembling the block.

Joining the Sections

Joining the sections is the same as any other patchwork – right sides together, 1/4″ seam and you stitch all the way from one edge of the section to the other. In this method of foundation paper piecing you will stitch on the dark black seam line.

Tip: When joining sections I normally press my seams open, however with this block I pressed to one side. Before pressing I tear off the paper that is the seam allowance. This is purely personal preference and you can press open if that’s your chosen method. You will press all seams as you join the the sections.

3. This is all about making rows, join A to B and C to D.

4. Sew the two rows together to complete Geneva.

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).

Disclosure: 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!

Geneva is Block 36 of Farmer’s Wife 1930’s Sampler Quilt

Tutorial: Block #36 “Geneva”