COUNTRY VILLAGE QUILT-A-LONG: PART 2-Cutting; Blocks, Cornerstones and Sashing Strips

Hi peeps! 

At long last, here is a pic of my Country Village block! Do you like it??? This block measures 15.5" x 15.5" now, and will be 15" square sewn in.

In case you missed it, here is the link to Part 1 of the Country Village QAL.

I know is seems silly to mention it, but do take the time to press your fabrics before cutting. It makes a world of difference for accurate rotary cutting. 

I also starched my fat quarters and the 3-15.5" strips x WOF(see below) with my spray starch recipe just for ease of use.

These are the rulers I used, along with my trusty ergo-handled rotary cutter. The large ruler is 8.5" x 24". I often need to cut strips that are wider than my regular 6" x 24" ruler, so this was a real find! The small square ruler measures 6" x 6" and you will use it a lot during cutting, and later for squaring up the 9 pieces of this block.

Be sure to put a new blade in your rotary cutter as there is a lot of cutting following!

I just had to show you how cute the selvedges are on the Maison De Provence fabrics.

Your cutting requirements are as follows. I wanted to put them in list form so that you can easily copy and paste into a Word document and then take the cutting list to your work table.

WOF is the Width Of Fabric, which here is 42". If your fabric is narrower in width, you should buy at least a quarter yard more.

CUTTING LIST

-From each of your 25 fat quarters cut-
1-6.5" x 6.5" square
4-4.5" x 4.5" squares
4-3.5" x 3.5" squares
2-1.5" x 1.5" squares

-From your 4.5 yards of "background" fabric(see my tone-on-tone print) cut-
3-15.5" x WOF strips, sub cut into 60-1.5" x 15.5" sashing strips*
2-2.5" x WOF strips, sub cut into 28-2.5" x 2.5" flippie squares*
11-5.75" x WOF strips, sub cut into 300-1.5" x 5.75" strips*
4-4.5" x WOF strips, sub cut into 100-1.5" x 4.5" strips*
7-3.5" x WOF strips, sub cut into 200-1.5" x 3.5" strips

*please follow the directions below, as there is very little waste here for this fabric and you need to use the remainders of some of these strips to cut other-sized pieces. 

-From your .75 yard of "center" fabric(see my pale orange print)
4-6.5" x WOF(save the off-cuts to piece 1 square)

I carefully stacked 4 of my starched fat quarters on my large cutting mat. 

Note: if you are a little unsure, or new to rotary cutting, I would suggest cutting just one fat quarter at a time.

Trim the selvedges off and also trim one of the long sides of your stack(the 21" side) so that you have a nice, even edge to start cutting from. 

Do this for all 25 fat quarters.

Cut your fat quarter stack(or single fq) into 1-6.5" x 21" strip, and 1-4.5" x 21" strip. 

The remaining strip(at top) is about 6.5" wide and you can put that away for another project(perhaps a matching pillow!).

Sub cut your 6.5" x 21" strip(at bottom) into 1-6.5" x 6.5" square and 4-3.5" x 3.5" squares. 

You can put the remaining 3" strip aside(top row). 

Sub cut your 4.5" x 21" strip(middle row) into 4-4.5" x 4.5" squares, and also 2-1.5" x 1.5" squares(these are cornerstones and you can put them in a little basket for when we start adding the sashings. 

The top of the photo shows what you will have left over; a 3" x 14"-ish strip, a 6.5"-ish strip and trimmings.

Here you can see 4 stacks of each fabric cut for 4 blocks.

So, from each fat quarter you have cut: 1-6.5" square, 2-1.5" squares, 4-4.5" squares and 4-3.5" squares. 

This is what is needed for each block.

Now we will look at the 15.5" x WOF strips. 

I prefer to fold my yardage in half so that you have your fabric fold on the right side and your selvedges together on the left side(in front of you on your cutting mat). 

This way I am cutting 2 of everything at once AND I omit using the center fold of the fabric which always seems to be a pain to get rid of, no matter how hard I try to press & steam it out!

Carefully fold your fabric in half, so that your selvedges are touching. 

Line it up on a line of your cutting mat, to keep your strip square. 

Cut the selvedges off and start cutting your 1.5" x 15.5" sashing strips.

*IMPORTANT- for the FIRST 2 strips cut 28 strips(or 14 cuts if you have folded your fabric in half)each, which will give you 56-1.5" x 15.5" strips. 

Cut only 4 strips(or 2 cuts if your fabric is folded) from the THIRD 15.5" x WOF strip(=total 60 strips) and put the remaining 15.5" x 30" partial strip aside for just a moment.

These are your sashing strips.

Take the 15.5" x 30" strip you just put aside and cut 12(6 cuts if fabric is folded) that are 2.5" x 15.5(you can see all that I had left over is the center fold , at the left of the photo). 

Sub cut each strip into 12(6 if fabric is folded) 2.5" x 2.5" squares, which will make 72 squares total with very little waste.

Take your 2-2.5" x WOF strips and fold carefully in half lengthwise so that the selvedges meet. 

Line up your strip on a line on your cutting mat, as you did last step. 

Trim the selvedges off and cut 16 squares(8 cuts if you fabric is folded) from each strip. 

You will have a few extra. 

If you want to be exact-cut 16 squares from your first strip and 12 from your second strip. 

You should now have a total of 104-2.5" squares, but you only need 100.

These are your flippie corners.

Here are your 11-5.75" x WOF strips.

Using all strips, fold in half so the the selvedges are meeting.

With each of the first 10 strips, carefully lay across a line on your cutting mat, trim your selvedges and cut 28 strips(14 cuts) that measure 1.5" x 5.75".

Now you have 280-1.5" x 5.75" strips.

Take your 11th strip, lay on a line on your cutting mat, trim off the selvedges and cut 20(10 cuts if your fabric is folded) 1.5" x 5.75" strips.

You will have 300-1.5" x 5.75" strips.

You should have a 6" x 5.75" strip left over.

*Keep this left over strip handy, you may or may not need it.

You will do a similar thing with the 4.5" x WOF strips.

You have four strips at this size.

Fold all strips in half, lengthwise, so that the selvedges meet.

For each of the first 3 strips-lay near a line across your cutting mat and trim off the selvedges.

Cut 28(14 cuts if you strips are folded in half) 1.5" x 4.5" strips.

You will have 84 of these 1.5" x 4.5" strips.

Take the 4th strip, lay across a line on your cutting mat and trim the selvedges.

Cut 16(8 cuts if your fabric is folded in half) 1.5" x 4.5" strips.

You will now have a total of 100 of these strips.

Save the 12" x 4.5" strip that is left over.

Here are your 7-3.5" x WOF strips. 

As before, fold each strip in half carefully, making sure the selvedges meet up.

With each of the first 6 strips, lay across a line on your cutting mat.

Trim the selvedges off. 

Cut 28(14 cuts if your fabric is folded) 1.5" x 3.5" strips from each 3.5" wide strip.

You will have 196 1.5" x 3.5" strips.

Take the 12" x 4.5" strip left over from the last step.

Trim so that it is now 3.5" wide.

Lay your little strip across a line on your cutting mat.

Cut 4(2 cuts if your fabric is folded) 1.5" x 3.5" strips.

You will now have 200 of these strips.

This is your centre fabric.

Take your 4-6.5" x WOF strips now.

Fold in half carefully so that the selvedges match.

Lay across your cutting mat, carefully matching up to an across line on your mat.

Trim off the selvedges.

Sub cut each strip into 6(3 cuts if your fabric is folded) 6.5" x 6.5" squares.

Reserve the end pieces of each strip where the fold is that you have just cut off.

You will have 24 6.5" x 6.5" squares…but you need 25.

The next step shows how to make your 25th square.

Here you see a 6.5" x 6.5" square and 2 of the end pieces your kept from the last step.

Sew these skinny 2 pieces together down the 6.5" side.

Press the seam open then trim the square so that it is 6.5" x 6.5".

When we get to the piecing stage that requires this square, you will see that your seam is barely noticeable. 

For real!

This square and another(one of the fat quarter 6.5" squares) will be part of an Hourglass square.

*I am pretty frugal, so I chose to do this particular square in this way.

If you don't want to piece one large square you could add 1/8th of a yard to your purchase of the center fabric(so you'd buy 7/8ths of a yard), then cut 5-6.5" x WOF strips and cut your one final square from the extra 6.5" strip.

So, finally, here are our requirements for each of the 25 blocks of this quilt:

4-4.5" x 4.5" squares, print fabric

4-2.5" x 2.5" squares, background/tone-on-tone fabric

4-3.5" x 3.5" squares, print fabric

1-6.5" x 6.5" square, center fabric

1-6.5" x 6.5" square, different print fabric

8-1.5" x 3.5" strips, background/t-o-t fabric

4-1.5" x 4.5" strips, background/t-o-t fabric

12-1.5" x 5.75" strips, background/t-o-t fabric

We will also need:

60-1.5" x 15.5" strips, background/t-o-t fabric

36-1.5" x 1.5" squares(cornerstones) print fabric*

*we actually only need 30 of these, but I cut more so that we have variety.

                   

This is a step that needs to be done before we can start assembling our blocks, so I thought you could get a head-start on these.

Take your 25-6.5" x 6.5" squares of your center fabric and draw a diagonal line across the centre of the square, corner to corner. 

Then draw 2 other lines a scant quarter inch to the right and to the left of your center line. 

I use my Quick Quarter ruler for this and it goes by quite quickly!

These last 2 lines will be your sewing lines once we get to sewing up the blocks, next Wednesday.

Now take your 100-2.5" x 2.5" squares of background/t-o-t fabric.

Draw one diagonal line through the center of each, corner to corner.

This line must be straight as it will be your sewing line for your flippie corners.

Here ends our cutting session. YAY!!! 

Be sure to join me next Wednesday, May 13, 2015 for instructions on piecing the Country Village block.
;-)

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Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

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