A couple more farmers wife blocks

Worked on Farmers Wife today. Finished up two blocks...Sawtooth #76 (above) and Darting Birds #27 (below).

Darting Birds has 60 pieces! I used 1" half square triangle papers to make the 24 HSTs....much quicker and very accurate. This block is really four small (3-1/2") blocks to make the 6-1/2" Darting Birds. The 4 small blocks are put together as a 9 patch...3 rows of 3.

Before you start, it really helps to give your fabric a good spray of starch and press well....keeps the fabric from stretching. With all the seams in these little blocks, every bit of acuracy counts.

Before pulling off my triangle papers, I folded it back and trimmed the points. 

The paper shows where to cut by following the edge...also helps because you're cutting off that stitching in the seam from traveling from HST to HST.

To make the 9 patches, I set them up on my board as they will be stitched.

Then I sew piece 1 and 2 from row 1, then 1 and 2 from row 2 and finally 1 and 2 from row 3.

Next add third piece to each row and leave the threads attached.

The threads keep your rows in order. 

Press your rows. I press the seams on row one and three to the outside, press the seams on row two to the inside. This will LOCK your seams as you sew. Sew row one to row 2

Then add row three.

Press the quarter block, repeat 3 more times.

Now you put it all together like a 4 patch.

I make ALL my seams a SCANT 1/4" to make up for the thickness of thread in a seam.