Hand Pieced QAL - Cathy | Elm Street Quilts

Having fun hand piecing? It's time to get started on our block #5 - Cathy.

Cathy will build on the skills from our prior blocks (Evelyn, Jane, Penelope, and Louisa) and introduce a more challenging partial seam.

The basics units of Cathy will assemble quickly. Sewing the units around the center square will be a unique experience but one that is much easier to do when piecing by hand instead of piecing by machine.

Still need the pattern for Book Club for the Hand Pieced QAL - grab yours now! Book Club is a 9 block sampler and two block setting to make either a wall hanging or a throw sized quilt. Did you miss the QAL announcement? You can find more information here! If you have any trouble ordering the pattern, please don't hesitate to email us at handpiecedqal@gmail.com - we'll be happy to help!

Tips & Tricks

There are just four different kinds of units to be cut for our Cathy block. You can cut them exclusively from templates (check out the tutorial if you need some reminders) or actually use your rotary cutter for each piece. Make sure you mark all your stitching lines on the wrong side of the units. This specialty ruler - The Perfect Piecer - makes it easy marking sewing lines on angles.

The rotary cutting instructions (if applicable) for the units can be found in the bottom left corner of the pattern sheet. Please consult the tutorials for Using Templates and for Marking Stitching Lines if you need some tips.

Cathy might look like a complicated block but once your break is down into a set of steps, you'll see it is not a tough block to construct.

First, you'll need to make sew together two smaller triangles (see Quarter Square Triangle tutorial) and then sew on a larger square to make a compound HST unit. Each of the compound HST will get a rectangle sewn to the left side. You will make four of these units.

Lay your blocks around your center square and decide where you will start sewing. (I am using my wonderful wool pressing mat to keep everything organized.)

It doesn't matter where you start - you'll just sew the pieces on clockwise from that point. But first, just partially sew the center square to your first unit. You'll finish this seam in the very last step.

Then, continue clockwise to sew on the last 3 sides.

Now you've got one seam left - start in the center where the seam ended and sew out to the edge to finish your block!

I really enjoyed the challenge of this block and hope you do too!

The link-up for Cathy (or any blocks you make this week) will open on Thursday, April 23. If you share on IG, please tag your photo with #bookclubqal and #handpiecedqal.

Make sure you go visit Kristen and see her Cathy block!

The Book behind the Block

Maeve Binchey is one of our favorite authors. Her books are filled with wonderful characters who live in Ireland. She's written a whole series of books that are loosely related - each one stands alone as a story but characters will appear in other novels.

Cathy Scarlet is one of those characters. She and her friend Tom open a catering firm called Scarlet Feather. Cathy works hard to take care of her new business, her husband, her parents, and her husband's niece and nephew. We named this block Cathy because so many things are spinning around her that need her attention - things are often left undone and then needed to be picked up afterwards ..... just like that block seam!

I've recently been rereading all of Maeve Binchey's books and the Scarlet Feather is one of my favorites.