Feb 17

Feb 17 Gracious Grove Sew Along -- Week 1

We are finally ready to start the Sew Along. I can’t wait! I hope I can be helpful to you if you are learning new things, and if you are a pro, I hope this will be motivating. First, here’s a little video with some instruction for this week. I will also explain it here in the blog in case you don’t want to watch the whole video.

This week we are starting with the Setting Blocks. Cut the pieces you need for these blocks as listed in the instructions. We begin by making some units using the corner triangle method. This method is used throughout the pattern. It is done by sewing diagonally across a square laid on a base piece. Make sure you orient the pieces correctly as shown in the pattern, or you will get the corner triangle on the wrong corner! (voice of experience!)

You can avoid drawing all the lines on the back of the squares if you want to use a guide on your machine. If your machine bed has a center line from the needle, that works, or you can use a piece of tape like I did in the video.

In this photo, you can see that I am “chaining” the pieces through as I add corner triangles. I have added all of them on one side of the base block (Green), and now I am adding a second corner triangle on the opposite corner. I leave the chain all together, and just feed it through on the opposite side.

After the sewing is done, they need to be trimmed to leave just a 1/4” seam allowance. I leave the chain connected as I take it to the cutting mat and slice them all off at the same time.

Press your corners open with the seams toward the corner triangle. Create all of the units for the setting blocks. Put the pieces together as shown in Steps 3 and 4 to make light and dark quarter-blocks.

Sew quarter-blocks together to create 8 Outside Setting Blocks and 4 Inside Setting blocks.

Use the remaining quarter-blocks to create 12 Border Blocks.

Well, that’s about it for Week 1. It’s a lot more sewing to do than any of the other weeks, so that is why I did it first—this way, you can work on these blocks throughout the Sew Along until you have them all done. Make sure you post pictures of your progress on InstaGram, and use the hashtag, #Graciousgrovesewalong.

Next week we will be doing Block 1, Versions a and b. Have your pieces cut and ready!

I can’t wait to see your progress. Let me know if you have any questions.

See you next time. Happy Quilting!