**Creating Quilt Blocks with Precision**

When it comes to creating quilt blocks, accuracy is key. In this article, we'll explore the process of cutting and piecing together quilt blocks using precision techniques.

First, let's start with a simple block that can be used as a foundation for more complex designs. To create this block, we need to cut out strips of fabric from a 4 and 1/2 inch wide strip. We'll use these strips to create the various pieces that make up the block. The key is to remember that each piece needs to be accurately cut with a scant quarter inch seam allowance.

As you work on cutting out these strips, pay attention to how many pieces you can get from one strip. For this particular block, we need 13 pieces in total. To achieve this, we'll use two strips of fabric at the most. By doubling up the strips and using a smaller ruler for accuracy, we can ensure that each piece is precisely cut.

For this block, we don't need as many pieces as some other blocks, so instead of cutting eight pieces per block, we only need four. This means we'll be working with six blocks in total, which will require 24 pieces to complete. To cut these pieces accurately, we'll use the same technique as before, doubling up our strips and using a smaller ruler for precision.

Now that we have all our pieces cut out, it's time to start piecing them together. The block consists of three rows of pieces, which need to be sewn together in a specific order. We'll start by sewing together the top row, then move on to the middle and bottom rows. As we go, we'll use a quarter inch seam allowance to ensure that our seams are accurate.

When piecing together these blocks, it's essential to press our seams accurately. To avoid mistakes, we need to press our seams in the same direction throughout the block. If we notice any stray seams during the process, we can simply repress them to get everything back on track.

As we sew our blocks together, we'll encounter a few common challenges. One of these is the issue of intersecting points. To resolve this, we can use a simple trick: when sewing two pieces together that are going in different directions, we can force one seam to align with the other by pressing it in the opposite direction. This ensures that our seams are secure and won't come undone during the piecing process.

By following these precision techniques, you'll be able to create quilt blocks that are accurate, precise, and visually stunning. With practice and patience, you can master the art of block piecing and take your quilting skills to the next level.

**Tips for Quilt Block Piecing**

If this is your first time working on quilt blocks, don't worry – it's not as daunting as it sounds! One of the most critical tips is to press your seams accurately. If you're using busy prints, the imperfections will be hidden by the fabric itself.

Another essential tip is to work in a well-lit area and use accurate measurements to ensure that your pieces are precisely cut. It's also helpful to have a ruler or measuring tape handy to double-check your cuts.

As you become more confident in your piecing skills, don't be afraid to experiment with new techniques and designs. Remember that precision is key, but it's not the only factor that determines success in quilt block piecing. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process of creating something beautiful and unique.

**Conclusion**

Creating quilt blocks with precision requires attention to detail, patience, and practice. By following these techniques and tips, you'll be well on your way to creating beautifully accurate blocks that will form the foundation of a stunning quilt. Don't be discouraged if it takes time to develop your skills – with each project, you'll become more confident and proficient in the art of block piecing. Happy quilting!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey it's Vanessa The Crafty Gemini I post weekly crafting cooking and organic gardening videos right here on my YouTube channel in this video tutorial we're moving right along with our Victorian modern quilt Tong and I'm actually going to be teaching you how to make the second Block in this quilt Tong which is block number two if you're coming across this tutorial randomly we're working our way through a series of videos on making this Victorian modern quilt using Andover Fabrics Victorian Modern Line I designed this quilt and this week we're teaching you how to make block number two if you want to join in on the fun make sure that you click right here to watch the first video in the series and that way you can watch all the videos in order and this week I'll be giving away another three ruler set from Easy quilting by Simplicity and also a fat quarter bundle of Victorian modern offered up by Andover Fabrics to start block number two we're going to begin with these two Fabrics which are going to be our Corner blocks here so two of one Fabric and two of the other so we'll be cutting out 12 of each of these but first we need to press the fabric nice and flat let me share a quick tip with you a lot of you I noticed in the last video said that you often have times like you think you cut the fabric the correct sizes but then when you start to sew them together they move on you or they kind of stretch and they get distorted and so they ends up being a little bit bigger than the size you cut it out at well what I like to do is that I'll hit it with some spray starch and you can be quite generous with this stuff this is going to stiffen up the fabric nicely and what I find is that when I cut the fabric it's nice and stiff and then when I put the pieces together to sew them through it's almost like two pieces of like a thin paper so the fabric doesn't stretch as much on you and it'll help you keep the size that you cut them at okay it's nice and flat pressed all out we're ready to cut from this we're going to need 12 squares that measure me 4 and 1/2 in by 4 and 1/2 in so it's just like you guys did in block number one first we clean off the edge okay then we're going to take our 6 and 1/2 in ruler measured to the 4 and 1/2 in Mark so I'm lining up my ruler down here on the straight edge of my fold right this is where the fold is of the fabric 4 and 1/2 in Mark right there one of the lines on the ruler on the fold of my fabric right there there slide my ruler up make sure it's the 4 and 1/2 all the way up there's one strip and we're going to need 12 so we can get eight from one strip so we need to cut out a second strip my 4 and A2 and cut and I have my two strips and now just like we did in block number one we need to trim off the salvages and then go back and cut 4 and 1/2 in at a time so there are my 12 can put this piece away and now let's cut the other fabric now this fabric you may see that I required a larger amount than normally just for those squares this fabric is also going to be used right here for these cornerstones in the sashing when we get to that point okay but for now we're going to use it to cut out 12 again 4 and 1/2 in square blocks so so far we've cut 12 of this Fabric and 12 squares of this fabric they all measure 4 and 1/2 in by 4 and 1/2 in so now we're moving on to the next Fabric and I want to show you what it is that we're going to be doing with it we're going to be doing these little side strips here so you can see there's two on each side around that Center Square so that means each square is going to need eight of these okay 2 4 6 and eight eight times the six blocks you're going to need a total of 48 okay and this is the fabric that we're using and these since they're going to be rectang angles the measurements are going to be a little different it's going to be 4 and 1/2 in and then the other dimension is going to be 3 and 1/8 and I'll show you how to cut that so I'm going to clean off my straight edge here and then we're going to cut just like we did 4 and 1/2 in wide strips and then we'll turn them and cut the other dimension from that strip so 4 and 1/2 so now in the opposite direction remember the fold is over here and the two freshly cut edges are right here so I'm going to keep that together so I can cut two at a time as usual and now we're measuring 3 and 1/8 now if you recall from the last tutorial where I was teaching you about measuring the 7/8 on the ruler this time we need 3 and 1/8 so we can see from here to this red number is 1 2 3 and then 1/8 just means one little tick mark over bigger than the three because these are e inch increments right so just three and then one little tick mark over from there and that's your 3 and 1/8 and all you need to do is make sure that it's going all the way up up this way should be 4 and 1/2 and it looks perfect and that's the piece that you need so continue to do that remember just one little tick mark over from the three and so you see how many strips I was able to get out of the one 4 and 1/2 in wide strip that we previously cut I can get 2 4 6 8 10 12 13 and then you have this left over as waist so each one of these is doubled up right because it's cut on the fold and then the last one because it's on the fold I just open it up and it ends up being that big you chop the piece you need and then this is the excess okay so again we got 13 from one strip now for this next fabric we're cutting the same like we did from this one except we don't need that many so instead of eight per block of these we only need four per block times the six blocks means we only need 24 right CU we said we can get 13 from each one and 13 * two strips will give us 26 and we only need 24 so got my smaller ruler here 4 and 1/2 in so the same measurement going this way right we first start off with our 4 and 1/2 in wide strips okay so these 24 are cut now now the only piece that we need for this block is that center 8 and 1/2 in square okay cut salvages here now let's start laying out the block so here's what it's going to look like but now we need to start piecing it together and if you can remember from block number one it's a very similar layout so you are going to sew these together the exact same way that we did block number one we're going to sew these three together these three these three and these three so I'm going to start pinning this one pretty side to pretty side right here remember to use that scant quarter inch seam allowance my next step is to sew these two here these two here here and these two here so I have all three rows here and now we're ready to start combining them so remember we're just matching up these four points turn them over now here's something that you'll probably encounter more often than not I didn't press in opposite directions and I try not to like think too much about it like oh what way did I press the last row just press it in One Direction whichever can be like the darkest fabric if the Fabrics are very similar press it to any side and then what I do is when I go to pin if I see that both my seams are in the headed in the same direction like here I have the seam here going to the right and this one going to the right as well all I do is I force it so I'll leave one going to the right and then this one I'll just force it with my finger make it go left so that both those seams there let me cut these threads so you can see better so both of those seams are going to a butt right at that intersection and then I just put a pin through either side to help hold that in place okay and then afterward you can go back and repress this and just push it in that direction it's not a big deal on this next intersecting point you can see again I have both the seams going to the left so all I'm going to do is keep that bottom one going to the left and then the one that I have here I'm just going to turn that seam to make it lock right there where it needs to with the other one okay grab a pin and put it right through there you can see this is the seam that I forced over this way so just go back and hit it with an iron and make it turn in the direction that you need it to no big deal the same thing here and that's just my shortcut way of doing it let's open this up and I'm just going to press these towards the center so here's my finished block number two if everything was sewn and cut correctly you should end up with nice points right here matching intersecting points if you didn't say if this is your first quilt don't worry about it too much because if you're using these Fabrics the prints are so busy that they do a great job of covering up any sewing imperfections so that's it block number two is complete your homework for next week is to make six of these total and meet me back here because we're going to be working on cutting out sashing strips and cornerstones and now here's the information on last week's giveaway winners congratulations to last week's winners good luck to those of you entering this week's giveaway and I'll see you next time byehey it's Vanessa The Crafty Gemini I post weekly crafting cooking and organic gardening videos right here on my YouTube channel in this video tutorial we're moving right along with our Victorian modern quilt Tong and I'm actually going to be teaching you how to make the second Block in this quilt Tong which is block number two if you're coming across this tutorial randomly we're working our way through a series of videos on making this Victorian modern quilt using Andover Fabrics Victorian Modern Line I designed this quilt and this week we're teaching you how to make block number two if you want to join in on the fun make sure that you click right here to watch the first video in the series and that way you can watch all the videos in order and this week I'll be giving away another three ruler set from Easy quilting by Simplicity and also a fat quarter bundle of Victorian modern offered up by Andover Fabrics to start block number two we're going to begin with these two Fabrics which are going to be our Corner blocks here so two of one Fabric and two of the other so we'll be cutting out 12 of each of these but first we need to press the fabric nice and flat let me share a quick tip with you a lot of you I noticed in the last video said that you often have times like you think you cut the fabric the correct sizes but then when you start to sew them together they move on you or they kind of stretch and they get distorted and so they ends up being a little bit bigger than the size you cut it out at well what I like to do is that I'll hit it with some spray starch and you can be quite generous with this stuff this is going to stiffen up the fabric nicely and what I find is that when I cut the fabric it's nice and stiff and then when I put the pieces together to sew them through it's almost like two pieces of like a thin paper so the fabric doesn't stretch as much on you and it'll help you keep the size that you cut them at okay it's nice and flat pressed all out we're ready to cut from this we're going to need 12 squares that measure me 4 and 1/2 in by 4 and 1/2 in so it's just like you guys did in block number one first we clean off the edge okay then we're going to take our 6 and 1/2 in ruler measured to the 4 and 1/2 in Mark so I'm lining up my ruler down here on the straight edge of my fold right this is where the fold is of the fabric 4 and 1/2 in Mark right there one of the lines on the ruler on the fold of my fabric right there there slide my ruler up make sure it's the 4 and 1/2 all the way up there's one strip and we're going to need 12 so we can get eight from one strip so we need to cut out a second strip my 4 and A2 and cut and I have my two strips and now just like we did in block number one we need to trim off the salvages and then go back and cut 4 and 1/2 in at a time so there are my 12 can put this piece away and now let's cut the other fabric now this fabric you may see that I required a larger amount than normally just for those squares this fabric is also going to be used right here for these cornerstones in the sashing when we get to that point okay but for now we're going to use it to cut out 12 again 4 and 1/2 in square blocks so so far we've cut 12 of this Fabric and 12 squares of this fabric they all measure 4 and 1/2 in by 4 and 1/2 in so now we're moving on to the next Fabric and I want to show you what it is that we're going to be doing with it we're going to be doing these little side strips here so you can see there's two on each side around that Center Square so that means each square is going to need eight of these okay 2 4 6 and eight eight times the six blocks you're going to need a total of 48 okay and this is the fabric that we're using and these since they're going to be rectang angles the measurements are going to be a little different it's going to be 4 and 1/2 in and then the other dimension is going to be 3 and 1/8 and I'll show you how to cut that so I'm going to clean off my straight edge here and then we're going to cut just like we did 4 and 1/2 in wide strips and then we'll turn them and cut the other dimension from that strip so 4 and 1/2 so now in the opposite direction remember the fold is over here and the two freshly cut edges are right here so I'm going to keep that together so I can cut two at a time as usual and now we're measuring 3 and 1/8 now if you recall from the last tutorial where I was teaching you about measuring the 7/8 on the ruler this time we need 3 and 1/8 so we can see from here to this red number is 1 2 3 and then 1/8 just means one little tick mark over bigger than the three because these are e inch increments right so just three and then one little tick mark over from there and that's your 3 and 1/8 and all you need to do is make sure that it's going all the way up up this way should be 4 and 1/2 and it looks perfect and that's the piece that you need so continue to do that remember just one little tick mark over from the three and so you see how many strips I was able to get out of the one 4 and 1/2 in wide strip that we previously cut I can get 2 4 6 8 10 12 13 and then you have this left over as waist so each one of these is doubled up right because it's cut on the fold and then the last one because it's on the fold I just open it up and it ends up being that big you chop the piece you need and then this is the excess okay so again we got 13 from one strip now for this next fabric we're cutting the same like we did from this one except we don't need that many so instead of eight per block of these we only need four per block times the six blocks means we only need 24 right CU we said we can get 13 from each one and 13 * two strips will give us 26 and we only need 24 so got my smaller ruler here 4 and 1/2 in so the same measurement going this way right we first start off with our 4 and 1/2 in wide strips okay so these 24 are cut now now the only piece that we need for this block is that center 8 and 1/2 in square okay cut salvages here now let's start laying out the block so here's what it's going to look like but now we need to start piecing it together and if you can remember from block number one it's a very similar layout so you are going to sew these together the exact same way that we did block number one we're going to sew these three together these three these three and these three so I'm going to start pinning this one pretty side to pretty side right here remember to use that scant quarter inch seam allowance my next step is to sew these two here these two here here and these two here so I have all three rows here and now we're ready to start combining them so remember we're just matching up these four points turn them over now here's something that you'll probably encounter more often than not I didn't press in opposite directions and I try not to like think too much about it like oh what way did I press the last row just press it in One Direction whichever can be like the darkest fabric if the Fabrics are very similar press it to any side and then what I do is when I go to pin if I see that both my seams are in the headed in the same direction like here I have the seam here going to the right and this one going to the right as well all I do is I force it so I'll leave one going to the right and then this one I'll just force it with my finger make it go left so that both those seams there let me cut these threads so you can see better so both of those seams are going to a butt right at that intersection and then I just put a pin through either side to help hold that in place okay and then afterward you can go back and repress this and just push it in that direction it's not a big deal on this next intersecting point you can see again I have both the seams going to the left so all I'm going to do is keep that bottom one going to the left and then the one that I have here I'm just going to turn that seam to make it lock right there where it needs to with the other one okay grab a pin and put it right through there you can see this is the seam that I forced over this way so just go back and hit it with an iron and make it turn in the direction that you need it to no big deal the same thing here and that's just my shortcut way of doing it let's open this up and I'm just going to press these towards the center so here's my finished block number two if everything was sewn and cut correctly you should end up with nice points right here matching intersecting points if you didn't say if this is your first quilt don't worry about it too much because if you're using these Fabrics the prints are so busy that they do a great job of covering up any sewing imperfections so that's it block number two is complete your homework for next week is to make six of these total and meet me back here because we're going to be working on cutting out sashing strips and cornerstones and now here's the information on last week's giveaway winners congratulations to last week's winners good luck to those of you entering this week's giveaway and I'll see you next time bye\n"