Make Aimee with Templates, Block #2 in the Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along

Some of the blocks in Gnome Angel's Farmer's Wife 1930s Sew Along will not be "template friendly" -- that means we don't have exact-size templates for the pieces needed. Aimee is one of those blocks. The foundation paper piecing pattern in the book is nicely divided, so Aimee is a great candidate for that technique. (We will have an alternate block for other blocks that are not template-friendly, too. Aimee's alternate block, Alta, is Chart #13.)

One Good Aimee Deserves Another

Over in the Sew Along's Facebook group, Richy Lainson, Jr. posted his beautiful Aimee block, which he'd made with templates. Richy's blocks are always beautiful! He makes everything with templates if it's possible to do so. I thought it was cool that several people in the Sew Along asked Richy how he cut Aimee with templates and, since he is so nice, he offered to make a tutorial soon. Well, we chatted on Facebook and I thought we should let Richy keep making beautiful blocks and I would do an Aimee template tutorial, which follows Richy's block shown below. :)

Richy's Aimee Block

 

Richy shoots his blocks on point on a background of Zen Chic Modern Backgrounds Inks by Moda.  His Farmer's Wife 1930s blocks also feature Zen Chic For You (colors) and Modern Backgrounds Paper (whites), with a little Tula Pink Eden and some BasicGrey Grunge thrown in.

My Aimee Block

If you love templates, too, and you want to use them to make your Aimee block, you can cut the pieces with Sets C or D and the New Set Q #8089. (Note the differences between my block and Richy's, like contrast, value, focal points, on point compared to straight set.)

 

Making the Pieced Center Unit

For the pieced center square (which should finish at a perfect 3-7/8 inches square, including seam allowances), use either C-16 and C-18 or D-22 and D-24.  Cut 2-1/4 inch strips or cut a 2-1/4 inch square as shown.

 

You must be dead on with the engineered corner on C-18 or D-24 being on a perfect square corner, and the blunt top of C-16 or D-22 at the top of the strip.

Join the pieces to make 4 pairs…

Join the pairs to make 2 block halves…

 

Join the halves to make the center square. Press seams in one direction and swirl press the center where all the pieces come together.

Cutting the Other Pieces

Use template Q-b for trapezoid 2C. It is actually about 1/16-inch too big. "Double-cut" Q-d for piece 2B.

I took a photo of the page in my book More Bang for the Buck! so you can see exactly how it's done. Click the image for a larger view.

Likewise, Q-94 its a scant 1/8" too big for piece 2A. But fudge a little, trim a little, hold your tongue just right!  Your block will end up a little big -- trim it down to 6-1/2 inches square.

Since I prefer to do conversions for blocks where you don't have to fudge, I substituted Alta, named for my mother, who was an Iowa Farmer's wife. I hope you see what I mean about Aimee -- she's a looker but she's not very [template] friendly.