A Verse or Two of Poetry, Civil War Letters block 15,

Block 15, #113 p. 243, A Verse or Two of Poetry

First off let me say that the best way to make this is by paper piecing. Copy picture, cut on both diagonals to see the ¼ quarter square triangle that is 1 unit. Don’t forget to add in the ¼” on the cuter lines.

The next best way is by making templates from the picture in book, drawing the shapes and drawing ¼” seam allowance round them.

That said, for any die-hards out there, here’s rotary cutting instructions. I’ll even post my block (before I fixed it) that’s a bit wonky so you can see what you’re up against!

3 colors, A (red), B (yellow tan). C (cream)

A (red in photo) --Cut 4 squares 2 ¾” and 4 rectangles 2 1/8” X 4 3/8”

B (yellow tan) 1 3/8” strip at least 26” long, cut 2

C (cream) 1 3/8” by at least 26” long, cut 2

1. place red square ‘on point’, measure done 1 3/8” from the top point on each side and make a mark. Cut from the mark to the bottom point on each side=1 kite shape, make 4

2. Sew the A and B strips together along long edge. Press seam open. Sub-cut into 2 1/8” X 3 ¼” rectangles. Placing yellow tan on the right side/cream on left cut from outside top corner points to center seam at the bottom on both sides. Repeat 7 more times.

3. Take red rectangles and put wrong sides together in pairs. Keep in pairs. Cut diagonally from upper left to lower right making mirror image triangles. Place triangle with short edge running across the top. Measure 1 ¼” down diagonal from top and make a dot. Measure 3/8” from right angle (where long straight leg meets short leg) towards the diagonal cut and make dot. Cut from dot to dot. Make 8 total ‘half-kites’.

Sew a yellow tan/cream triangle to each side of kite shape from step 1, extending the triangle shape above kite by about ¼”. Then sew red ‘half kite’ to each side of kite-triangles. Make 4. Sew 2 together matching kite/triangle and half-kite seams (picture is before I re-sewed to fix this--I didn’t pin to start with! LOL). Sew these 2 units together so that all the ‘kite’ shapes meet in the center, and triangles too--

Congrats if you get thru this one, it is not easy!!