August Hand + Soul Block: Felicity
About the Block
Welcome to August and this month's theme of creating our own happiness.
Felicity comes from the Latin felicitas, a word that once meant good fortune, or the happiness that arrives because the universe was kind to you. It's a beautiful word, and it names that joy we have likely all felt as a result of a stroke of luck we did nothing to earn and can do nothing to keep. The Stoics looked at this kind of happiness and actually refused it. Epictetus argued that anything you didn't build yourself, anything the world could just as easily take back, was a shaky foundation for happiness and contentment. This block borrows the word but not the premise, holding that the steadiest, sharpest form of felicity is the kind you generate from within, regardless of what fortune hands you or takes away.
Details & Techniques
The Felicity block introduces a new technique to our block of the month - foundation paper piecing (FPP)! If you’re unfamiliar, FPP is a quilting technique where you sew your fabric directly onto printed paper templates. This method allows us to create more intricate and complex geometric designs that would be much harder to achieve using traditional piecing methods!
If this is your first time doing FPP, we have a video tutorial to introduce the technique and guide you through this month’s block, step by step.
Block Tips & Tricks
A few small choices will make a big difference with this block:
Check Your Template Sizes. When printing this month’s templates, be sure to check that you’ve printed at 100% scale! Measure your test square to confirm it’s exactly 1” square, so that your final block size will be correct once you’ve completed sewing.
When in Doubt, Baste First. Ensuring proper placement of fabric when using FPP can be challenging, especially with odd shapes and seam angles. For tricky placements, use a longer basting stitch to join a piece and then check its placement before stitching again with a shorter stitch length.
Smaller Stitch Length. For seams you are certain about, set your machines stitch length to 1.5. The smaller stitches will not only help secure your piecing, but it will help to perforate your paper when it comes time to rip the paper from your block.
Start with a Test Template. If this is your first time sewing with FPP, printing out an extra of one template — such as Template B — and practicing the steps with some scrap fabric will get you familiar with the technique before you dive in!
Prep Your Workspace. When piecing with FPP, you will be going back and forth from your machine, to your cutting mat, to your ironing board. Having your workspace set up will help this process go quicker - we like to use a wool pressing mat and a small cutting mat near our machine to have everything located close by.
August Partners
Hand + Soul Block of the Month members gain exclusive access to discounts from our monthly partners, as well as a chance to win prizes every month!
Join us for a year of sewing and community!
You are always welcome to jump right in and start sewing with us - Read all the details here!
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