Welcome to this Tuesdays traditional tutorial. This pattern is attributed to the LAC which stands for the Ladies Art Company that was founded in St. Louis by HM Brockstedt. It was the first mail order quilt pattern company. This particular pattern- Handy Andy comes from LAC 254 which was in print in 1895. And it was a very popular block, also less commonly known as Foot Stool.
TUTORIAL - Handy Andy
10” block (finished)
Cut
9 x white squares 2.5"
6 x white squares 3"
6 x violet squares 3"
(These are for 2 at a time hsts. I work with minimal waste so these are tight, if that stresses you out, cut them a quarter inch larger!)
2 x white squares 3.5”
2 x violet squares 3.5"
(These are also for 2 at a time hsts, that will then become 4 qsts, or hourglass blocks)
First make all the hsts, marking the diagonal lines as in the photos. Then sew 1/4" on each side of the line, then cut through the drawn lines and press. Take the 4 larger hsts and place two right sides together, opposite colours ontop of each other. Nest the seams and draw a diagonal line again making 2 sets hsts. Cut along the line and press. Now trim qst blocks and the hsts made previously all to 2.5”
Lay out your block like the image and sew into rows. Then sew rows together into the whole. The block will measure 10.5” unfinished.
This is often drawn as a two colour block, but I used scraps of the same hue to make a gradation from dark to light. All you need to do is 2x hsts in one colour, 4x hsts in a second and your qsts in a third if you like mine. Also my drawing on the second pic has the measurements for a 12.5” and 15” block.
Enjoy!
