In my Studio newsletter for June, I asked those participating in the Craftsy Block of the Month to send photos of their progress. I just wanted to take a moment to say what a beautiful job you are doing!

I am thrilled with the number of you who have tried hand piecing and are really enjoying it. There have been many comments like this one from Marianne: “I would never have considered hand piecing were it not for this class. It’s far more relaxing and accurate than I anticipated—and I can work on blocks at times and in locations where I don’t have access to my sewing machine.”

A few of you have been concerned that your blocks are not turning out to be the exact size. Remember all of the tips like making sure you are printing out templates the correct size. If your blocks are not exactly 9 ½” including seam allowances, don’t worry. We will be adding strips around the outside of all the blocks so that they “float” on the background. I will show you how to adjust the size of those strips so that all the blocks will finish the same size.

In the next lesson (which is almost here!), we will be working on the stems for the appliquéd flowers, doing slightly more complex foundation piecing and a more complex block. Just a hint: except for the foundation parts, the next block is best cut using templates and hand piecing. Don’t be daunted! It is not as difficult as it looks and I think you will find that the effort is worth it.

Beautiful lily block close up picture!