We're right back at the Farmhouse Sampler quilt-along today with block 6, the Bear's Paw. Before we get in to it...a quick reminder to share your progress on Instagram with us by adding #farmhousesamplerquilt to your pictures. We check the hashtag daily and would love to see how your blocks are turning out!

Now let's get stitching!

CUT: 

• four (4) 2-5/8" squares from A
• two (2) 7” squares from B
• two (2) 7” squares from C
• four (4) 4-3/4” squares from D
• four (4) 2-5/8” x 6-7/8” rectangles from E
• one (1) 2-5/8” square from F

PRESS.  With a hot iron, press your blocks to remove creases and wrinkles.

MAKING HSTs.  Gather your "B" and "C" blocks and let's get going on our HSTs for the Bear's Paw. With a pencil, draw 2 diagonal lines across the wrong side of your "C" blocks, as shown above.

Next, place your "B" and "C" blocks RST. We're going to use the 8-in-1 HST technique to make quick work on this part. On your sewing machine, sew a 1/4" seam along both sides of your diagonal lines. (See image above right. The dashed purple lines indicate where to sew.)

CREASE/MARK.  Once you're done sewing, fold your blocks in half both ways so you have 2 creases running through your block vertically and horizontally. (Alternatively, you can mark your lines with pencil.) Be accurate here, since we'll be using this line as a guide for cutting in the next step.

CUT.  Now with your rotary cutter and a straight ruler, cut along the creases and both drawn diagonal lines. You'll want to avoid moving your block in between these steps so that your cuts are accurate. Do this for both blocks and you'll end up with 16 HST units.

PRESS.  With a hot iron (no steam), press your HSTs. I like to press them once before opening them, and then press again, pressing the seams to the dark side. 

TRIM HSTs.  Now we're going to trim our HSTs down to 2-5/8" squares. Use your square ruler, lining up your diagonal (45-degree) line with the diagonal on your fabric. Line up your square ruler and the edge of your fabric at 3" and trim the top and right sides. Rotate the block to trim the other 2 edges, lining up the edges with the 2-5/8" marks on your rulers. Trim the top and right sides. Repeat for all remaining HST units.

LAY OUT.  Using the block diagram as a guide, lay out your block. This will help you piece your block together in the next step.

PIECE, PRESS, REPEAT.  Piece your blocks RST, working in sections. I start by piecing the paws first, and then move on to piecing the rows. Press your seams as you go. (I like to alternate pressing directions when I know my seams will meet up. This allows me to nest my seams and get more accurate points.)

Take care to sew an accurate seam allowance as you piece your block together so your block doesn't come out small.

Once your block is assembled, give it another good press -- and this one is done!

6 blocks done -- 3 more to go! Be sure to head over to Instagram and share your block progress. Adding #farmhousesamplerquilt to your image is all it takes to connect with others making the quilt, too!

We'll be back on Saturday with a new block tutorial!