April Tea for Two

April’s “T” block is a popular alphabet block. I especially like the versions that are arranged as tessellations so chose the block called “tea time”. I am not fond of tea but do remember my first drink of the beverage at a very young age. I was in the church basement with the quilting ladies as they took their break to enjoy an afternoon dessert and glass of tea before wrapping up the day. I was feeling very grown up to be able to partake with the ladies at the big table instead of the smaller Sunday School table for kids. I have no memory of what the dessert was but the beverage was tea. Kool-Aid was the afternoon beverage of my choice at age seven but not an option that day and I was thirsty so I took a long drink of the tea and nearly spit it out. That would have been impolite and I certainly did not want to seem ill-mannered. I saw some ladies putting sugar in their tea (sugar cubes it was back then) so I helped myself to make my drink more palatable. It seems my taste buds have a preference for the sweet but no amount of sugar could rid my mouth of that bitter taste. Teapots and tea cups were part of my grandmother’s home décor but “tea time” was usually “coffee time”. I still have some of the collection of tea cups brought back as souvenirs of travel displayed in the guest bedroom. I will cherish the memories of tea time but will never acquire a taste for the beverage.

As I worked with the drafting of this block and project I played with colorations that might also be fun for “trick and treat”. Maybe it will be repeated for the October project! The block is easy sewing but does require attention to arrangement to get the “T” formation. I preferred the look of two stacked blocks to make a vertical wall hanging so this finishes 24” x 39”.

Fabric:
“T” block: 1/3 yd each of two contrasting prints
Inner border: 1/8 yd
Outer border and binding: 5/8 yd
Backing: ¾ yd
Batting: 27” x 45”

Cutting:
“T” prints: 9 each 3 ½” x 5 ½” rectangles; 24 each 2” x 6 ¼” rectangles.
Further cut the 2” x 6 ¼” rectangles as pictured below, 12 of each print:
——- 4 1/8”—————

— 2 1/8”—

The cut is a 45 degree angle with long side 4 1/8 “ and the short side 2 1/8”.
(Tip: If you keep wrong sides together of matching prints you need make only one directional cut on all the rectangles rather than the two shown Use the photos as a guide.)
Inner border: 2 -15 ½” x 1” for top and bottom and 2 – 31 ½” x 1” strips for long sides.
Outer border: 2- 16 ½” x 4 ½” for top and bottom and 2 – 39 ½” x 4 ½” strips for sides.
Binding: 3 – 1 7/8” strips joined (If you like wider binding allow ¾ yd for yardage requirement instead of 5/8 yd).

Construction:
Join the 45 degree angle pieces to make a 2” x 5 ½” rectangle.

Follow the photos for sewing and arrangement. Add narrow border strips top and bottom and then sides. Do the same for the wider outer border. Layer top, backing and batting, quilt and bind. Sit down and enjoy a cup of tea (or kool-aid).

A design wall/board is useful to arrange the blocks in the proper configuration before sewing.