Happy July, and welcome to the 5th block in our Qube sewalong!
I hope you have been able to keep up with these monthly blocks, but if not, no worries, the instructions will stay up here on my blog indefinitely.
Just a recap of the blocks we have made so far:
And here is July's block:
It is called DEPRESSION and can be found on the Accuquilt site at this link: https://www.accuquilt.com/go-qube-depression-6-block-pattern.html. (Please note that these instructions are for the 6" Qube, so, unless you are using that size Qube, ignore the sizes of dies and finished cuts!)
This block is pretty simple to construct, using flying geese, half square triangles, and a square on point unit. If you can, use a single hole needle plate, or a fabric "leader" to prevent your fabric corners from being "eaten" by your machine as you start sewing your triangles. 
And always press each unit carefully, before moving onto sewing them to another unit. And ofcourse, the most important detail about using your Accuquilt dies: MAKE SURE YOUR SELVEDGE EDGE GOES THROUGH YOUR CUTTER SIDEWAYS!
You will need just 3 shapes this month: Shape 4,5, and 6.
Decide on your fabric and then subcut it to fit your dies, making sure to pay attention to your selvedge edge. I find I have gotten so in the habit of always cutting my fabric with the selvedge lying horizontally across the top of my mat, so I subcut, and then walk it directly to my die, keeping my selvedge up. And then I lay it on my die right up against the stickered edge.
Because the BLADES are often slightly angled, remember that you want to align your fabric with the BLADE on your die, not with the edge of your dieboard.
Phew, a lot of reminders this month, but with it being past the mid point in our sewalong now, I thought it might be good to repeat all these important points so that you end up with a block you are happy with ;).
Here is your cutting diagram/instructions:
Shape 4 ( quarter square triangle): CUT 4
Shape 5 ( half square triangle): CUT 4 of one color for the outside corner units
Shape 5( half square triangle): CUT 16 of a different color for all remaining triangles
Shape 6 ( square on point): CUT 1
I don't know about all the Qubes, but in my 12" Qube, shape 4 cuts 4 QSTs at a time, so I only needed to use that die once. For shape 5 I folded my fabric in order to get more HSTs at a time ( remember, you can cut as many as 6 layers of cotton)
One other note: I have noticed that if my fabric is not BONE dry after pressing it, that my cuts are not clean. So please so make sure that your fabric is completely dry.
After I cut all my pieces, I like to lay them out to make sure I have
1) cut all the needed shapes
2) placed all my pieces in the correct spot
It really doesn't matter which sub units you start sewing first, but here is what I suggest:
Sew your 4 corner units together:
Sew the square on point unit. You want to sew opposing triangles on first. They won't line up completely, but you will have a little peek at the fabric at all 4 corners, like this:
Press, and then sew on the remaining 2 triangles. This time you WILL have a nice edge to line them up on: 
Next it is time to sew the flying geese units. Start by sewing one side first: 
Press open or towards the outer triangle.
Then sew the remaining triangle to the other side:
Ideally you want to have a 1/4" of space at the top of your peak so that when you sew this unit together with another one, you keep that point :).
Now that you have sewn all your units, it is time to construct your block!
Again, I like to lay mine out so that I don't accidentally sew anything on backwards or upside down ;).
I like to sew horizontal rows, so I started by sewing my upper and lower flying geese blocks to their respective corner units ( make sure they are facing the correct way!)
Next, you will sew your flying geese units to both sides of your square on point unit. It will make it easier if you press these units in the opposite direction of your upper and lower units that you just sewed, but pressing open works too.
Sew these together, and voila, your Depression block is all done!
Isn't she a beauty? Nothing to be depressed about here...har har har....
I ofcourse had to make a 4" block as well, and I have to say this might be my favorite little block yet!
And here are my 4" and 12" Depression blocks together:
Do you notice what a different effect you get when you use color rather than white in some of those triangle pieces?
I hope the instructions and photos make the steps super clear, but if not, please ask questions, either here in the comments, or in the Facebook group, or by email. I will do my very best to help you out!
See you right back here next month for block #6, and in the meanwhile, come join the fun in the Facebook group, where we have just finished a blue, white, and red challenge, and where I post weekly tips and hints, think outside of the box, and spotlight specific dies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/madewithaccuquiltsupportgroup
Happy creating!
Monique
