Block 5: Village Square for James Austen

Village Square for James Austen, Jane's eldest brother.

Block # 5 by Dustin Cecil in Dupioni silk.

James Austen (1765-1819)

Being the eldest, the heir, was a position of power.

(And his mother always thought he was the family’s best writer.)

Despite their barely adequate living, the Austen family saw to it that eldest son James had the advantages. Primogeniture meant inheriting position and favor as well as wealth.

View of Oxford University about 1814

James went to Oxford on a Founder's Scholarship (Mrs. Austen was descended from a founder) and was ordained when sister Jane was about 12. He was sent on the Grand Tour of Europe and he eventually inherited his father's parishes Deane and Steventon. 

Village Square by Bettina Havig

Bettina found this scenic print in her scrap bag.

It can represent James's Grand Tour.

Steventon (yellow star) and Deane (blue star) 

His mother's family money eventually benefited James's eldest son James Edward Austen-Leigh who added his great-uncle's name when he inherited the Leigh estate and became a wealthy gentleman.

Fashion plate, 1797

The elder James Austen, born in 1767, powdered his hair and 

wore the breeches, stockings and shoes of

the 18th century.

St. Nicholas at Steventon 

After James died his brother Henry took over the

living there followed by a nephew William.

Illustration of the Steventon Rectory from

James Edward Austen-Leigh's memoir of his aunt.

The house was flooded and torn down in the 1820s.

James's first wife Anne died suddenly after three years of marriage.

Each of Jane's brothers outlived his first wife by many years. 

(One brother was developmentally disabled and never married.)

James's tomb at Steventon. 

He is buried with his second wife Mary.

He seemed quite content to live most of his life in the villages of Steventon/Deane.

Blockbase #2403

We can recall his life in Village Square, given the name in the Nancy Cabot quilt column of the Chicago Tribune in the 1930s. James followed in his father's footsteps, so the block echoes his father's Block #3.  

Cutting a 12" Finished Block

A - Cut 4 squares 3-1/2" x 3-1/2".  

B - Cut 4 squares 3-7/8"x 3-7/8".

Cut each in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. You need 8 triangles.

C - Cut 1 square 9" x 9".

Sewing:

If you are new to patchwork don't even look below this line:

----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------

Village Square by Becky Brown

Uh-oh! Becky's fussy-cutting again.

Here's one way to cut the stripes.

Center square C, which finishes to 8-1/2" x 8-1/2":

Cut squares 9-3/4".

Cut into 4 triangles with 2 diagonal cuts.

You need to cut 2 squares and reassemble 4 triangles to get that look.

Village Square by Becky Brown

She cut up the center block in a different way

for the Ladies' Album version.

UPDATE

Jacque says this doesn't work and she's right. You cut the center the

same way for both or her blocks.

For this variation:

Cut 2 squares 9-3/8"

Cut each in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. You need 4 triangles.

Update

If you cut it this way the triangles would be too big. So don't.

The culprit!