It has been very well established that I LOVE a star block. I wanted a way to make a different star block than a sawtooth star and found some inspiration from some swap blocks I saw on instagram. I first made the super scrappy version on the bottom and decided I wanted to try out some different fabric placements to show how different it can look depending on your choices. It is such a simple block you’ll be making 3 of your own in no time. 🙂 The cutting instructions are for the black striped block so adjust accordingly depending on your plan.
(8) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ print
(1) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ white
(8) 2″ x 2″ white
Set aside (4) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ print for the corners of the block. Paying close attention to direction of fabric, use the flying geese technique to “star” off one complete edge of the remaining (4) 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ print. Lay out your block, assemble in rows. Press the top and bottom rows toward the print and the middle row toward the center. Sew the rows together and enjoy your fast, fun, Flying Geese Star block.
I was thinking the other day about what other things I could put inside the same basic structure of the 6.5″ raspberry kiss block and I thought it would be fun to do a simple 9 patch. I decided to do it in a patchwork setting, but a simple, traditional 9 patch would be great too! Here’s how to make it:
(9) 1-7/8″ prints
(2) 3-7/8″ squares, cut in half on the diagonal once
Make your patchwork. This is a great block to nest your seams and not mess with open seams, if you prefer. Once you have your patchwork constructed and pressed, add on the triangles to the corners, just like you do in a raspberry kiss block (add on to two opposing sides, press, then add on to the other two sides).
Using a different color or one print in place of white would be lots of fun!
This is a post I’ve been mulling over for awhile. It seems like there are 2 camps of quilters: those who live and die by BlocLoc Rulers and those who live and die by Triangles on a Roll. For those of you unfamiliar with either of these tools, here’s the basic run down.
Bloc Loc Rulers are a hard acrylic ruler with a groove in the middle. Assuming you press your seams to one side when you sew, the seam will nest in the groove, thus “locking” it in place and making it much easier to trim as compared to a ruler without this groove.
Triangles on a Roll are basically foundation paper piecing papers that are literally in a continuous roll. They come in many, many, many sizes. When you purchase a roll, you want to buy what the finished size of the half square triangle (HST) should be. For instance, if your pattern says you need to cut your squares at 3″, trim to 2.5″ so you end up with a 2″ finished HST, you order the 2″ size. It took some navigating, but always, always check the pattern for the FINISHED size. The Triangles on a Roll work differently than most traditional ways to construct HSTs. First, you cut your fabric in strips at a determined length (as stated on the packaging of the specific size of Triangles on a Roll that you purchase), sew up and down the lines in the direction the arrows point, then you cut them apart, rip off the papers, and trim the dog ears.
– I can use my 6.5″ ruler for ANY size of HST, as long as it’s smaller than 6.5″. I use it for 1.5″ squares, 2.5″ squares, any HST that needs to be trimmed. I use it on a daily basis. Yes, daily.
– I only have to buy it once. As I said, I can use it for any size. While it is a larger up front investment, it is just that, an investment.
– It can get a little monotonous trimming 600+ HSTs.
– Owning this is a life changing event, in my opinion.
– There are enough steps in the process that it is hard to get bored of one specific job, like getting bored of trimming eleventy billion HSTs with a ruler.
– The sewing of the HSTs together went very fast.
– I’m not entirely sure it saved me loads of time from just trimming them HSTs with a ruler, however there was enough variety that I didn’t want to put my quilt away and never look at it again (sound familiar to anyone??)
In the end, I do believe I will continue to use both products, the Bloc Loc ruler as my daily go-to tool for smaller projects and the Triangles on a Roll for larger-scale projects with a LOT of half square triangles involved.
* This is not a sponsored post, just my opinions on two products I have used. The link above to Amazon is an affiliate link.
