As the finish of a project approaches, without even thinking about it, I start counting the number of seams that are left to complete the top or the number of blocks yet to be quilted before I can call it done. This motivates me to keep going!
This week, the counting started on the first of two projects that started as a tale (in Good Migrations a couple weeks ago) of a messy stack of citrus-colored fabrics and a retreat weekend last week.
At the retreat, I started making star blocks and promised a tutorial on the block and quilt construction. . . and here we are! More photos than text, these are the steps I followed to make this slightly modified traditional block.
My little stack of Monkey-guarded block kits contained four 3" white background squares. One 3-1/2" citrus square for the center. Four 4-1/2" squares: one white background, one 'accent' citrus, and two matching citrus star points.
When choosing the citrus scraps I always included at least one solid color to offset the bold prints. And I never matched the accent and star point squares.
Setting aside the smaller squares for now, I paired up and aligned each star point square with a background and accent fabric.
I drew a diagonal line, corner to corner on the back of each star point fabric.
Quarter inch seam on both sides of each line. Cut on the lines.
Pressed each half-square triangle (HST) toward the star point fabric.
I take care the pressing is accurate point to point. I want to avoid floppy foldovers on the ends.
I paired each star point/white HST with each star point/accent HST right sides together, nestled and snuggled the seams, and drew another line corner to corner. . . .
To make sure the drawn line is perpendicular to the existing seam, I lined up one of the lines on the ruler with the seam, then roughly lined up the ruler with the fabric points before drawing the line.
*It is more important to have the drawn line perpendicular to the existing seam than it is for the drawn line to intersect the fabric points.*
By design, the fabrics are a bit too large to allow for any sewing/pressing variances. I like to make my HSTs and QSTs this way.
Sew 1/4" seam on each side of the line, then cut apart on the line.
I like to pop the quarter-square triangle (QST) seams, so the pressed seams rotate around the center point.
Press first from the back (below left), then from the front (below right).
Now, I trim the QST. I trim three sides first, lining up the center seam intersection with the 1-3/4" marking on the ruler (half of 3-1/2"). I like to use a square ruler so I can take advantage of the diagonal markings on the ruler, then I trim the background and the two star point sides (below left).
Then I slide the ruler so the left edge (I'm right handed) aligns with the 3" ruler marking and trim the accent fabric side of the unit (below right).
The QST is now a little wonky and measures 3x3-1/2".
Then I lay out the block. . .
Why cut off that accent side of the QST?
1) I like the resulting look,
2) it reduces bulk where the block units and QSTs come together, making it a bit easier to press the seams in the final block.
You'll notice some snow on the ground in the photo above. That was Friday, by Saturday, the sky was clear and the weather nice enough for a brisk walk during a short break from the quilting activity at the Asbury Retreat Center in Silver Lake, NY (below).
And now, the happy monkey is keeping tabs on the finished blocks (all 80 of them) instead of the block 'kits.'
As I mentioned last week, Each one of these blocks is almost like its own little quilt design. The various combinations of color and print made me feel like the blocks 'deserved' not to be mushed into a huge quilt with simple sashing in between. SoOoOoOoo. . .
I laid out the blocks in eight rows of five blocks, and did that thing quilters do - moved around the blocks until I was happy that colors and prints weren't clustered together awkwardly. (Below left)
Then I cut forty block-border kits from the citrus fabric group, adding a few new colors from my stash. Then laid the block bits on top of the blocks, and did that quilter thing again to make sure similar border colors didn't cluster up and block and borders weren't clashy. (Below right).
For each block, I cut two 1-1/2x8-1/2" strips, and two 1-1/2x10-1/2" strips. The block with borders measures 10-1/2" square.
Of course, I tested one block first before cutting all those block-borders to make sure that my measurements were correct.
I sewed the block borders onto the blocks sides, then top and bottom.
Then I alternately rotated the blocks so the border seams don't intersect anywhere.
Nearly done!
Only three more row seams to sew, and four borders to add. Seven seams. (I am cheating a little because I know some of the borders will need to be seamed to make them long enough). My quilt, my rules, therefore seven seams left. *Wink!*
I'm cutting borders 4-1/2" wide; I'll need 8 strips, connected end to end diagonally, then sewn to the sides, then top and bottom of the quilt. The quilt with borders will measure 58-1/2 x 88-1/2" - twin size.
That is, of course, not counting the second quilt because I made 80 blocks--40 per quilt! Both twin-sized.
The citrus theme just happens to be one of my favorite color combos, and lucky me to 'find' this fabric grouping on the storage shelf! However, just imagine this same concept with one of those fat quarter bundles sitting on your shelf right now (or waiting for you during your next trip to the quilt show or LQS) add a background, and some solid coordinates so the blocks aren't overly printy, and these stars could work with just about any fabric group or color-way!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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