My Patchwork Quilt: BLOCK 11: FAMILY REUNION (A STAR VARIATION)

Before I joined this 30-Block Exchange Group, I didn’t make many patterns with stars. Now it seems like every block I do is a variation of the star pattern. I love making them. I’m often a little nervous, but I just tell myself - “You can do this!”

This unnamed block was just a drawing for a variable of a star variation in an old quilting magazine I got from my aunt. There was no picture of the finished block, just a drawing. I liked it a lot and it was the first “variable” I made. I wanted to make each HST (half-square-triangle) different and since I had a few 5” squares leftover from a charm pack, it really appealed to me.

I had made a Blanket of Hope (a quilting group at church that I belong to) with most of the charm pack. I had purchased some fabric to use with the charm pack and I had some of it leftover also. So it would just be a matter of arranging the charm pack squares. I said “just” but this was probably the hardest part for me. My OCD makes it very difficult for me to do random arrangements when I quilt. Not surprisingly I moved some HSTs as I was sewing them together because I thought they would look better somewhere else.

Since each one of my HSTs were different, I didn’t make them as you might do when you want to get two HSTs from two squares. (You know cut the two squares an inch bigger - I don’t do the 7/8s bigger - match them up face to face, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the lighter side - so you can see your line - stitch ¼” away from line on both sides, and then cut on the drawn line.) A charm pack would work great for a project that you didn’t mind having two HSTs alike that would measure 4.5” after you trimmed them down.

But I’m getting off track - bird walking they called it when I taught school. AND I have pictures I will share below showing what I did, so I guess I’ll just get on with the tutorial.

HOW TO MAKE A VARIABLE ON A STAR VARIATION

(¼” seams taken, no two HSTs being repeated)

You will need twelve (12) - 4” squares of different prints (charm pack works well) and enough of a coordinating print for four (4) - 3.5” squares and six (6) - 4” squares.

CHOOSE 12 charm pack squares that are different OR scraps of 12 different prints that you can cut a 4” square from.

CUT the 5” charm pack square in half diagonally. You will use one triangle and add the other triangle to your scrap bag for another project.

With a 5" or 6.5" square ruler, line up the diagonal line so that the line goes through the 4" marks on the ruler. You will notice the middle mark for the diagonal line marked on the ruler is along your cut.

Trim off the excess. Repeat this process with each of the other eleven (11) 5" squares.

ARRANGE the 12 triangles on your design wall in a pattern that appeals to you.

From the coordinating print, CUT four (4) - 3.5” squares and six (6) - 4” squares that you will cut in half diagonally for the HSTs. ADD them to your pattern like this.

I made the HSTs first and replaced them in the pattern on the design wall. At this point you can still change the arrangement since none of them have been sewed together. I PRESSED the HSTs toward the darker print, and replaced them in the pattern on the design wall.

Remember that we cut the triangles from a 4" square but we only need the HST to be 3.5" square. I love doing this step because I know that my seams are going to have a better chance of meeting up neatly. I used my 6.5" square ruler to square the HSTs up. Use the diagonal line on the ruler to line up with the diagonal seam. You will have to lift the ruler and reline it as you work around the HST but don't rush this part. CUT off the excess. Return the HST to the design wall.

At this point you will sew the rows together. It doesn't really matter which one you do first. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. You can see in the picture, I sewed the corner square to the HST next to it and returned it to the design wall. (Guess you can see I couldn't sew without my design wall, but I am less likely to make a mistake if I always return pieces to it after I work with them.)

After I PRESSED the pair, I preceded to sew these pairs to each other. You will need to pin the two pairs where the two seams from the HSTs meet. (I had to make some changes to my pressing after I took my pictures. Here I repressed the HST on the right in the picture before I sewed it to the corner square.

Then when I sewed the pairs together the diagonal seams would "nest" or "butt" together . I eventually pressed the seams open to reduce the bulk) Just what I hoped the seam would look like.

Repeat with the next row.

I'm throwing in this next picture to show you that you can square up the HSTs using a 3.5" wide ruler and the 45 degree diagonal line on it. You can trim two sides and then just rotate the ruler around to square up the other two sides.

As you work up the block, you will have more seams to "nest" and pin to secure. You can see in my picture how I also started pressing the seams open. It may reduce the bulk, but I like being able to "nest" the seams together and feel the flatness. If you look closely at the picture at the peak of the triangles, I have inserted a pin. I am sticking it at the point on the side I am seeing when I sew to see if it comes out on the same place on the bottom piece.

When you have all of the four rows SEWed together and PRESSed, you will need to square the block up with a 12.5" square ruler if you have one. It probably won't be much since you did all of the other squaring up.