Star Sampler Block #6

Due to a technical difficulty, we're switching up the order of bloggers today. Here's block #6, made by the Fabri-Quilt blog team, a slightly different take on a basic star block.  Like many of the others, this block is made using half-square triangles, and doubling up on these HSTs is what makes the different colored tips. Enjoy!

This sampler series of nine star blocks began last week and will run all of this week as well. The star blocks are made using Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics. If you missed blocks #1-4, you'll find links for them at the bottom of this post. Plus, don't miss the chance to enter a giveaway to win a bundle of these gorgeous prints! 

You'll need:
One 6-1/2" red square
Two 4-1/2" red squares
Two 4-1/2" aqua squares
Four 4" white squares
Four 3-1/2" white squares

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the two 4-1/2" aqua squares and the four 4" white squares.

Pair a marked aqua square right sides together with a 4-1/2" red square. Sew a scant 1/4" on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the drawn line and press units open. Trim units to measure 4" square.

Lay a marked 4" white square right sides together on a red/aqua HST, with the seam of the HST perpendicular to the marked line. 

Sew a scant 1/4" on either side of the drawn line. Cut on the drawn line and press units open. Trim units to measure 3-1/2" square, making sure to position the intersection of the 1-3/4" lines on the ruler where the three seams meet (see photo). This will ensure that your star point units get trimmed evenly.

Lay out the eight HST units, four 3-1/2" white squares, and one 6-1/2" red center square as shown.

Sew the HST units into pairs, noting orientation.

Sew these double star point units to the sides of the center square. Sew 3-1/2" white squares to both short ends of the remaining double star point units. Sew to the center row to finish the block.

    For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us--do you typically make quilts using fabric only from one collection, or more scrappy? You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

     Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis

     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Star Sampler Block #5

Happy Monday! Today Heidi Pridemore from The Whimsical Workshop is here sharing block #5, the double star. This blocks looks similar to Connie's block on day #1 but is constructed differently; you can use whichever technique you prefer. Amazing how different print choices make similarly designed blocks with such variety! 

This sampler series of nine star blocks began last week and will run all of this week as well. The star blocks are made using Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics. If you missed blocks #1-4, you'll find links for them at the bottom of this post. Plus, don't miss the chance to enter a giveaway to win a bundle of these gorgeous prints! 

Heidi: Hi everyone! Here's my block for the Star Sampler. I chose to use the cream/gold scroll print as the background and made star points using flying geese units. Here's the tutorial:

Fabrics and Cutting:

Fabric A- Background (cream/gold scroll)

            • Cut (12) 2 ½” x 4 ½” rectangles

            • Cut (8) 2 ½” squares

Fabric B- Inner Star Points (peach/aqua)

            • Cut (8) 2 ½” squares

Fabric C- Outer Star Points (teal/blue)

            • Cut (16) 2 ½” squares

Fabric D- Star Center (multicolor print)

            • Cut (1) 4 ½” square

Double Star Instructions

1.     Place one 2 ½” Fabric B square on the left side of one 2 ½” x 4 ½” Fabric A rectangle, right sides together (Fig. 1). Sew across the diagonal of the square from the upper right corner to the lower left corner (Fig. 1). Flip open the triangle formed and press (Fig. 2). Trim away the excess fabric from behind the triangle leaving a 1/4“ seam allowance.

2.     Place another 2 ½” Fabric B square on the right side of the 2 ½” x 4 ½” Fabric A rectangle, right sides together (Fig. 3). Sew across the diagonal of the square from the upper left corner to the lower right corner (Fig. 3). Flip open the triangle formed and press (Fig. 4). Trim away the excess fabric from behind the triangle leaving a 1/4“ seam allowance.

3.     Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to make four inner star points.

4.     Repeat Steps 1 and 2 with eight 2 ½” x 4 ½” Fabric A rectangles and sixteen 2 ½” Fabric C squares to make eight outer star points (Fig. 5).

5.     Follow Figure 6 to sew together one 4 ½” Fabric D square, four inner star points and four 2 ½” Fabric A square to make the block center.

6.     Follow Figure 7 to sew together the block center, eight outer star points and four 2 ½” Fabric A squares to complete the 12 ½” block.

6.     And you're done!

Thanks Heidi!

      For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us--do you typically make quilts using fabric only from one collection, or more scrappy? You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

     Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis
     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Star Sampler Block #4

Welcome! Today we're sharing star block #4, made by Dawn Stewart of Spring Water Designs. We love her block and think you will too! This sampler series of nine star blocks will run all next week as well and features Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics. If you missed blocks #1-3, you'll find links for them at the bottom of this post. Plus, don't miss the chance to enter a giveaway for a bundle of these gorgeous prints!

Dawn: I was asked by Fabri-Quilt fabrics to make a Star Block for their Star Sampler Blog Hop using their Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics designed by Ro Gregg.  This is my little offering...

 

I've been loving the combinations of blue & green together lately, so I chose to work with these four fabrics from the line.  

Here is what I cut from them:

     From the Cream cut:   (2) 1-7/8" squares to make four patch
                                         (4) 3" squares to make half square triangles
                                         (12) 2-1/2" squares

     From the Green cut:    (2) 3" squares cut once diagonally to yield four triangles

     From Light Blue cut:  (8) 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangles

     From Blue/Green cut: (2) 1-7/8" squares to make four patch
                                         (4) 3" squares to make half square triangles
                                         (4) 2-1/2" squares

 First make the center Four Patch unit using the four 1-7/8" squares. 

 Then, center and add a green triangle to two opposite sides of the Four Patch.

 Press both triangles out, and press the seam allowances toward the triangles. 

Then repeat the same process to add the last two triangles to the remaining sides of the Four Patch.  This center unit will measure 4-1/2" at this point.

Next using the four 3" squares of Cream & Blue/Green, make Half Square Triangle (I like to start with slightly larger squares, and when finished I square up my half square triangles to the proper size for the best accuracy).  Start by drawing a line diagonally across the wrong side of the Cream squares.

 Then sew a quarter inch away on both sides of the drawn line... 

 ...then cut them apart on the drawn line. 

 Press the seam allowances of the half square triangles toward the darker fabric...

 ...Then trim and square up your half square triangles to measure 2-1/2". 

Next using the Half Square Triangles and the Cream & Blue/Green 2-1/2" squares, make four of these four patch units for the corners of the block. 

The final unit to make for this block starts with a Flying Geese unit.  Lay a cream 2-1/2" square right sides together on one side of the Light Blue rectangles.  Sew a diagonal line as shown from one corner to the other.
 

 Cut off the extra fabric leaving approximately a quarter inch seam allowance.

 Then press the cream corner out...

 Repeat on the other side of the rectangle...

 Make four Flying Geese units that measure 2-1/2" x 4-1/2"...

...then sew each of the four Flying Geese units to the top of the four remaining Light Blue rectangles.  This unit will measure 4-1/2".

Now take all the units that you've assembled, and arrange them in three rows of three as shown above.

Sew the units together in rows and sew the rows together...and a star is born!

Enjoy all of the star blocks.  I can't wait to see them all together in a quilt project :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Thanks Dawn!

For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us if you've ever made a sampler quilt before. You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis
     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Star Sampler Block #3

Welcome back for star #3 in our sampler series featuring Ro Gregg's Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics! This block comes from the Fabri-Quilt blog team, based on a block in Maggie Malone's 5500 Quilt Block Designs book. (Great block reference book if you don't have it!) 

Here's the block:

 Using quick corners and half-square triangles, this block sews up easily; just make sure you pay attention to placement of the points of you'll accidentally have another wonky star! :) This block can easily be made from fat quarters. 

You'll need:

Two 4" green print squares

Two 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" red print pieces

Two 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" marble print pieces

Two 4" white squares

Six 3-1/2" white squares

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all the white squares.

Lay a 4" marked white square on a 4" green square, right sides facing. Stitch 1/4" on either side of the drawn line and cut apart on the line. 

Press open to make a half-square triangle. Trim to measure 3-1/2" square. Make 4.

Lay a 3-1/2" marked white square on a 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" marble piece. Pay attention to which way the marked line is going; make sure it's oriented the same way on each piece as in the photo below. Stitch ON the line (different from making the half-square triangles). Stitch white squares to 2 marble pieces and 2 red print pieces.

Trim 1/4" past the seam and press open. Make 2 marbled and 2 red.

Lay out the half-square triangle units, the red and marbled units, and the 3-1/2" white squares to make a block as shown in the photo. Make sure all pieces are oriented correctly.

Following the picture below, sew a half-square triangle unit to a 3-1/2" white square. Sew to the edge of a marbled or red unit. Make 2 with the marbled units and 2 with the red units. These are your quarter blocks.

Sew the quarter blocks together to make halves, and join the two halves to complete your block. 

For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us if you've ever made a sampler quilt before. You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis
     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Star Sampler Block #2

Joanne is here with star #2 in our sampler using Marblehead Venetian Glass by Ro Gregg, a variation of a wonky star block her modern quilt guild made for an exchange using this tutorial from Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts (Shanna will be sharing a different star block later in the hop!) If the idea of wonky piecing is new to you, this is a great way to dip your toes in. If you're already a pro, then you're ready to go!

Joanne says: After making 18 wonky star blocks in two sizes for another project and the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild's online challenge, I decided to  try splitting the star into two colors. I like the results because I think it adds a little unexpected interest. I'm sharing my step by step photos below, but be sure to go to Shanna's blog for the full tutorial that our guild used. 

 

My cut pieces: eight 4-1/2" white squares; three 5" lavender squares; three 5" red squares

To make the center half-square triangle, draw a diagonal line on the back side of a 5" lavender square. Match it with a 5" red square and stitch a scant 1/4" on each side of the line. Cut on the line and press both HSTs open. You'll only use one for this block, but you can always make a second block to use up the remaining HST!

Trim to measure 4-1/2" square.

Cut the remaining 5" red and lavender squares diagonally in half. (Shanna recommended making these star point squares slightly larger to allow for leeway; I recommend that as well. You could use 4-1/2" squares instead of 5", but give yourself a little wiggle room!) These will become your wonky star points.

Here's one set of my wonky star points. Follow the details in Shanna's tutorial for making the points. You'll need to make two units with lavender points and two with red points. 

Lay out the four star point units, four 4-1/2" white squares and the red/lavender HST into rows. Make sure you line up the star points with the matching half of the center HST! Sew the units into rows and complete the block. 

Thanks Joanne!

For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us which Venetian Glass print is your favorite (see them all here). You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs     

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis
     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven