LONE STAR BLOCKS WITH NO Y SEAMS

I like Star blocks like Lone Star and Lemoyne Star. Traditionally they are made with Y-Seams. While that is not particularly difficult, it is not fast, it takes time to stop at the right place, backstitch, double check it's all right, etc.

Here is a way to make the Lone Star block without Y-seams. It does require an extra seam in each of the background pieces. Essentially, it is made as a Four Patch:

I found a great video you will find helpful for this process. It is for a much larger star made from 2.5" strips but the process is pretty interesting. It does waste a bit of background fabric but it only requires one size of background squares. I used two different sizes to minimize waste. I just needed to keep the two sizes organized where they needed to go.  

LONE STAR QUILT BLOCK WITH AMANDA CASTOR

 I was very glad I found this great video--I am planning to make a Quilt of Valor from these blocks with the instructions in this video.

Back to our 10" LONE STAR BLOCK. I only used 3 fabrics for the star, the green outer tip, the yellow inside tip (center) and the blue middle round. 

The star fabrics are cut 1.5" wide. Green and yellow each require one half a full strip, about 21". Blue requires a full strip since it is used twice.

The background squares I cut 4.5". There are 8 of those needed.

Be sure to watch the video above. Here are photos of my process:

Press toward the green, and toward the yellow

Be sure to cut at a 45 degree angle, 1.5" segments

Pin and Peek--be sure the center is as good as you want it to be. It is helpful to machine baste the intersection if you have trouble getting it to align with just a pin, an inch of basting stitches is easy to remove and retry if necessary

Maintain the 45 degree angle and trim off the tails

I decided to sew the background triangles on two different ways--the way shown in the video, and the way I did it on my previous 4 blocks. 

The Video method

One half sewn together with the Video triangle method

My original method--I just changed it to use one size triangle

One half sewn together with my method

Two halves

Sewn together

Very carefully trim the complete block to 10.5". Using a large square ruler really helps. 

Let me know what you think of this block. It is the way I made the one star block for my small sample of Oh My Stars!:

All of the stars in this large quilt were made the traditional way, with Y-seams:

The "No Y-seams method" is so much easier to me. It's your quilt, you get to decide.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

ALTERNATIVE BLOCKS FOR LAUREL RIDGE

 I was asked about the two alternative blocks I made for my Laurel Ridge quilt, the 2025 BOM quilt designed by Lynn Wilder exclusively for The Quilt Show

Any 5" blocks can be substituted for any 5" blocks in the quilt. I wanted a simple block to help me finish this project. And I wanted a more complex block to add interest.

The EASY BLOCK -- Five Patch Shoo Fly:  Brackman #1847

For a 5" finished block, there are 4 Half Square Triangles (HST) 2" finished, and 4 Rectangles 1" x 2" finished. And a center square 1" finished.  

Make HST as you like. I made two blocks at once by cutting a 6" square of background and the green fabric. Draw a diagonal line in both directions, then sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn lines. Cut apart into 8 sewn triangle pairs. Trim HST to 2.5" and you have 8 HST, 2.5" with seam allowance.

This is the same way we made HST for the Basket Blocks in Month 5: Month 5  These are two different sizes but the process is the same:

Cut 4 rectangles 1.5" x 2.5", and 1 center square 1.5". Sew the block together, in 3 rows, very easy. The block is 5.5" with seam allowances.

There are other ways to make HST. See my TUTORIAL here: Half Square Triangles

The MORE COMPLEX BLOCK -- Mosaic, Brackman #2123:

What I liked about this is the Flying Geese are the same size as those made in Month 1: 1.25" x 2.5" finished. See my blog about that here: Month 1

The HST corners are 1.25" finished. I made 8 of them at once from two 4.5" squares, one background, one dark pink. The process is the same as described above. 

The center square can be made a couple ways. I pieced it. The plaid square is cut 2.25". The background triangles that surround the plaid center are cut from 2 squares cut 2.25":

Sew two opposite triangles to the square, press toward the triangles. Add the remaining two opposite triangles, trim center block to 3" square. 

Now assemble the block in three rows. There are a lot of seam allowances on the back. Here is how I pressed mine. You might prefer to press seams open. I starched it and set two heavy clappers on the block to dry flat:

So there you have the two alternative 5" blocks I made. 

Next week I will show how I made four 10" Lone Star blocks, that take the place of sixteen 5" blocks:

Let's quilt.

Barbara

I MADE IT!

 An extra, non-quilty post today to celebrate a date I've been looking forward to:

Today I turn 71!

Last year I wrote about the significance of turning 70, read that here: BIRTHDAYS 

Both my parents died, years ago, at age 70. I wanted to see 71 and today I can say I made it.

Ready for a birthday dinner with friends:

My mom and dad have been gone a long time, 30 years for my mom, 28 for dad:

Their wedding day, 1950, Mom's high school photo, late 1930's, Dad in the Navy, mid-1940's 

1994, last photo of them taken on a cruise vacation

Mom and Dad were married almost 45 years. Will and I are headed to 50 years on our next anniversary. They lived long enough to see their grandchildren born, and so have we. 

When I reflect on the major changes I have made for my health in the last few years I am grateful and happy. This photo was taken 13 years ago, at about my worst. I won't delete this photo as it tells part of  my story and shows how far I have come:

Lauren and Andy Wilkins wedding day, 2012

To read more about this journey, see the tab above: HEALTH JOURNEY

As I look forward to a long, happy future, I leap out of bed each morning, determined to exercise hard, each day. And to eat smart, most days. My plan is to BE STRONG, BE PATIENT, and BE HAPPY. 

As I told my family last year, once I make it to 71, each additional day is a gift. That's why they call it the "present". 

I am hopeful the BEST IS YET TO COME for me. That is what motivates me to keep my spirit, mind,  and body as fit as I can. The future awaits and I plan to be ready.

And, now, let's quilt.

Barbara

LAUREL RIDGE -- MONTH 6

Laurel Ridge is the 2025 Block of the Month quilt designed by Lynn Wilder exclusively for The Quilt Show.  Star Members have FREE access to the patterns starting January 1, 2025. Made in two colorways, the complete patterns are excellent. You will love making this quilt. Lynn supports the pattern instructions with Videos too. 

This month Applique returns--with the large spray of flowers and leaves. There are 8 of these blocks, and each is 5" x 7.5" FINISHED. 

NOTE: Half these blocks tilt LEFT and half tilt RIGHT--they are reverse mirror images of each other. Make 4 LEFTs and 4 RIGHTs. 

Watch Lynn's Video for all her great tips. She strongly recommends using starch/Best Press/Terial Magic, for the background piece. It stabilizes the block so it doesn't "shrink" as the applique is done.

I have chosen not to include any applique in my quilt. But I have written about Applique many times here on my blog. Needle Turn Hand Applique was my favorite method for years. Now I often do Turned Edge Machine Applique. Find my Tutorials here:

NEEDLE TURN HAND APPLIQUE:  Afternoon Delight

TURNED EDGE MACHINE APPLIQUE: Ruffled Roses,   WashAway Paper for Applique Motifs

Turned Edge vs. Raw Edge Machine Applique--and how to Stitch Them.

When working with patterns like these for applique, I like to print them on either wash-away paper or freezer paper. This avoids having to trace all those shapes by hand, just cut them out and you have templates for all the shapes. Quilters Select Print n Piece Fuse Lite works well, C&T Washaway Applique Sheets are similar. The washaway papers are left in and will dissolve once the finished QUILT is washed. The freezer paper has to be removed when the BLOCK is finished:

The usual problem with printing patterns like this is the shapes will be REVERSED--that's not an issue with these blocks--remember, we have 4 LEFTs and 4 RIGHTs. 

The best way to have applique stitches that don't show, whether by hand or by machine, is to use fine thread in a color that closely matches the motif being appliqued. My favorite is Quilters Select Pre-Wound bobbins, size 80 wt polyester thread:

Silk thread is lovely too--100 wt, fine as baby hair, but more expensive to gather a large number of colors. 

For Machine Applique, there are several stitches often used. Blanket stitch, Blind hem stitch, Feather stitch, Sewn-Out Zig Zag stitch, etc.. Play with your machine to see which stitches you have that appeal. 

Here is a GREAT VIDEO from Alex Anderson giving a lot of information on how she does machine applique: Alex Anderson Machine Applique  See LESSON 5 at this link. Take a look if you haven't done much machine applique. 

So, what am I doing instead of the applique? One 5" block with 1.25" added to each end makes a 5" x 7.5" block--this is FINISHED SIZE, the block shown below is 5.5" x 8" with seam allowance at the moment. Right now I am playing with the 8 extra Four Patch in a Star blocks I made in Month 1, but I have another idea so this may change: 

As I often say, it's your quilt, you get to decide. Make yours exactly as the pattern instructs or make some modifications to suit yourself. Your quilt will still be "INSPIRED BY LAUREL RIDGE", designed by Lynn Wilder for TheQuiltShow.com

Next month it's back to those Four Patch in a Star blocks, from Month 1, with different fabric placement for those using the Kits.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

SUMMER SEW A LONG 2025

 Let's do a SEW A LONG! 

The Old Italian Block is one of my favorites, simple, easy, classic, the perfect block for a Scrappy Quilt.

 And it is the block in my antique top I am replicating:

Detail shots: 

When I first wrote about this project, My Next Lifetime Quilt, there was a lot of interest in doing this as a Sew A Long. So, here you go.

I am providing the cutting sizes for 3 different size blocks: 3", 5" and 6". You are free to make any other size you like. Either use design software like EQ8 or simply draw the block size you want on paper and figure out how to cut the pieces the correct size. My TUTORIAL SIMPLE MATH FOR QUILTERS makes that easy.

 

SHAPE	3” BLOCK	5” BLOCK	6” BLOCK
Triangles  4	3.25” square cut QST	5” square	5 7/8” square
Center Square  1	1.25”	1 3/8”	1.5”
Bkgnd Strips  4	1.25” X 3”	1 3/8” x 4”	1.5” x 4.5”

Originally, I planned to make 4 of each block, so I cut rectangles 6.5" x 8". That would provide 4 squares 3.25" each for the Quarter Square Triangles, and 4 Center Squares, 1.25" each. As I am making 289 of these that would use 73 fabrics. After cutting ALL OF THOSE, I changed my mind and decided each block would be a different fabric. 

To make ONE 3" block I cut a rectangle 3.5" x 5". This allowed me to carefully cut the square 3.25" for the QST and one center square 1.25". You could be more precise, cutting 3.25" x 4.5" but your cutting would have to be perfect. It was faster to cut a hunk 3.5" x 5" from 289 fabrics as preparation for the project.

I stacked up two fabrics for faster cutting. As I am using only one background fabric I cut strips of it 1.25" x WOF, cutting that into 3" lengths, 4 needed for each block. Here are TWO blocks cut and ready, the dark fabric is under the print:

Here is the way I sew these blocks, three rows on the diagonal. And my pressing plan. Since I know I am not sewing these block to block, I am pressing them all this way. If I were sewing block to block, I would press half like this and half the opposite way so the seams would nest:

There is SO MUCH MORE INFORMATION on my earlier post I hope you will go read it first:

BUCKET LIST #5: MY NEXT LIFETIME QUILT  

The ONLY SPECIAL TOOL I RECOMMEND for this project: a quality SQUARE RULER the size you will trim your blocks: 3.5", 5.5", or 6.5". The best brands are Quilters Select and Creative Grids.  I used a black Sharpie Fine Line marker to draw a diagonal line on the back from the upper left to lower right--that makes it easy to see the ruler is aligned properly:

I find these the perfect LEADER/ENDER blocks so I always have at least two of them cut and ready to sew while working on other projects. To understand that process, see my Tutorial about it: TIME MANAGEMENT FOR QUILTERS

To test the sizes for the larger blocks I made 5" and 6" blocks:

5" block

6" block

Here are 3" blocks in brighter colors than my 1800's reproduction fabrics, these would make a good baby quilt: :

There are many ways to set these blocks so I will offer those options next month. For now, choose your size and start making blocks. It's scrappy, you can't run out of fabric. 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Have fun using your favorite fabrics. AND if you want to post your progress on social media please use this hashtag:  #olditalianblocksewalong 

Please share this with all your quilty friends--the more, the merrier. It is easy to share this blog on your Feeds: Facebook, X, and Pinterest; or you can email it directly to anyone you like. Click on the icons at the bottom of the page to do this:

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 6

As I sort through all my fabric, I continue to pull fabrics for specific quilt projects I know I want to make.  Now I am up to BUCKET LIST QUILT # 6.

Last year I had a fabulous trip to Texas in April--Beaumont, Austin, and Victoria. Austin was "playtime" with 3 new-to-me friends and we had a great time. Read about that trip here; TEXAS 2024 

At a terrific quilt shop in Wimberly Texas I bought a yard and a half of a panel I loved, planning to make a special quilt for my granddaughter Stella. Click for a closeup to read the words of inspiration:

Now I've decided to make a quilt with this for ME--Stella will get whatever is left.

Once I decide on a BUCKET LIST QUILT, or any quilt project, really, I go to the closets and start pulling fabrics I think will work. Mostly I am concerned with COLOR, then TEXTURE--or the "feel" of the fabric designs. And I always want a variety of Lights, Mediums and Darks. At lease one DEEP DARK and one SPARKLER--like bright orange or lime green.

I LOVE "shopping in my closet", after all, I bought this stuff because I loved it or knew it would be right for a "someday" project. 

Here is the fabric pull for this quilt. It is surely more than I will need but it gives me lots of options for design as I have no idea at the moment what this quilt will look like: 

Safely stored in its' own tote bag, waiting for the day I say "it's your turn!" This ensures I won't use these specific fabrics for some other project and wish I hadn't when I get around to this one:

These BUCKET LIST QUILTS are in no particular order. I simply wrote about them as they made the list. At this point in my life, I am deciding what  quilts I REALLY WANT TO MAKE going forward. My plan is to have 10 quilts identified by the end of this year.

See the previous quilts:

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 1

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 2

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 3

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 4

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 5 My Next Lifetime Quilt  I am actively working on this one now

What is on YOUR Bucket List?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

SUNDAY STASH SALE # 1

Currently, I am de-stashing my enormous fabric "collection", thinning the shelves to have more room for storage. And having LESS makes it easier for me when pulling fabrics for upcoming projects.

After thinking about it for at least a year, I decided it was time to DO IT. How to start? First, I pulled all the fabrics in one color family from the closet. I started with BLUEs. Then I selected those I had to keep, and let the rest go. Next, I gathered fabrics into 5 yard BUNDLES and photographed them.

Wanting to see if there was any interest, I posted photos of those bundles on my local guild's private Facebook group. They got snapped up quickly so I knew it made sense to keep going.

Some is 25 years old, some less than 4 years old, all first-quality quilt shop fabrics. Some is even pre-washed, most is not. A wide variety of sizes, each bundle is at least 5 yards unless noted.

Here is my RED fabric straight out of the closet:

All the RED Yardage, before sorting what I needed to keep

RED yardage that was available for sale

A dear local friend asked to see my REDs before offering them publicly as she wants to increase her stash of RED. Instantly, she bought most of these fabrics. Easy, no bundling, no shipping necessary.

On to the NEUTRALS. I have many of these and need to keep enough for queen and king size backgrounds. But there is still plenty to share:

NEUTRALS before bundling

NEUTRALS FOR SALE--5 Yard bundles, $20/bundle unless otherwise noted. Plus shipping. If you see something you want, comment below. If Anonymous, please provide email so I can contact you.

NEUTRAL # 1:  SOLD

NEUTRAL # 2: 

NEUTRAL # 3: fabric in the center is Victorian Wheeling by Jennifer Sampou:  SOLD

NEUTRAL # 4: lower right fabric is Sky Garden by Jennifer Sampou:    SOLD

NEUTRAL # 5:  SOLD

NEUTRAL # 6:  SOLD

OTHER FABRICS AVAILABLE FOR SALE:

GREEN # 1:  SOLD

GREEN # 2: SOLD

GREEN # 4:  SOLD

GREEN # 5: SOLD

PURPLE # 5:  SOLD

PURPLE # 6:  SOLD

PURPLE # 8:  SOLD

BLACK # 1: SOLD

BLACK # 2:  SOLD

BLACK # 3:    5.25 yards, one continuous piece, new fabric, $30: SOLD

LEOPARDS anyone?  1 yard, $10, Dakturi Stripe by Alexander Henry:

BLACK, WHITE OR GRAY # 2:  SOLD

BLACK/WHITE # 4:  SOLD

BLACK/WHITE # 6: SOLD

RED # 1: SOLD

ORANGE # 1:  5.167 yards, green/orange stripe is BATIK,  $25:  SOLD

The hardest thing about this process is the sorting into approximately 5 yards bundles. And the SHIPPING. That is expensive, at least $10 for one bundle and up to $30 for at least 3 bundles. I will ship non-priority to save a little if you're not in a hurry.

Once each month going forward I will have more fabrics for sale. Still to come: BATIKS, ORIENTAL PRINTS, LARGE FLORALS and a LOT of 1800's REPRODUCTION fabrics--those will be the most difficult to part with. And this is just the YARDAGE--fat quarters and such will come later.

Help me, help you! I need breathing room, you get great fabrics at rock bottom prices. If you work with groups making donation quilts or Girl Scouts or church organizations, let them know about this opportunity.

Let's quilt!

Barbara