IAQ Moroccan Star Block

I'm so happy to let you know that I'm a guest designer for the International Association of Quilters this year. I am the featured designer for the month of April, and on their site, I'm sharing a brand new pattern.  I'll be showing photos of the quilt here within the next few days, but the pattern is only available to IAQ members right now.  I've also created a separate block for the Night Sky BOM Mystery Quilt, which is ongoing throughout 2019.  My block is called Moroccan Star, and I've put together a little tutorial for you!

For one 12.5" block, you'll need-

4 rectangles, 3.5" x 5"- print A (shown in navy)

4 squares, 3.5"- print B (shown in berry)
4 squares, 2"- print B (shown in berry)

1 square, 3.5"- print C (shown in teal)
8 squares, 2"- print C (shown in teal)

4 squares, 5"- solid white
8 squares, 2" solid white



Before we get started, it's important to note that this block requires corner-to-corner sewing, also known as stitch and flip corners or snowball corners. There are a few different ways to do these, and you can choose whichever method you like best.  Some people draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the corner square and use this line as a sewing guide.  Another way is to press the corner squares in half diagonally and use the fold as a sewing guide.  Both of those are definitely the more traditional ways to do this, but I have another method that is just as accurate without the tedious task of drawing all those lines, or pressing.  Check it out-

Sewing Corners With the Tape Method-

I've written out the steps for you, but I also have a photo below for more visual learners.

1.  First, take a piece of painter's tape and put it on your machine and table, extending the right edge of the tape straight out from your needle.  Your needle and the tape should be in one continuous, straight line.  See, we're still using a line, but it just isn't drawn on our fabric!  Be sure you don't cover the feed dogs on your machine with the tape!

2.  Lay your corner square on top of the background square.  Align both top and bottom corners with the edge of the tape.

3.  Put the top corner under your needle and start sewing corner to corner, keeping the bottom corner aligned with the edge of the tape as you sew.

4.  Admire your straight seam!  It may take a couple of these for you to feel comfortable sewing without the drawn line, but I promise that after a few, you'll never go back to line drawing again!

Okay, now that we have the piecing basics down, let's get to the block units!  We'll start with the corner units.



Sew one 3.5" square and one 2" square of print B to opposite corners of one white square as shown.

Trim each corner to 1/4" seam allowance.


*Bonus!  If you like, you can sew the cut off triangles for an extra half-square triangle unit.

Press both corners open.  Repeat, using the remaining three white 5" squares and print B squares to create four total corner units.

Now for the side units, which create the points of the star.  Sew a white 2" square to the corner of one rectangle of print A.



Then sew one 2" square of print C to the opposite corner.

Trim the corners to 1/4" seam allowance just as before, and press open.

Once you've pressed the corners open, sew another white square and print C square to the remaining corners to finish the points.


*Time saving tip- use chain piecing for the corner squares for all corner units, plus the first two corner squares for all side units first.  Then trim the corners and take all of them to the ironing board in one trip.  Once those are done, just sew the final two corners of the side units!  This minimizes trips to the ironing board and makes this block go together pretty quickly!

You guessed it!  Trim and press open again to finish your side unit.  Make four of these as well.

Time to lay out the block pieces!  Arrange the pieces as shown, using the 3.5" square of print C as the center square.

Sew the block together in rows, just as you would sew a nine patch block.

Your finished block should measure 12.5".  *the angle of the photo is making the block look wonky, but I promise, it's not!  :)















Star blocks really are versatile, aren't they?  There are so many different variations, and lots of ways to make them stand out.  When I designed this block, I wanted to make sure that the block was pretty on its own, but it was also important to me to create a block that would also be beautiful when laid out as a full quilt.

When several of these blocks are put together, a wonderful secondary pattern emerges.  I love the medallion shape created in the negative space, as well as the squares on point where the corners converge.  I had so much fun creating this block, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

For those of you popping over from IAQ, welcome!  I hope you'll take a few minutes to browse all of the fun stuff happening here, including a weekly link party, monthly giveaways, tutorials, and plenty of quilty inspiration.  I would love for you to use one of the buttons on my right sidebar to follow along with me!

And if you're a regular reader and haven't yet, you should definitely check out the International Association of Quilters site HERE (this is an affiliate link).  It was started by Becky Jorgensen of Patchwork Posse, and each month, Becky is joined by a different guest designer with an exclusive pattern.  When you join, you'll have access to my quilt pattern (I'll show it at this week's Needle and Thread Thursday).  Plus, you'll get all of the exclusive designer patterns for the rest of this year, as well as ALL of the featured designer monthly patterns- all the way back to 2014!  There are also designer interviews, a group for connecting and swapping, printable PDF resources, and even exclusive discounts to online fabric shops.  Check it out!

Herringbone in Blues

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  For the past few days, I've been working like crazy to finish up a new quilt top from the blue and aqua scrap panels I showed last week.

Now that it's finished, I have a little confession to make.  I really do despise making tons of half square triangles.  They always take longer than I think they should, and all of that trimming is absolutely not my idea of fun.  I know, I know.  Half square triangles are the building blocks of SO many great quilts, and I just need to suck it up, right?  Yeah, I guess.  Sigh.  It's a good thing they're worth it.

I'm flying to Michigan on Saturday to teach a quilt guild there (yay!), and I'm going to see if I can get this one finished up before I leave, or at least quilted.  Cross your fingers!

Before we party this week, take a look at some of my favorites from last week's link up.  This cute baby quilt was shared by Quilting in the Heartland-

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared her finished Gypsy Wife quilt, and it looks so neat with the low volume background strips!

This pretty green quilt is by Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic-

Johnna at Yellow Bird Stitches linked up this fun and scrappy quilt.

And this clamshell quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine is just gorgeous!

Okay, y'all, let's party!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Back to the Mission

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Now that I'm all finished with my giant color wheel wall, I'm back to the mission I started in January, which is to completely empty my scrap jars.  Of course the color wheel used up some scraps, but a 24" mini quilt from each jar really isn't going to get the job done.

One helpful part about working with each of my color jars recently is that I have literally put my hands onto every bit of scrap fabric I have, so I know exactly what's in there.  It came as no surprise to me that my blue and aqua/teal jars were the fullest, and my newest project is going to make great use of these cool, soothing colors.

I sewed the scraps using the methods from my book, Stash Statement.  It is such a fun and relaxing technique, and it's so easy to just pull scraps of two complimentary colors (or just one!) and start sewing.  You might notice that I haven't even pressed these panels yet.  I did this with my Woodwork quilt as well, though I have a different plan in mind for these panels.  Now that the improv panels are done, this will be a quilt top in no time!

Before we get to the highlights from last week's party, I owe you some winners from last week's March sponsor post.


First, the winner of the $25 gift certificate to LouLou's Fabric Shop is comment number 37, Beth!




And, the two winners of the Love American Style charm packs from Fort Worth Fabric Studio are comments 75 (Heather) and 53 (Rosemary).

                                 

 

Congrats to all of you!  I will be contacting you via email, so be on the lookout so you can get your prizes!

Okay friends!  let's take a look at some of last week's awesomeness.  This quilt by Katie Mae Quilts just pops!

This lovely quilt is by Becca at Pretty Piney Quilts-

Liz at Savor Every Stitch shared this pretty quilt, called Unchained-

This sweet butterfly quilt is by JanineMarie at Quilts from the Little House-

And I'm loving this purple abacus quilt by Jen at deJong Dream House-

Okay, y'all!  Let's get our party on!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Oh Happy Day!

Today is the day!  I worked hard yesterday to finish up the center piece for my color wheel wall just so that I could share the finish with you at today's party.  I love it SO much.

I know it's hard to tell in the photo, but these minis take up the entire wall (each one measures 24 inches square).  If you look back at the photo of the original wall, you will see that the thermostat is not centered.  It was only about five inches to the left of center, but that was enough to throw a wrench in this design.  I just didn't have enough wiggle room on the wall, and they wouldn't have fit unless I had an electrician center the thermostat on the wall (which of course, I did- totally worth it).

At first, I was a little stumped about how to finish the center of the wall.  I originally thought that I wanted to create a black/gray/white color gradient piece, but when I realized that it would have to be so long and skinny, I decided against it.  A long and skinny shape is perfect for text though!  Ultimately, I decided that a little uplifting message on crisp white would be perfect.  The space above the chair rail is only a couple inches shy of six feet, so this is a LOT of color in one place.  The text actually gives the eye a place to rest, and I think it ties the whole thing together without being overwhelming.

The center mini is created with solids and raw edge appliqué using Heat n Bond Lite.  It was lots of fun to use a rainbow of Aurifil 50 wt. thread to stitch down each letter.

I went back and forth with myself on how to quilt it.   I really wanted a filler that would allow the white background to recede with the solid letters popping out.  So, I quilted with a very dense stipple around the letters, and then finished it off with a solid black binding.  The center mini measures 9.5" x 40", and I promise it's straight and square (as are all of the minis).  Since I've only pinned the top of each quilt to the wall, you can see that there are places where the bottom of the quilts aren't completely flush against the wall.  That's all good in person, but gives the impression that they aren't straight and square in the pic.

Remember my happy accident with the quilting?  Well, I was able to work it into my design very easily.  Once I realized my mistake, it just took a little planning.  The quilts with only two swoops in the quilting design are on top and bottom, and the ones with four swoops in the design are on the sides.

Since these are up on a wall, it's not easy to get close-up views, and of course these are indoor photos. So, if you missed a color or two and want to take a look at outdoor detail shots of each mini, here are the links to the original posts-  blue, red, orange and pink, teal and yellow, purple and green.

This wall has been lacking inspiration for a long time, but not anymore.  Just walking into my studio brightens my mood and puts a huge smile on my face.  With all of that color, how could a day in my studio be anything but a happy day?

I actually had a friend ask me for photos of the steps in my process for putting these together in order to get the color gradient effect just right.  Since I already have the step photos, if there is enough interest, I would be happy to write up a tutorial for it.  Just let me know in the comments.

Last week's party was amazing, as usual!  Paula at The Sassy Quilter is ready for the 2019 holiday season with this awesome Modern Christmas Trees quilt  (you're not behind, Paula, you're just WAY ahead).

Kris at Sew Sunshine shared this gorgeous Sunset Strip quilt.

Nicole at Handwrought Quilts linked up this beautiful rainbow quilt.  This is the back, and you definitely don't want to miss the front of this beauty.

And finally, Pi Day is upon us, and this Pi to Infinity mini by Slice of Pi Quilts is the perfect way to mark the occasion.

Okay y'all!  It's time to show me the latest projects from your sewing space.  Let's party!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

The Last Two

Quilty friends are the best, aren't they?  They give inspiration when your sewjo is in a slump.  They are perfectly happy to talk about quilty things all the time (much more so than husbands, in my experience), and when you're working on a scrappy project and lack certain colors, they come through in a big way.

I have worked my behind off these past several days and finished my final two color wheel minis, and I couldn't have done either of them without the help of a good quilty friend.

This green mini is named Topiary, and though I couldn't help but cut some pieces from my favorite greens in my cabinet, the bulk of the green scraps were actually from an obliging friend.  If you recall, when I made my Woodwork quilt, I was super proud of the fact that I completely cleaned out my green and gray scrap jars.  Unfortunately, it wasn't until afterward that I had the color wheel idea and realized that I literally had zero greens to pull it off.  My friend assured me that she had plenty that I could have, and I spent a couple of hours visiting with her and shopping through her three tubs(!) of greens.  To say she has plenty green scraps is quite an understatement.

My purple mini is named Amethyst, and though I had plenty of dark and medium purples, shades of lavender and lilac were practically nonexistent.  Once again, my friend had exactly what I needed.  She had made a quilt with hydrangea flowers, so her purple stash was overflowing with the lighter shades I required.  Quilty friends to the rescue!

You might notice that these two minis are being showcased on my green studio wall.  It's been raining here for the past few days, and since they were finished, my hubs and I spent part of our rainy day yesterday hanging them before I was able to get any sunshiny outdoor photos.  Since these are each 24 inches square and take up the entire wall, it was definitely a two person job.  A ladder and laser level were involved.  I'll be revealing the full color wheel wall at this week's NTT, and I can't wait!

Back At It and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  My beloved Regina Bernina is back where she belongs, and since picking her up I've made two more color wheel minis.  This one is called Seaglass, and hands down, it's my new favorite.

Make no mistake, I have had so much fun making each one of these, but this one was especially enjoyable because I had a very wide variety of teal and aqua scraps from darkest to lightest in my jars.  Because I regularly use all of these values in my quilts, the color gradient was easy to create.

With a couple of the other colors (like orange and red), the darkest values were tough, because I don't use colors like rust or maroon very often.  Not this one though.  It's easy to see where your heart truly lies when you pull out your scraps, and it's clear that teal/aqua have my heart.

The other mini for this week is called Honeycomb, and unlike the Seaglass mini, I did have a tougher time with the darker values on this one.

I wanted to make sure that dark amber yellow was represented, but that it didn't look too brown.  A few pieces sprinkled throughout the center give just enough depth, but it definitely still reads as yellow.

Since my happy accident with my Peony pink mini (quilting four swoops instead of two), I've come up with a plan for the rest.  It will make more sense when I show all of them up on my wall, but I'm working the mishap into my design.  So, the yellow is also quilted with four swoops, but completely on purpose this time.

I'm making great progress on these.  Purple is up on my wall to finish this evening, and then I just have green left!

Before we get to the highlights from last week, I owe you a winner for the Home Grown blog hop giveaway.  Comment number 96, Pat at scrappatches is the winner!  Thanks so much to all who entered!






Oh my goodness!  Last week's party was fantastic.  I had such a hard time deciding which projects to highlight.  Check out this beauty by Diana at Red Delicious Life, made with Bonnie and Camille's April Showers line-

Better'n Dog Biscuits shared this sweet quilt, aptly named Goose.

And finally, Liz at Savor Every Stitch shared this quilt, and although the pattern is pretty simple, her mad free motion skills give it major wow factor!

Okay friends, it's time to get our party going!

1. You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)