Irish Star Quilt Along Part 4: Irish Star STAR Block TUTORIAL

Welcome back to the Irish Star quiltalong.  If this is your first visit, or as a refresher, refer to the IRISH STAR QUILTALONG tab above for previous posts and general information.

Today I am sharing the STAR block for our Irish Star quilt.  The construction is a little different and took me a few tries to get it right.  Please feel free to ask for clarification at any step of the way.  Some readers have decided that they are going to make the STAR blocks their main project and let the Chain blocks be their leader ender–works for me!

I look forward to seeing all your quilts grow!

NOTE:  below the first measurement given is for a 1-1/2″ base square quilt.  In parentheses are the sizes for the 2″ and 2-1/2″, in that order.

MATERIALS–FOR ONE BLOCK (29 pieces in all):

*4 base size squares 1-1/2″, 2″ or 2-1/2″–from your scrappy squares

*For star center and points- 8 base size squares 1-1/2″ (2″, 2-1/2″) and 1 center square 2-1/2″ (3-1/2″, 4-1/2″)

*From background– A) 4 1″x1-1/2″ (4 1-1/4″x2″, 4 1-1/2″x2-1/2″); B) 4 1″x2″ (4 1-1/4″x2-3/4″, 4 1-1/2″x3-1/2″); C) 4 1-1/2″x2-1/2″ (4 2″x3-1/2″, 4 2-1/2″x4-1/2″); D) 4 1″x2-1/2″ (4 1-1/4″x3-1/2″, 4 1-1/2″x4-1/2″);

CONSTRUCTION

1. Attach one base square to one A background piece.  Repeat a total of 4 times.
2. Normally I am not obsessive about pressing direction and just let things go as they will, but this time, PRESS OPEN.  You will thank me later.  Particularly if you are using 1-1/2″ base squares.
3. Arrange your base square-A units around your star center.  NOTE:  The colored square will be UP and OUT from the center.  The background pieces are IN and DOWN/TOWARDS the star center.  Place your background B piece next to them. Keep this reference point in mind.
4. Complete your corner sections by attaching the B background piece to the base-A units. Repeat a total of four times.
   

   

   
5. Now you are going to build the points of the stars using your background C pieces and the Star Point base square pieces. You will use the stitch-trim-flip method.  I recommend you add the star points by stitching from the middle diagonally towards the point.  This reduces the likelihood of the fabric being “eaten” by the machine.
   

   

   
6. Attach one to each background piece.  Stitch-trim-flip and iron open.  Then add the second point piece to each background C.  Stitch-trim-flip and IRON open.
   

   

   
7. Time to complete the star units by adding background D to the TOP (pointy part) of the unit you just created.
   

   
8. Lay out your star parts–you should have 9 small units to assemble.  Double check that the corners are correctly aligned with the colored base squares UP and OUT compared to the star center.  Check again. Avoid your seam ripper. 🙂
9. Finally, assemble the block 9-patch style, one row at a time.
   

   
10. Ta-Dah!  You have created an Irish Star block.  YAY!  Now, how many more do you have to go?  Only 180 for me!!!

Let me know how it is going and if you see any errors (especially that) or if you have any questions.  I am so happy with my growing collection of blocks.  It is going to be a beautiful quilt.

You can start to see the chain effect, though it becomes much more noticeable when the blocks are assembled.

Four For Four

The last of the four denim quilt tops for my brother’s four children is complete.

It is hard to photograph four largish quilts alone.  The pictures are not a great success, but the quilts are…I hope.

Off to the quilters soon.  I will not try to home quilt, hand quilt or even tie heavy denim.  See what a wimp I am?!

Two more quilts are in the works for Young Son and Daughter.  They will be a while coming as I need to get more jeans cut into denim first.  Plus, I think I need a break from denim for a while.  Plenty of other projects to work on.

Another Baby. Another Quilt.

Yes, there are a lot of new babies around here.  This is just a quick little thing I threw together…

Now that I am looking, it is similar to this Moda Bake Shop tutorial: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2015/06/sunset-ridge-quilt.html#more-30708  It is smaller and fitted to my taste (more color and less white, and the frame around the color) and my fabric–in this case, the orange and blue fabrics that came to me as irregularly cut “brick” scraps.

After trimming down to a standard size and finding some additional friends, it seemed to be a quilt.  Ta-dah!  It is a quilt top.

Now I want to make another one.  Heaven knows I’ve got the scraps and someone somewhere is bound to have a baby.

Another Baby

Another teacher at my school (actually, there are two of them right now) is having a baby.  Here is the quilt top.

The pattern is Hundred Hugs in the tutorial section above. Just a lot of 2-1/2″ squares.  Most were already cut scrap in my squares bin.

Baby quilts are so satisfying–fun colors, quick to make, scrappy.  It doesn’t get any better!

Do Two Pints Make A Quart?

In crazy American units of measure two cups make a pint, and two pints make a quart…and four quarts make a gallon.  It makes sense to us, but to persons accustomed to metric measurements it can be quite a mystery.  At any rate, and by any measure, I am pleased with these twin Pint Size tops.  Whether they add up to a quart or not, I do hope they add up to pleased parents who have quilts to match those two cute babies.

The tops have two shared colors–yellow and green–and two different colors–one with red and brown and the other with pink and purple.

It always surprises me how different colors work together.  All the colors, though, coordinate to the backing fabric.

My goal is to get the tops basted and quilted this week. One step closer to a finish and delivery.

Once You Have A Good Idea…

Sometimes projects stall because you need one good idea that you don’t have.  That was the case with Tile Works.  I didn’t know how I was going to finish the top, taking the scrappy blocks and making something that would work. (Excuse, please, difficult indoor photography of a large quilt–76″ x 90″.  There is over 2-feet of snow on the ground here and more falling right now.  Outside is not an option.)

Then, YAY, the good idea came.  Barbara F. said, “How about a dark brown sashing.”  Why didn’t I think of that?

So, with brown sashing, dark red corner stones and a detail in the outer border that reflects the block design, we have a finished top.

Thank you so much, particularly to Barbara F., but to all of my wonderful readers-become-friends-I’ve-never-met.  You encourage, cheer, support and help generally.  I am so glad to see this long term project move towards a finished quilt that will bring warmth and color into someone’s life.

ps–People have asked for the pattern, but I can’t give it to you.  It is a 12″ block pattern known as Tile Works #162 from the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks publications.

It was designed by Monique Dillard of opengatequilts.  Hopefully you will be able to find it and enjoy making something beautiful yourself.

Two New

As a teacher, it is hard to get in substantial sewing time during the school year, but now I am out on break and enjoying longer stretches with an assortment of projects.

There are two new baby quilts coming soon.

Times Two

and…

Pint Size.

Both quilts just need binding, which I hope to finish today.

Also, tutorials are being written for both, if you are interested.