Week 2: “Easy As Pie” Quilt Along

This week I am going to show you how to put together the wonky star blocks and center row. 

The first step is to locate the ten pieces of layer cake with the larger prints that you put aside.  This fabric will become the centers of the stars and the leftover parts will become bricks in the center row.

I starched and pressed these ten squares before cutting them.  Then, pick ten “motifs” from these squares and fussy cut them out in 4.5” squares.  Try to keep as much of these squares intact except for cutting the 4.5” squares out of them.  You will need the leftover fabric for your center row bricks.

Fussy cutting means you pick a specific motif (or scene) and cut it out of the fabric so it’s centered in the cut.  This is a fussy cut of a tree.

 

This is a fussy cut of ring-around-the-rosy.  Only cut around the motif and leave the rest of the fabric uncut.

You need ten total 4.5” squares.  Save all the remaining fabric.

Next cut your solid fabric.  The solid fabric is Moda Bella Solid in Saffron if you purchased the quilt kit.  Cut eight 4.5” strips.  Subcut these strips into 4.5” squares to make a total of 64 4.5” squares.

Gather all your leftover layer cake squares.  You will need eight 10” squares.  You are going to cut each square into eight triangles.  Simply cut in the middle across and down the center (making four 5” x 5” squares).  Don’t move the fabric.  Then cut across the two diagonals.  Now you have eight triangles. 

You need a total of 64 triangles.

Each wonky star requires four star point blocks.  To construct a star point block, start with one solid 4.5” square and one print triangle.

Place the triangle right side down so that the long side of the triangle goes past two sides of the square.

Sew down the long side of the triangle using a 1/4” seam allowance.

Line your ruler up so the 1/4” line is on the seam line.  Trim off the seam allowance.  (You should just be trimming off that solid fabric triangle.)

Fingerpress the seam open.  Then press, flip the block, and press on the right side.

Now square up your block to 4.5”.  You will have one star point.

Take the other triangle and repeat on the other side, making sure the long side of the triangle goes past the two sides of the square.

Sew down the long side of the triangle with a 1/4” seam allowance.

Trim at the 1/4” seam allowance again.  Fingerpress, press the seam open, and flip and press the block on the right side so your seams lay flat.

Square up your block to 4.5” square.  When you have made four star point blocks, you can lay out your wonky star block.  Working across, sew the three blocks together to make a row, pressing seams open.  Then sew your three rows together, pressing seams open.  Square up your block to 12.5” square.  Make eight wonky star blocks.

To make your center row, gather all your leftover print fabric and cut twenty four 2.5” x 5” rectangles.   I tried to fussy motifs from the larger print fabric left over from making the center of the wonky stars.

Sew these together, pressing seams open, to form a row that measures 48.5” long. 

Link up your photos to the 1 Choice 4 Quilting Flickr page and get your quilt top finished by February 25th to be in the running for a fantastic prize—a quilt kit for their next quilt along!