Continuing my journey to create interesting embellishments for my hexagon and octagon One Block Wonders (OBW’s). I created fabulous stars using Studio 180 Design’s Diamond Four Patch Wedge Technique Sheet and the Wedge Star Tool.
Flowers of the Sun by South Sea Imports
Once again I went to my OBW stash, I’ve had this beautiful large large print for at least 10 years. When I showed it to my friend Sue Tucker she immediately suggested Aqua stars be added.
Groovy Seam Rippers are my favorite
I went to my Joen Wolfrom Color Wheel. To find a complimentary color look directly opposite. For Orange/Red it is Aqua/Blue. Groovy Seam Rippers are my favorite.
I could have chosen several values of aqua, but I decided to use two.
I was lucky to find Kona Cotton Paprika for my star side triangles. The Diamond Four Patch Wedge Technique Sheet gives you instructions for making this block in 22 sizes from 6″ to 48″ finished blocks. I decided that I wanted several size stars in my OBW. My octagons are 6″ finished blocks. Therefore, I would choose size variations in multiples of 6″. I made a 24″, 18″ 12″ and three 6″ finished blocks.
Step 1 – Make strip sets. I chose to make my Inner Diamond & Outer Diamonds the same color. See the Diamond Four Patch Technique Sheet for making strip sets A & B.
Step 2 – Layer the strips sets one on top of the other. Make sure both sets are right sides down. Use the Wedge Star tool to get the 45 degree angle.
Make the first cut.
From the first cut, cut angled sections the same width as the cut size of the diamond strip.
You’ll need 8 angles “A” & 8 angles “B” sections for each star.
Pair a section “A” with a section “B”Mark seam intersection
Step 3 – Pair each “A” section with a “B” section. Make sure that the inner and outer points are oriented correctly. On the edges you will be stitching together, mark the 1/4″ seam allowance across the seams.
Position the pieces so that the intersections of the marked lines and the seams match. Pin and stitch.
StitchPress your seams open.
Step 4 – Trim the outer points using the Wedge Star tool. Consult the chart for the line needed, and position the line on the seam of the outer point only, trim each side.
Step 5 – Add the small wedges to the out points that you just trimmed. See the Wedge Star tool instructions, page 3 for “Cutting the Small Wedges”.
Layout the small wedges and the Diamond Four Patches.
Stitch the right wedges first. For complete instruction on “Piecing the Diamond Wedges” see the Wedge Star tool instructions, page 4.
Diamond Four Patch Wedge18″ Diamond Star Wedge
Step 6 – Trim the pieced wedges using the Wedge Star tool. For finished stars up to 24″, align the desired finished block size line with the outer point.
Step 7 – Assemble and trim the block according to steps 1.12 through 1.18 in the Wedge Star tool Instructions.
As before, I marked the 1/4″ seam allowance across the seams and pinned before stitching. Stitch 2 Diamond Four Patch Wedge together. Remove the dog ears and sliver trim the Wedge pair by placing on the mat Righties orient the pair so the 90 degree corner is in the upper right, lefties position it so the 90 degree corner is in the upper left. Align the common diagonal on your Tucker Trimmer with the seam to trim the dog ears and true up the 90 degree angle.
Welcome to Stitchin Heaven’s Journey BOM – Month 7 Liberty Star. This month, you will be using the 12” markings on the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star tool, but you will be working with them as quarters that will be trimmed to 6½” using your Tucker Trimmer 1 before you sew them into the quilt.
Note: Some of your strip sizes are in sixteenths of an inch. These are necessary in order to equally divide the diamond into three sections. To cut the sixteenth of an inch you will see that after the sixteenth measurement there is a 1¼”+ listed. This means that you should locate the 1¼” mark on your ruler then move up just a bit to get to a 1⁵/16” measurement. You want to be as close to the half way point between the ¼” mark and the ⅜” mark as possible.
Piecing Instructions
You will be using the standard Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star strip piecing for the “B” sections and fussy cut piecing for the “A” sections.
Step 1 – Lay out the Print 1, Print 2, and Print 8 strips as shown in the diagram.
Stitch together Print 2, Print 8 & Print 1, making four strip sets.
Step 2 – Stitch the strips into 4 strip sets, two will be used to create your “A” sections and two will be used to create your “B” sections.
Step 3 – Press all the seams toward Print 2, the widest strip.
Tip: To keep strip sets straight while pressing – it helps to draw a line on your ironing board with a sharpie and ruler. If the strip set wants to curve just keep re-adjusting it along the straight line.
Tip: After stitching your strips together measure the strip set to be sure it measures 3 1/4″ wide.
“B” Section Construction
Step 4 – Sew a strip set from step 3 on page 19 to a background strip to make a “B” section strip. Stagger your pieced strip 4¾” down the background strip. Be sure to sew the Print 1 to the Print 11 background strip. Press the seam toward your colored strip set. Make two.
Step 5 – Cut the “B” sections by placing the strip set right side up on the cutting mat. Make your first diagonal cut to clean up the end and set your angle. Then sub-cut the strip set into 3¼” sections. You will need a total of 16 sub-cuts.
Note: When cutting the Section B segments, place your 45 degree line on a seam to help establish the correct angle. Section B sections are cut 3 1/4″ wide. Cut almost to the end of the ruler and move the ruler up re-aligning the ruler on the 3 1/4″ line.
Step 6 – Cut Again. Make a vertical “second cut” to each sub-cut section. Make sure to leave a small gap between the tip of the diamond and the start of your vertical cut. One quarter of an inch will suffice.
Step 7 – Lay out, stitch, and press your pieced “B” sections toward the small side triangles you just stitched.
Remember, “whatever you are pressing toward goes on top”, so lay your pieced units on the ironing board with the small triangles on top and press.
“A” Section Construction
Step 8 – Cut the 4¾” x 4¾” Print 11 squares in half diagonally. Make the diagonal cut ¼” from the true diagonal to create small and large half square triangles.
Tip: You can use your regular ruler or your Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool to make the diagonal cuts as shown below.
Each square yields one large and one small triangle.
Step 9 – Cut the remaining two colored strip sets into individual diamonds. Place a strip right side up on the cutting mat as shown, align the 3¼” window template on the back end of the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star tool over the strip set and cut up the side. Rotate the first diamond and again align the 3¼” lines with the edges of the diamond and trim off the excess fabric. Continue repositioning the tool and cutting using the 3¼” window template until you have 16 diamonds.
Step 10 – Lay out, stitch, and press. Lay out the fussy cut diamonds, the large and small half square triangles right sides up as shown. Be sure Print 1 (Dark Blue) is positioned by the small triangle.
Be sure Print 1 (Dark Blue) is positioned by the small triangle.
Stitch the large triangles in place first and press the seam toward the background fabric.
Press the seam toward the background fabric.
Stitch the small triangles next and press these seams toward the diamond section. Make 16 “A” star points.
Press these seams toward the diamond section
Step 11 – Trim all “A” and “B” triangle sections using the 12” line on the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star tool. See diagram. Pay Attention here! It’s easy to forget this step.
Step 12 – Assemble quarters. Arrange the sewn and trimmed “A” and “B” sections into quarter blocks. Stitch the sections together and press the seams open to best distribute bulk. You should have 16 quarters total.
Step 13 – Trim the quarters to 6½” x 6½”. Clean up the dog ears and true up the first corner as shown. You should only be trimming off the dog ears and an additional thread or two in this trim. Then rotate the unit to trim the opposite corner. Align the common diagonal with the seam and the 6½” clean up lines with the trimmed edges to trim the remaining two sides. Repeat for all 16 quarters.
First TrimSecond Trim
Step 14 – Assemble the quarters into the center block. Lay out the quarters as shown and sew them together into rows. Press the seams open.
Step 15 – Stitch the rows together and press the seams open. Label this Section K.
I pulled this 2004 Alexander Henry fabric called Misty Jungle from my stash to play with adding Capped 60 cubes to my OBW.
Alexander Henry Misty Jungle
Although the fabric has a 24″ repeat the design elements were about 3 to 4 inches, so I decided to cut my strips 3 1/4″ to make 5″ finished hexagons. Using my Star 60 tool, I cut my equilateral triangles.
Once I designed my hexies to get an almost final design, It’s time to decide about cubes. I am using Deb Tucker’s Capped 60 Techniques Sheet. The Capped 60 Technique Sheet offers cutting instruction for 17 sizes in whole & half inch increments.
Capped 60 Unit
Above is a Capped 60 Unit. The cutting instructions are based on finished units. I cut my triangles for a 5″ finished hexagon, which would mean my individual triangles would measure 3″ unfinished and 2 1/2″ finished.
We begin by choosing 3 fabrics, light, medium and dark values. Where you place the light fabric gives the illusion of light shinning on it. The strips for both the trapezoids and triangles are the same width.
CuttingTrapezoids. I am making 2 1/2″ finished units so I cut 2″ strips and placed the 3 1/2″ Bottom Horizontal Line on the bottom of my strip to cut my trapezoids. Then rotate the Star 60 tool and place the 3 1/2″ line on the top of the strip and continue cutting trapezoids.
Cutting Triangles. Align the mark near the tip of the tool with the top of the strip and the Horizontal Guideline that corresponds to the width of the strip and cut. Rotate the Star 60 tool and continue cutting your triangles.
For each cubed hexagon you will need 2 light, 2 medium and 2 dark trapezoids, and 2 light, 2 medium and 2 dark triangles.
To make this cube begin by laying out your trapezoids and triangles shown above.
Align one edge of the triangle with the top of the trapezoid, matching the flat edge of the triangle to the top of the trapezoid as shown above.
Once you have laid out your trapezoids and triangles and know what triangles are to be stitched to what trapezoids you can chain stitch and make the process go fast.
Stitch and press seams open. Your unit consists of the Point, Left Side, Right Side and Base.
Trimming the Base. Position the unit so that the base is on the right if right handed or left if left handed. Align the Diamond Point Guideline that corresponds to the finished size of the unit on the seam between the triangle and trapezoid as shown. Trim the base along the side of the ruler.
Trimming the Right and/or Left Side. Locate the Triangle Point Trim Line in the chart for your size. Position the Horizontal Guideline that corresponds to the Triangle Point Trim Line on the seam between the trapezoid and triangle. Trim both sides.
Layout your trimmed units and stitch them into pairs of three as you do your equilateral triangles for the hexagons. Press seams open.
I chose to make Capped 60 Cubes in three color ways. I auditioned them in several places before deciding on the best placement.
Misty Jungle, OBW 83, measures 61″ x 62″
When I cut my strips for the hexagons I had 2 1/2″ left, not enough for the hexies. I decided to cut out smaller triangles to add to a border.
To give the illusion that the hexies are floating I added Half Hexies cut from the border fabric. The instructions for cutting Half Hexagons are located on page 10 of your Star 60 Instructions.
Welcome to Stitchin Heaven’s Journeys Month 6 – Corner Section. My helper for Month 6 is Sue Tucker, of Studio 180 Design. This month you are going to learn to make the Square/Squared unit using the Square/Squared tool. You will be using Prints 1, 2 & 5. Label your fabrics and use your best cutting skills when cutting your starter squares.
Prints 1, 2 & 5
Piecing Instructions
Diamond Squares
Step 1 – Lay your Print 1 strip on the mat and clean up the short edge. Locate the Center Square window template for a 6” finished unit. Place the solid lines of the window template on the raw edges of the strip end. Cut up the side and across the top to trim each square to a precision size. Cut 4 center squares.
Step 2 – Stitch two Print 2 side triangles to opposite sides of the center square. Stitch with the center square on top. Press the seams toward the side triangles.
Step 3 – Stitch one Print 2 side triangle to one remaining side of the center square and a Print 5 triangle to the other side. Press the seams toward the side triangles.
Step 4 – Trim to 6½” with your Square Squared® tool. Align the X’s labeled 6 with the seam intersections and the dashed lines with the seams. Trim. Rotate the unit 180o and align the seam intersections with the X’s labeled 6. Also align the cut edges with the 6½” clean up lines. Trim again. Repeat steps 1-4 to make a total of 4 Diamond Square units. Label the finished Units J.
Below is a correction. The original photo for the second trim showed the Left Hand Trim for Trim 2. I do not have the original fabric so I remade the Square/Squared unit from stash fabric.
Trim 1Trim 2Make 4 Unit J
Assemble Four Corner Sections
It is time to assemble the four corner sections of your quilt. To do this you will need the following:
8 Unit A’s from Month 1. 8 Unit C’s from Month 2. 24 Unit E’s and 24 Unit F’s from Month 3. 4 – G Blocks from Month 4. 4 Unit H’s from Month 5. 4 Unit J’s from Month 6.
Step 5 – Lay out the gathered units as shown to create one corner section.
Step 6 – Stitch the Unit F Flying Geese together to create the rows of geese. Press the seam away from the point of the goose. Attach Unit J to the end of the Unit E Geese as shown in the diagram.
Step 7 – Sew together Unit C, Unit A, and unit H as shown to create two sections and press as indicated.
Step 8 – Sew Block G, together with the two sections you just created as shown and press as indicated.
Step 9 – Sew the Flying Geese rows to the block and press as shown.
Step 10 – Repeat steps 5-9 to make a total of 4 Corner Sections.
Congratulations! You have learned to use the Square/Squared tool, not mention you are half way through your Journeys Quilt.
I just finished quilting “Lion Eyes” Octagonal One Block Wonder. I had 18 Sensational Squares sets left over.
Remember, Sensational Squares are the triangles that fill the space between the octagons.
I wanted to add the left over Sensational Squares to the borders of the quilt.
I made my Sensational Squares into Square/Squared units using my Studio 180 Design Square/Squared tool.
There are 3 parts to this tool.
TheCenter Square Section, which gives you a series of squares that are precisely drafted so that their diagonal measurement is exactly the finished size of the Square²™ unit.
The Trim Down Section gives you guide lines to align with the seams of the pieced Square²™ unit so you can trim each to a precise size with a proper ¼” seam allowance on all sides.
The Size Chart for Triangles gives the recommended size squares to cut that when cut in half diagonally will yield two slightly oversized triangles for constructing the unit.
Note: The fabric in the photo is different from the Lion Eyes.
Per my Wedge Star Instructions I had cut my Large Wedges from 4″ strips and my Corner Squares from 3″ strips (you must have at least 4 aligned repeats). Cut 3″ square sets.
Cut your square sets once diagonally.
Each stack of 4 half square triangles will give you one 4 Patch Posie.
Stitch 2 triangles together and press the seams the same way on both halves.
The seams will nest when stitching the halves together.
Swirl the seams and press.
Use your Square²™ ruler to precision cut your center squares from your 4 Patch Posie. I lined up the diagonal line on the tool with the diagonal seam centering the lines for a 4″ finished square making sure I had fabric to trim on all 4 sides. Trim up the side and across the top. Rotate the unit lining up the just trimmed sides with the size lines and the diagonal line with the diagonal seam and trim up the side and across the top. The Square²™ unit looks great with a fussy cut square in the center or simply cut chosen fabric as usual. Just remember that this square will be diagonal in the pieced unit.
The 4 Patch Posie is now trimmed and ready for oversized triangles.
Check the chart on the Square/Squared Tool for strip size to cut squares for side triangles. I’m making 4″ finished units so I cut my strips from a folded strip 3 1/4″ wide.
Cut once diagonally.
Position two triangles on opposite sides of the center square. No need to fuss with matching the middles as the triangles are larger than they need to be. Just basically center them and try to keep the raw edges aligned.
Press seams away from the center square.
Position remaining two triangles on the remaining two sides of the center square. Again, don’t fuss too much with aligning the centers, just get them close. Stitch and press the triangles away from the center square.
Ready for the trim.
Position the Trim Down Section of the Square²™ ruler over the pieced unit. Focus on aligning the “X’s” for your particular finished size unit over the sewn seams. If they do not line up exactly, simply center the ruler over the area by finding the middle ground of all four marks. Trim up the side and across the top. For the second cut, rotate the unit, position the ruler on top of unit again lining up the “X’s”, and also lining up the cleanup lines on the ruler with the edges previously trimmed.
This ensures that you end up with a square that has proper ¼” seams on all sides and is exactly the correct size to use in your quilt project. I added 1″ strips to two sides of the units to make the units measure 4 1/2″ by 6 1/2″. I did this so when I add the binding I won’t lose the points on my square/squared unit. Measuring the correct lengths I cut the 6 1/2″ strips to add to my border additions.
The Square/Squared tool makes finished diamond in square units in six sizes from 1″ to 6″. If you require mores sizes you can purchase the Large Square/Squared Tool which can make them in sizes from 1″ to 12″.
The official name for this quilt is Samantha’s Rainbow Kitty. This quilt was made with love for my Granddaughter Sam. It was supposed to be finished for Christmas but it is in time for my special Valentine.
Panel by Chong-A-Hwang for Timeless Treasures
Why did I choose 5.5″ Finished Hexagons?
This panel measured 23 inches wide. I chose 5.5″ (Cut my strips 3.5″) finished hexies because 4 X 5.5 = 22″. Now I only have trim 1/2″ from both sides and my hexies will fit along the bottom and the top of the panel.
I began by deciding on what size to make my star. I wanted it twice as big as my 5.5″ finished hexies, hmmm, that means an 11″ finished star. The Checkerboard Technique sheet makes beautiful stars in 17 sizes from 2″ up to 18″ in 1″ increments. I needed to make 5.5″ Finished units. I followed technique sheet instructions for a 6″ Finished Units and will trim them so they would finish at 5.5″ units.
Step 1 – Make two strip sets.
Step 2 – Layer the strips sets one on top of the other right sides down. Using the Star 60 tool and a regular ruler establish the 60 degree angle.
From the first cut, cut additional angled sections the same width as the as the cut size of the diamond strips.
Step 3 – Pair each “A” section with a “B” section. Make sure the inner and outer diamonds are oriented correctly. The pink diamonds will be the inner part of my star. The outer diamonds are yellow.
Mark 1/4″ seam allowance using the Magic Wand.
On the edges you will be stitching together, mark the 1/4″ seam allowance across the seams on the wrong side.
Pin section A & B
Stitch your section “A” with Section “B” units.
Press the seams open.
Step 4 – Trim the outer diamond using the Star 60 tool. I trimmed using the Outer Diamond Trim Guidelines for a 5″ finished unit.
First cut.
Continue cutting side triangles.
Step 5 – Add the side triangles.
Layout the right side triangles.
Position the side triangle on top of the diamond, matching the flat corner to the edge of the diamond.
Stitch with the diamond on top.
Press toward the diamond. (Whatever you are pressing toward, goes on top.)
Layout the left side triangle.
Position the the remaining side triangle on the other side of the diamond point. Align the flat corner of the triangle with the edge of the diamond, aligning the raw edges as before.
After it is stitched, but before you press, trim the unit as shown above to remove bulk.
Press toward the side triangle.
Step 6 – Trim the pieced Star 60 unit suing the Star 60 tool. I trimmed using the 5″ finished unit guidelines.
Step 7 – Describes the trimming the final edge. I did not complete this trim. Remember, I need an 11″ finished star, which means I need 5.5″ finished units. I accomplished this by trimming the diamonds per the 5″ guidelines. I created an 11″ finished star by NOT trimming the outer edges of the star.
Layout your diamond units.
Stitch your diamond units together creating two halves.
Making Star 60’s – To make 5.5″ finished Stars, I am following the cutting instructions for 3″ Finished Units. Remember, the chart refers to UNITS not to Finished Stars! To use the chart, first determine the desired finished size of your unit, then follow the row across for the strip size for the shape you want to cut.
Cutting the Diamonds – I followed the cutting instructions for 3″ finished units. Trim one short edge at a 60 degree angle as shown above. Locate the Diamond Sub-Cut Guideline in the chart which for 3″ finished units is 4″. Align those guidelines with the raw edges of the strip and the angled cut just made as shown in the diagram. Cut along the leading edge of the tool to create oversized diamond shapes.
Cut your side triangles. For 3″ finished units the side triangle strips are 2 1/2″.
Layout the right side triangle.
Position the side triangle on top of the diamond, matching the flat corner to the edge of the diamond.
Stitch with the diamond on top.
Press toward the Diamond. Layout the remaining side triangle.
Position the the remaining side triangle on the other side of the diamond point. Align the flat corner of the triangle with the edge of the diamond, aligning the raw edges as before.
Trim the bulk as shown above.
Press toward the side triangle.
I followed the cutting instructions for 3″ finished units, BUT I’m making 5.5″ finished stars, so I’m trimming the Diamond Point using the 2 1/2″ guidelines. I do not trim the outer edges of the unit to obtain a 5.5″ finished star.
Star 60 Units
Stitch units into two halves.
Designing With the Hexagons
The final layout
After I numbered my rows, I stitched the four rows above the checkerboard star into two rows, and the same with the four rows under the checkerboard star as shown in photo 1. Photo 2 shows stitching the top and bottom row to the checkerboard star halves. Photo 3 shows the two rows joined together.
Continue to stitch rows into 4 sections, Left, Right, Top & Bottom.
I placed the bottom section right sides together to verify how much I need to trim off the sides of the panel so it will be the same width as the top and bottom hexies. In this case I trimmed 1/2″ off both sides.
You can choose to attach either the top or bottom hexies first. I chose the bottom because I wanted to control where the hexies attached to the bottom of the panel. After the hexies are laid out and stitched together we loose 1/4″ between them. I felt I could safely loose a couple of inches off the top of the panel without affecting the design. But I did not want to loose inches off the panel bottom.
I pressed the bottom hexies under 1/4″ and top stitched them to the panel.
Match up the hexies/dog ears of the left side with hexies/dog ears on the bottom. Stitch leaving about 12″ from the top of the panel.
Place the panel and partially stitched left side on a table and place the top hexies on top of the panel matching up the dog ears to establish where the top hexies will be stitched to the panel.
Pin top to the panel being sure the dog ears match up to the left side hexies.
Top Stitch the top hexies to the panel. Finish stitching the left side to the panel and top hexies.
Match up the dog ears of the right side and stitch.
Samantha’s Rainbow Kitty, measures 75″ X 70″. I will quilt it as soon as the backing arrives.
Welcome to Stitchin Heaven’s Journeys Month 5. My helper for Month 5 is Deb Tucker, of Studio 180 Design. This month you are going to learn to make Lemoyne Star Quarters using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star and Tucker Trimmer I tools. You will be using Prints 7, 9 & 11. Label your fabrics and use your best cutting skills when cutting your starter squares.
Prints 7, 9 & 11
Piecing Instructions
Step 1 – Organize Strips. Place Print 9 and Print 7 into two separate piles. Use Print 7 to make the A Strip Set and Print 9 to make the B Strip Set.
Step 2 – Make Strip Sets A and Strip Sets B in the same manner as described in the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star basic instructions. Position each diamond strip 4¾” down from the top of the background strip. Sew the strips lengthwise and press as indicated in the diagram below. Pay close attention to proper strip alignment and pressing to ensure success.
Step 3 – First Cuts. Layer Strip Set A and Strip Set B right sides together as illustrated. Trim the ends of the strips at a 45° angle, then continue making 45° angle cuts every 3¼” across the length of the strips. You will get 8 cuts from a paired strip set. Cut the remaining strip sets in this manner until you have 20 pairs.
Step 4 – Make Second Cuts going vertically south to north, as shown. Position the ruler edge at the tip of the star strip and trim straight up. These triangles will be added to the pieced unit.
Jackie’s Tip for staying organized is to label two paper plates A & B. For Right handers, Strip “A” is on top & Strip “B” is on the bottom. Cut one unit at a time, place the “A” unit on plate marked “A” & the “B” unit on plate marked “B”. You will always know which units are A & B for pressing.
Step 5 – Arrange, position and stitch the cut pieces together into pieced triangle units. Press as shown in the diagram to yield future nesting seams.
You can chain stitch your “A” and “B” units for easier pressingPress “A” units toward the Star PointPress “B” units toward the side triangle
Tip: Remember “whatever you are pressing toward – goes on top”!
Step 6 – Trim down all pieced triangle units using the 12” line on the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star tool as shown in the diagram.
Step 7 – Assemble quarters. Arrange the sewn and trimmed A and B sections into quarter blocks. Stitch the sections together and press the seams open to best distribute bulk. You should have 20 quarter blocks total.
You can choose to press your seams open or…You can choose to press the seams so they are all going in the same direction.
Step 8 – Trim the quarters to 6½” x 6½” with your Tucker Trimmer® I tool. Clean up the dog ears and true up the first corner as shown (this should just be a few threads at most), then rotate the unit 180o to trim the opposite corner. Align the Common Diagonal with the seam and the 6½” clean up lines with the trimmed edges to trim the remaining two sides. Repeat for all 20 quarters. Label the finished quarters Unit H.
First TrimSecond Trim
Recap: Make 20 Unit H – Homeward Bound Units.
Homeward Bound, Unit H
Congratulations, you have learned to use your Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool!
Something Fishy was made with fabric called Atlantis by Sentimental Studios for Moda. I have had this 6 yard piece in my One Block Wonder (OBW) stash for 12 o 13 years. Evidently I like to age my fabric before I cut it up.
This is my second octagon OBW. Like hexagon OBW’s, octagon OBW’s can be made in many sizes. I will show you how to use the Wedge Star Tool Instructions to choose different size octagons and add different octagon blocks to your quilt. The numbered steps in this post refer to steps outlined in the Wedge Star Tool Instructions. The basic octagon OBW is made with 45 degree wedges as sown below. The Wedge Star tool instructions refer to this as the Wedge Block. We use the Wedge Block instructions to make the basic octagon OBW.
The Wedge Block instructions begin on page 7
The Wedge Star Block instructions begin on page 3
The Mixed Block can be made up of any combination of Diamond Wedges and Large Wedges, plus four corner triangles.
Use the chart on page 2 of the Wedge Star instructions, find your desired finished block size (first column), then follow the row across to determine the strip and square sizes you need to cut.
I chose 6″ finished blocks. From the first column follow to right to the “Large Wedge Strip” and see to cut the wedge strips 4″ Width of Fabric (WOF) and “Corner Square” strips 3″ by WOF.
After I have aligned my 8 repeats and trimmed one long edge so all the repeats end in the same place, I re-measure my repeat to verify how many strips I can cut.
Note: For every 2 Large Wedge strips you will need to cut 1 Corner Square strip.
I ended up with 22″ trimmed repeats, so I was able to cut four 4″ Large Wedge WOF Strips and two 3″ WOF Corner Square strips for 6″ finished octagons.
Wedge Block
Cutting the Large Wedges (Page 7, Step 2.01)
When making an octagonal OBW, we are cutting 8 layers of fabric at once. Our Large Wedge and Corner Square strips are from one fabric. Putting a new blade in your rotary cutter is important!
The cutting instructions on page 2 show you how to cut your wedges with the strip placed horizontally on the mat. I prefer to cut the wedges by placing my strips vertically on the mat. Try both and see what works best for you.
Wedges cut from one strip
Cutting the Corner Triangles (Step 2.02)
I use my Tucker Trimmer I to cut my Corner Squares from my 3″ WOF strips.
Once your Corner Squares are cut, cut them once diagonally. Each set of corner triangles contains 8 identical corner triangles. When cutting the squares diagonally, consider what design elements will be in both halves.
Constructing the Wedge Block (Step 2.03)
From each stack of 8 wedges, stitch 2 together making 4 pair, press seams open.
Remove the Dog Ears(Step 2.06)
Step 2.06
Remove the dog ears and sliver trim the wedge pair. Position the Wedge Pair on the cutting mat. Righties as shown above position it so the 90 degree corner is in the upper right (see tool instructions for left handed cutting). Align the common diagonal line on your Tucker Trimmer with the seam and slide it forward just until it meets with either edge or the point of the wedge, trim up the side and across the top. There may only be a few whiskers trimmed here. Trim all the wedge pairs.
Match up the points, stitch into halves, press seams open (Step 2.08).
Tip: Find the center of one wedge half by placing a pin where seams meet and go through the second wedge half in the same place. Align the two halves, pin on both sides of the center pin.
Remove the center pin and stitch the halves together. Press seams open.
It helps to place your octagon blocks on a design wall as you finish them.
The next step (Step 2.09), is to trim the octagon wedges that will have a corner triangle stitched to them. But before that I want to make some Wedge Star & Mixed Blocks to enhance my octagons and strengthen certain colors .
Wedge Star Block (Page 3)
Cutting the Diamonds (Step 1.01)
All my octagons will be 6″ finished blocks. Go to the chart on page 2, find the first column “Finished Block Size” move down to 6″, move across the row to “Diamond Strip”. Cut the Diamonds strips 1 3/4″ by WOF. Trim one short edge at 45 degree angle by placing the 1/4″ line of your Wedge Star tool on the top edge of the strip. Using a regular 6″by 12″ ruler, bump it up to the Wedge Star tool placing the 45 degree line of the ruler on the bottom edge of the strip.
Remove the Wedge Star tool and cut using the regular ruler.
The rule here is to cut your diamonds the same width as the diamond strip. Continue cutting Diamonds every 1 3/4″ using the ruler. See tool instructions for left handed cutting.
I wanted two color Diamonds so I chose two fabrics.
Cutting the Small Wedges (Step 1.02)
Following the chart for 6″ finished blocks, move across to the “Small Wedge Strip”. Cut the Small Wedge strips 2 3/4″ wide, WOF.
Align the small mark near the top of the tool with the top of the strip, and the line on the tool that corresponds with the width of the strip (2 3/4″).
Step 1.04 – Rotate the Wedge Star tool 180 degrees so the sharp point is closest to you. Align the same guidelines as before and continue cutting the wedges. (I prefer to place my strips vertically when cutting the wedges. Find what works best for you.)
Two fabric color Small Wedges, blue & teal.
Note: We are skipping from Step 1.04 to Step 1.06 because we are making a OBW and will address the corners later.
Piecing the Diamond Wedges
Step 1.06 – Lay out the Diamonds and Small Wedges as shown. I am making two color diamonds first I laid out the Yellow diamonds with the blue small wedges.
Step 1.07 – Take a small wedge from the right hand side and position it it on top.
Note: My interpretation is to place a diamond right sides together with a small wedge as show above.
Stitch small wedges to the diamonds right sides together as show above. Press toward the Diamonds.
Note: Remember that “whatever you are pressing toward goes on top”! So, you would place all your units with the diamond on top.
Step 1.08 – With the Diamond on top, stitch along the matched edges with a ¼” seam. Press the seam toward the Diamond and trim off the “dog ear”. Repeat with the rest of the diamonds.
Trim the Dog Ears
Step 1.09 & 1.10
Step 1.09 – Using the other pile of Small Wedges, take one and position it on the other side of the Diamond point. Align the raw edges and center the shapes right sides together as shown above.
Step 1.10 – With the Diamond on top, stitch with a ¼” seam. Press the seam toward the Small Wedge. Repeat with the rest of the Diamonds.
Step 1.11 – Use the Wedge Star™ tool to trim each Diamond Wedge unit to an exact size.
Step 1.12 – Position the unit right side up on the cutting mat. Righties point the Diamond toward the 2 o’clock position, lefties point the Diamond toward the 10 o’clock position. Align the desired finished block size lines with the sewn seams. Trim along both sides of the ruler. See tool instructions for left handed cutting.
Layout wedges. Stitch wedges together into pairs.
Press seams open.
Step 1.13 – Remove the “dog ears”.
Remove the dog ears and sliver trim the wedge pair. Position the Wedge Pair on the cutting mat. Righties as shown above position it so the 90 degree corner is in the upper right (see tool instructions for left handed cutting). Align the common diagonal line on your Tucker Trimmer with the seam and slide it forward just until it meets with eight the edge or the point of the wedge, trim up the side and across the top. There may only be just a few whiskers trimmed her. Trim all the wedge pairs.
Step 1.15 – Stitch quarters in halves, then stitch halves together, pressing seams open.
Step 1.16 – To turn your octagon into a square you will need to add triangles to the corners. Determine which wedge sections will be located in the corners of your finished block. Align the Outside Edge Trim Line on the Wedge Star™ tool with the seams of the Diamond on one corner wedge. Trim along the edge of the tool. Repeat this for the other three corners, making sure you are only trimming every other edge. The remaining edges will be trimmed after the corners are added.
Trim Mixed blocks the same as the Wedge Star Block
Final layout.
Mixed Blocks – See page 10
Mixed block variations combining wedge star and large wedge units.
Mixed blocks are made by simply combining Wedge Stars with Large Wedges as shown above. Once I made several Wedge Star Blocks and Mixed Blocks I added them to my other octagons. The fabric choices for my Wedge Stars and Mixed blocks was to strengthen my orange/golds and turquoises.
Prepping Wedge Blocks for adding the Corners: If there is a way to square up a difficult unit/block Deb Tucker will find it!
Step 2.09 (Pg. 8) – Determine which Large Wedges are going to have Corner Triangles attached. Step 2.10 – Make a halfway registration mark on these four wedges. Wedges can be folded in half matching the seams and then lightly pressed to give a centerfold line. Or the centerline of the tool can be placed on the sewn seam with the point of the tool at the center. Mark with a removable marking tool.
Note: Add a flower pin to the top wedge unit for each block to aid in orientation. This will help you throughout the trimming process.
Step 2.11 – Place your Wedge Star® tool upside down, with the Invisigrip™ facing up. Find the Block Center dimension for your project on the chart.
Step 2.12 – Measure down that distance from the flat edge of the tool and make a mark on the back of the tool, across the centerline as illustrated. Use a fine point Sharpie® marker. For our example, make a mark 3¼” from the tool edge.
Step 2.13 – Working on your cutting mat, place the intersection of the centerline of the tool and the Sharpie® marked line on the center of the sewn block. At the same time, align the centerline of the tool with the halfway registration mark on the fabric block.
Step 2.14 – Cut along the flat edge of the tool. You should only be trimming off a small amount of fabric. If you are trimming more than ¼”, recheck your tool mark!
Step 2.15 – Repeat for the other three Corner Wedges.
For prepping Wedge Star & Mixed Blocks for adding corners see tool instructions page 5, Step 1.16.
Add Corners:
Block corners are trimmed and ready for Corners
Choose corner triangles that will help blend the octagons and create flow.
When four octagons are put together, there is a diamond spaced shape between them. You fill this space with 4 identical triangles cut from the 3″ Corner Strip.
Keep adding corners to the octagons and place back on the design wall.
Corners have been added to all the inner octagons.
I add corners to all the inner octagons first, then continue adding them to the outer edges.
Now all the octagons have 4 corner
Squaring up the Octagon Blocks
Step 2.18 – For blocks that finish to 12” or less, we prefer to use our Tucker Trimmer®. Consult the Block Cut Size in the chart and align the common diagonal and sizing diagonal with the marks made for the previous trimming. Make sure that the intersection of the tool lines is over the center. Trim two sides. Rotate the block 180° and line up the diagonal lines as well as the clean up lines with the trimmed edges. Trim the final two sides.
My octagon blocks will be 6″ finished. Therefore, I can use my Tucker Trimmer I and square up my blocks to 6 1/2″. Make sure the intersecting lines for 6 1/2″ are over the center of the block and trim as shown above.
All my octagons are now trimmed to 6 1/2″ and are ready to be sewn into rows.
Tip: To line up your blocks, pin where the seams intersect on both blocks. Pin on both sides, then pull out the pin in the seams and stitch.
See how nicely the points line up when the blocks are trimmed and squared.
Something Fishy
Something Fishy, 72″ x 72″
As you can see, this project was closely supervised by Tucker!
Included in your Wedge Star Tool Instructions is a free project “Freelancer”.
Welcome to Stitchin Heaven’s Journeys BOM Month 4 – Winged Nine Patch. My helper for Month 4 is Diane Marvin, Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design. This month you are going to learn to make Four Patches with Frames using prints 5, 6, 7 & 9, Center Square with print 8 and Chevrons using prints 5, 6 & 11. Required tools are the Four Patch Square Up and Corner Pop.
Prints 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11
Carefully follow your cutting instructions for each print using your best cutting and measuring skills.
Jackie’s Note: To keep organized when cutting the same print for multiple units I labeled 3 plates for Print 5: one for “Four Patches Strip sets A & B. One for Four Patch Frames Strip Set C. One for Replacement Triangles.
Piecing Instructions
Step 1 – Use the diagram on page 9 to make your strip sets. Position two strips right sides together and align the long edges. Stitch with your best ¼” seam. Press the seam toward Print 5 in all strip sets.
Strip Set A – Prints 5 & 6Strip Set B – Prints 5 & 7
Step 2 – Layer Strip Set A on top of Strip Set B, right sides together, making sure that the Print 5 fabrics are positioned as shown in the diagram. Nest the seams well. Sub-cut along the strip at 2¼” increments until you have 16 sub-cut pieces.
Step 2 – Layer and Sub-Cut at 2 1/4″ increments
Step 3 – Sub-cut Strip Set C. Do not layer it with anything, just make cuts every 2” until you have 16 pieces.
Step 4 – Stitch down the long side of the layered A/B pairs. Consistently feed Print 5 under the machine first. This will make for a nicer alignment in the center.
Remove 2 or 3 striches
Step 5 – Press the unit so that the seams spin. To spin the seam, lay the sewn seam east to west on the mat, remove the stitches in the seams on both sides that run north to south. Press so that all seams go in the same direction.
Swirl and press.
Step 6 – Trim. Locate the circle for the 3” finished size on your Four Patch Square Up® tool and position the circle over the sewn seam intersection in the center of your four patch unit, and the dashed lines with your seams. Trim the first two sides.
Right Handed Trimming
Step 7 – Rotate the unit 180 degrees . Realign the 3” Finished Size circle with the center and the dashed lines with your seams. Also make sure that the outside trimmed edge of the unit is aligned with the 3½” cleanup lines. Trim the final two sides. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the remaining units.
Second Trim
Step 8 – Stitch a 2”x 3½” Print 5 rectangle to the side of each four patch as shown. Press toward the Print 5 rectangle.
Step 8
Step 9 – Stitch a Strip Set C piece onto the pieced unit as shown. Press toward the C piece.
Step 9
Chevrons
Step 10 – Layer two 2”x 5” Print 11 rectangles wrong sides together. Carefully align the edges. On your Corner Pop® tool, find the 1½” Cut Away Corners line. Position the 1½” Cut Away lines of the tool over the corner of the rectangles as shown. Trim. Repeat for the remaining rectangles.
Step 10
Step 11 – Center the long edge of one 2¾” Print 6 replacement triangle on the trimmed corner of each rectangle.
Step 11, part 1
Step 11 Cont.: Stitch with the rectangle on top using an accurate ¼” seam. Separate the rectangles into two piles as shown in the diagram. Press the seams of the pile on the left toward the triangle and the seams of the right pile toward the rectangle.
Step 12 – Position the 1½” Corner Trim Down line of the tool over the sewn seam. Align the diagonal guideline with the seam and the edges of the unit with the edge and lines on the tool. Trim the corner. Repeat for all the rectangles.
Step 12
Step 13 – Separate the rectangles into two piles as shown. Turn the right pile (with the replacement triangle slanting from upper right to lower left) wrong side up.
Step 14 – Cut. Use the Corner Pop® tool and the 1½” Cut Away Corners line and cut away the corner opposite Print 6. Make sure that you have the piece positioned how it is in the diagram so that you are cutting off the correct corner to make the chevron. You will cut with 16 units right side up and 16 units right side down. Cut the corner off once you have confirmed that you are cutting in the correct spot.
Step 15 – Repeat steps 11 &12 for the cut away corner using the Print 5 replacement triangles.
Step 15
Step 16 – Lay out the pieced rectangles as shown. Position two of them right sides together leaving them in the same orientation and stitch down the long side. Press the seam open.
Step 16
Block Construction
Step 17 – Lay out the framed four patches, chevrons, and center square so that it looks like the diagram.
Step 17
Step 18 – Stitch the units together into rows and then stitch the rows together to create the block. Press as shown in the diagram. You will have 4 blocks when you are done. Label them Block G.
Block G Winged Nine Patch
Congratulations, not only did you expand your knowledge of the Four Patch Square Up tool by making Four Patches with Frames, you also learned to use the Corner Pop tool by making Chevron units!
What is a One Block Wonder (OBW)? I bought Maxine Rosenthal’s book “One Block Wonders” in 2006 and was totally awestruck! So much so, that I have made 79 hexagon OBW’s since. Whether you are making hexagons or octagons your are creating kaleidoscope blocks – each one unique by using one fabric, one shape for one of kind quilts! With hexagon OBW’s you cut 6 identical repeats and with octagon OBW’s you cut 8 identical repeats.
Octagons are used in the cover photo.
In 2007 I bought Alexander Henry’s fabulous fabric “Lion Eyes”. I always buy at least 6 yards. This time I had 12 yards in my stash.
I made my 27th hexagon OBW and named it “Just Lion Around” It was included in Maxine Rosenthal’s 4th book One Block Wonders of World.
Just Lion Around 2007, OBW #27
I made my first OBW in 2006. That year I made 16 OBW’s. It only took me 14 years to finally make my first octagon One Block Wonder!
Cutting the Repeats: I cut my 8 identical repeats and aligned them just as I would for a hexagon OBW. Now it is time to cut octagon and corner triangle strips. You can make octagon OBW’s in any size. Following Maxine’s suggestion I cut my octagon strips 4″ wide. Maxine said to cut the strips for the corner triangles 2 3/4″ wide. I am a Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor. You may be able to take the girl out of the studio…but you will never take the studio (180) out of the girl!
Instead of 2 3/4″ strips, I cut my corner triangle strips 3″ wide, that would give me a little more to trim off the completed octagon blocks. After I aligned and trimmed one long edge of the repeats, I re-measure the width of my repeat to verify how may strips I can cut. My trimmed, aligned repeat measured 23″. For every two strips used to make octagons, cut one strip for the “Sensational Squares” (corner triangles). If I cut four 4″ strips and two 3″ strips it equals 22″. Now I know I have enough fabric in my repeat without cutting myself short.
First cut
As I said earlier: You may be able to take the girl out of the studio…but you will never take the studio (180) out of the girl! I am using Studio 180 Design’s Wedge Star Tool to cut my wedges for the octagon blocks.
The beauty of the Wedge Star tool is you can make octagons in sizes 3″ to 24″.
I found it easier to cut both left and right wedges by placing the octagon strip vertically on my cutting table and pull the strip toward me as I cut. The Wedge Star tool instructions show how to cut the units horizontally also:
Continue cutting your wedge units. I got 23 wedges per strip.
From the 3″ strips cut your 3″ squares using your Tucker Trimmer I.
Cut you squares diagonally once and set aside.
Because hexagons are made with equilateral triangles you have 3 choices as how to design your block. With Octagons you only have one choice, the narrow end of the wedge is always the center.
Align two wedges and chain stitch the four pair.
As with hexagons, press all seams open. I love my Strip Sticks for that.
Remove “dog ear” and sliver trim the wedge pair. Righties orient the wedge pair so the 90 degree corner is in the upper right (lefties orient the wedge pair so the 90 degree corner is in the upper left). Align the common diagonal line on the Tucker Trimmer with the seam and slide it toward the corner just until the sides of the tool touch the very edge of the wedge pair and trim. Note there may be just a few whiskers trimmed here. This is called Trueing up your 90 degree angles and will create a much more square unit.
Match up two wedge pairs, stitch them together and press seams open.
Find the center of the two wedge halves by placing a pin where the two seams meet in both units and align the halves. Pin close to both sides of the first pin, then remove the pin in the center. This will help to center you octagon wedge halves.
Stitch your wedge halves together.
Press your seams open.
I placed my octagons on the design wall as I made them. This helped me to see what I had.
Here I am looking at life through rose colored glasses. again Time to sort the octagons. Looking at the octagons through red plastic helps me to sort the octagons by value. If you didn’t know, I have been battling breast cancer. I am responding well to treatment, but as my hair grows back, I’m noting a resemblance to the Old Man Dancing for the Six Flags commercials.
Sorting the octagons by predominate color or value was more difficult than I thought it would be. I think because the octagons don’t nest with each other as the hexagons do, you don’t get the same flow and movement. I’m saying this because after I added the corner triangles i wasn’t as happy with the design. Take your designing!
Tip: This is most important tip! Place a flower pin in the top wedge of each octagon! By doing this you will be able to easily orient the octagons as you remove and place them back on the design wall. It will keep your brains from falling out!
Adding the “Sensational Squares” (corner triangles).
One set of corner triangles is laid out as shown above making a kaleidoscope square.
Those squares will fit into the space between 4 octagons.
When you step back from the design wall, the square will appear to be gone as the 4 octagons blend together.
I worked with one row at time, deciding which set of corners to add. Remove one octagon at a time and stitch the triangle to the appropriate octagon wedge. In affect, you will be adding corners that effect two rows at a time. In the end, each octagon will have a different triangle on each corner.
Center the octagon wedge over the corner triangle and stitch. Press toward the corner triangle. Remember Deb Tucker’s tip when pressing: “whatever you are pressing toward, always goes on top”!
Above shows the corner triangles added to the inner octagons.
Once the inner octagons have the corners added, continue adding the final corner triangles to the outside edges of the octagons.
Trimming the Octagon Blocks: The octagon units need to be squared up to 6 1/2″.
If you don’t know the beauty of using the Tucker Trimmer you will love this. The Tucker Trimmer is marked with a “Common Diagonal line and Size Lines to help you perfectly center each unit or block for trimming. For righties the Common diagonal line is placed on the center seam going from the bottom left to the upper right. The 6 1/2″ size line is positioned from the upper left to the lower right going through the center of the block. The size line and common diagonal line should intersect in the center of the block centering it perfectly for squaring up. Trim up the right side and across the top. Rotate the block place the 6” clean up lines of the Tucker Trimmer on just trimmed lines of the block. Trim up the right side and across the top.
When all the octagons are trimmed it’s time to stitch your blocks into rows and then join your rows to complete your quilt. My layout was 9 X 10 = 90 – 6″ finished blocks measuring 57″ X 63″ unquilted. I learned a lot in this process. I think my layout would have been more satisfying if I had left it more random. I was trying to create an oval shape with the lighter blocks in the center. But there wasn’t enough contrast between the medium and light blocks. I’ve always been a little contrast challenged.
