Category Archives: Capped 60

Create a Stunning Quilt with Bohemian Sunrise

Does anyone remember an old song from the 40’s called “I got the Sun in the Morning “? It was written by Irving Berlin in 1946 for a musical called “Annie Get Your Gun”.

I’ve been humming that tune while working on this great panel designed by the Morris Group for QT Fabrics. The panel measures 36″ x 43″. Bohemian Sunrise will be available in early 2025.

I was at a quilt retreat last weekend with my friends the Turtle Crew. I took off the borders which left me with a width of 28″ for the panel. I cut 2.75″ strips that yielded 190 – 4″ finished hexies.

I picked coordinating fabrics from QT Fabrics Color Essence line and Morris Group Bohemian Sunrise line for making adding stars and cubes to my design.

Using a set of equilateral triangles for the center and light orange from the Color Essence line and stars fabric from the Bohemian Sunrise line, I made 2″ finished Star 60 units that were stitched to the equilateral triangles to make diamonds. I then made 2″ finished Capped 60 units that I used as side triangles for pieced diamonds. This made a 8″ finished star.

Using a light, medium and dark fabrics from the Color Essence line I made 4″ Hollow Cube 60 units.

I began designing in the upper right corner. I placed hexies 7 across and started going down the left side until I passed the bottom of the panel. Then another 7 hexies across the bottom and up the right side of the panel.

Once I have the four sides established, I can then add hexies until I am please with the design.

I added half hexies on the sides and half rectangle triangles to the top and bottom of each row and numbered my rows.

I used 4″ and 8″ finished hexies in my design. I stitched the 2.5″ rows together above and below the 4.5″ half hexies so they could be stitched to the 4.5″ half hexies. Then joined all the rows on the left side.

The photo above shows the top, bottom and left section attached to the panel, and how much shrinkage there was when the hexies are joined into rows.

Bohemian Sunrise measures 78″ x 63″. OBW # 113, not yet quilted.

“Got no diamond, got no pearl. Still think I’m a lucky girl. I’ve the Sun in morning and Moon at Night”!

@QTFabrics @TheMorrisGroup @Studio180design #BohemianSunrise #Star60

Quilt Ninja Chronicles: Embracing Fun with Studio 180 Design Vests

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Just for fun I thought I would share how the Quilt Ninja came about.

It all started in 2008. I went to the Virginia Consortium of Quilters Celabration at Smith Mountian Lake and participated in an Apron contest and won 1st place.

I covered the apron vest in pockets. I placed a pocket on my back to hold a ruler and placed a rotary cutter in a front pocket.

I would whip out the ruler and rotary cutter at the same time, stating loudly “Quilt Ninja”! It was pretty funny. Needless to say, the Quilt Ninja became my alter ego, and over the years has gained a name; “Myrtle May the Quilt Ninja”!

Myrtle May wanted some new duds, so this version was made in 2012.

This version was made in 2015. I embroidered a list of the Studio 180 tools on the back at that time. I changed from a ruler to a Magic Wand on the back.

This version was made 2019. It is covered in Studio 180 Design tool merit badges. It has a Magic Wand on the back.

2024: I needed a vest representing the Star 60 Tool. I made a pocket for each of the star/cubes you can make with the Star 60 tool; Capped 60, Hollow Cube 60, Framed 60, Striped 60, Quad 60, Checkerboard 60, Star 60 & Star 60 Log Cabin. I added a small One Block Wonder I made with a panel. I added embroidered words the distressed women is saying: “Someone has been cutting paper with my fabric sisscors”!

After all, a Quilt Ninja just has to have fun!

Play Among the Stars

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I’ve been playing among the stars, literally! In August I will be going to Amy’s Quilt Room in Union Town, PA to teach a One Block Wonder (OBW) Workshop. I want to show them how to design aound a panel and how to add hexies/stars of different sizes.

The panel is Salt Water Dreaming by Spirit of the Bush, it measures 41.5″ x 27″. I decided to cut my strips 3.25″ to yield 5″ finished hexies. When you want to add hexies/stars/cubes of different sizes, they must be divisible by the original size of the hexies. Deb Tucker’s Star 60 tool makes it easy to do this.

15″ Star Block – This 15″ star is divisible by 5″. This star includes 2 rings of 2.5″ finished Capped 60 units. Your units are always half the size of the finished hexie.

Center: 6 repeats cut into 3.25” strips = a 5” finished hexie.
Companion Triangle: (Black Fabric) Cut 1 – 3.25” WOF strip, cut 6 triangles using the 60 degree line .
Inner Capped 60: ( Orange point, yellow Trapezoid) Make 12 – 2.5” Capped 60 units. Cut two 2” WOF strips from a medium and light fabric.
Half Hexagons: (Bronze fabric) Cut one 3” WOF strip. Using the Star 60 ruler, place the 5.5” line on the bottom of the strip and cut 6 half hexies from a medium fabric.
Outer Capped 60: (Gold points, orange trapezoids) Make 12 Capped 60 units. Cut two 2” WOF strips from a medium and light fabric.

Stitch the center hexie triangle to the black companion triangle. Press seams open.

I used Capped 60 units as side triangles to the diamond shape created by stitching the hexie center to the black triangle. I stitched the second ring of Capped 60 units on either side of the half hexie and then stitched that pieced unit to the pieced center triangle.

Stitch 3 triangles together, pressing the seams open, repeat with the other 3 triangles.

Creating with a Star Center

When I was cutting out my hexies from the aligned panels, I had a strip left that was less than 3.25″. I usually save these for cutting out smaller hexies to applique on the quilt top. This time I trimmed the strip to 2″, the size that would make diamonds for a 2.5″ finished Star 60 unit.

See Star 60 Instructions:

Star_60_01.18.22 Download

I cut the diamonds following the Star 60 instructions on pages 2 – 3. I made 12 – 2.5” finished Capped 60 units. They were trimmed down to 2.25”. Stitch a Capped 60 unit on each side of the diamonds.

Cut a 3” WOF strip. Cut 6 companion triangles. Stitch to the Star 60 Units creating a pieced diamond. Cut another 3” WOF strip. Cut 12 companion triangles. Stitch to each side of the pieced diamond.

Stitch 3 together, press seam open. Stitch the remaining 3 together and press seams open.

Another Star Variation

Center: 6 identical equilateral triangles cut from 3.25” strips. Make 6 – 2.5” Star 60 Units. I used diamonds cut from a 2” strip of 6 repeats. Follow Star 60 instructions pages 2 – 6. Stitch the triangles to the Star 60 Units.

Make 12 – 2.5” finished Capped 60 units. Follow Capped 60 Technique Sheet Instructions. Stitch the Capped 60 units on both side of the pieced diamond.

Carefully pin and stitch 3 pieced triangles together, press seams open. Stitch the remaining 3 triangles together. Press the seams open.

I encourage you to “Play Among the Stars” with the Star 60 tool and the 8 technique sheets that create:

@studio180design #star60tool #debtucker @amysquiltroom

Saltwater Dreaming

Bedazzled – OBW #109

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When I saw this panel by Rubin Design Studio “Intricate Illustrated Kitty” of EQuilter, my heart skipped a beat. I just love the colors, the curves and the movement in this panel.

The panel measured 29″ x 43.5″. I could have cut 3.75″ strips for 6″ finished hexies and trimmed the panel to 42″. But, I decided to cut 3.25″ strips for 5″ finished hexies using my Star 60 Ruler. I would need to trim more of the panel, but I felt a smaller strip would make more interesting hexies. There is some stretching with bias edges, but in the end, I only needed to trim 1″ from bothe sides of the panel. I placed the panel in the middle of my design wall and began designing.

It is always a guessing game when trying to ddecide how far to go past the end of the panel when establishing the bottom row. We know that when we stitch together our hexies, we lose 1/2″ between the seams. But the vertical seams are much harder to calcutlate. The photo above shows the shrinkage, it was abut 3″.

I was playing around trying to find interesting ways for the Star 60 ruler to interact with the hexies. I came up with what I call Star 60 Spinners.

Basic Spinner: You need one hexie (taken apart), and two strips cut the same size as you cut you hexies from. Bedazzled had 5″ finished hexies, cut from 3.25″ strips. I cut one 3.25″ strip for the inner companion triangle and one 3.25″ strip for the side triangles.

With the strip folded, cut 6 sets of 2 side triangles and 3 sets of 2 companion triangles.

Decide what point is going in the center of your hexies, stitch the companion triangle to the opposite edge. Press seams open.

Lay out you side trinagles as shown above on either side of the companion triangle. Stitch the right sides first, then stitch the left sides. Press all seams open.

Construct as you would a hexagon, stitch 2 together, press the seams open then add the third. This made a 10″ finished hexie.

Once I made the Basic Spinner, I knew I could replace the companion triangle with other Star 60 units. I made the units half the size of my 5″ finished hexies. I made 6 – 2.5″ Capped 60, Framed 60, Quad 60 and Star 60 units. I really love these Star 60 Spinners.

Bedazzled measures 88″ x 71″. To get my uneven curvy sides on my OBW, I use half hexies following the Star 60 instrutions on page 10. Bedazzled is not quilted yet.

@equilter @studio180design #Star60 #Capped60 #Framed60 #Quad60 #studio180design

This is What’s on my Design Wall

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I’m having so much fun with this panel from Rubin Design Studio Intricate Illustrated Kitty – Multi – 28″ x 44″ PANEL – DIGITAL.

Stay tuned for colorful updates.

@Equilter #Equilter #Star60 @studio180design

Star 60 Solar System

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I love my Star 60 tool from Studio 180 Design. I’m teaching a Hollow Cube workshop at the end of September at Tiger Lily Quilt Company and in October for the Thread Bears Guild in Oneida, NY. I wanted to create a quilt that would showcase all that the Star 60 tool can create.

I had this quilt, but it didn’t include the Star 60 Log Cabin or Power Strip.

I call this the Star 60 Solar System, it measures 76″ x 76″. In the center is the Star 60 Log Cabin. Starting at the top left and going clockwise is the Star 60, Framed 60, Striped 60, Capped 60, Power Strip, Checkerboard 60, Quad 60 & Hollow Cube 60.

Links to the Star 60 Technique Sheets:

Aside from adding Star 60’s to One Block Wonders, they can be turned into a square to added to traditional quilts.

Chrysanthemum made with just the Star 60 tool and Tucker Twinkle is made with the Framed 60, and Checkerboard 60 technique sheets. The Star 60 tool can definitely bump up your creativity no matter what you are working on.

Rising Star

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I love Deb Tucker’s Star 60 ruler! It can be used to cut out equilateral triangles for a One Block Wonder (OBW), and has 8 accompaning technique sheets for stars and cubes that can be added to a OBW or any quilt.

This quilt shows the Checkerboard 60, Caped 60, Quad 60, Framed 60, Striped 60 , Star 60 & Hollow Cube 60 techniques.

This star was made using the Star 60 Log Cabin technique Sheet.

The star above was made using the Power Strip Technique Sheet.

Traditional Lone Star’s are made using a 45 degree angle. I wanted to make a Lone Star quilt using the Star 60 ruler.

I chose 7 fabrics and a background fabric from Island Batik. I used the Checkerboard Technique Sheet and made 6″ finished Checkerboard units and 6″ diamond units.

The trick with creating multiple pieced diamonds is to only trim the side of the diamonds that are being stitched together at that time. To help with this I created a chart So I always know which sides are trimmed. This combination makes a 12″ finished diamond.

I made 6 of the pink and green diamonds, 6 of the blue and orange diamonds and 12 of the blue and green diamonds.

This shows the layout and how the four diamonds fit together.

Once trimmed, stitch the halves together to create a 24″ diamond.

I cut 13″ WOF strips and used my Star 60 ruler and my 6″ x 24″ Olfa ruler to establish the 60 degree line and continued to cut side triangles for my 24″ diamonds

Layout the side triangles on the left and right sides of the diamond.

Stitch the right side triangle first, press toward the diamond. Stitch the left side triangle, press toward the side triangle.

Rotate the unit so that the untrimmed edge is either by your right hand for trimming if you are right handed or by your left hand if left handed. Locate the Flat Edge trim line on the Star 60™ Tool. Align the Flat Edge trim lines with the seams of the Diamond. Bump up a 24″ long ruler next to the Star 60 ruler and trim, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Stitch triangles together in groups of 3, creating half hexagons, press seams open. This is a 48″ star.

Create Half Triangle Rectangles by cutting a 25″ WOF strip, trim to 16″ x 25″, make sure they are right or wrong sides together, align the ½” line on the tool with
the top edge and the center line with the edge of the rectangle, place a regular ruler next to the Star 60 tool. Move the Star 60 tool out of the way and cut along the edge of your long ruler.

The Half Triangle rectangles (HTR) turn the hexagon into a rectangle. Once the HTR’s are stitched to the half hexies I added 4.5″ strips to the side to make it a square.

My Star 60 Lone Star top measures 65″ x 65″, and was made Island Batik fabrics.

#studio180design #islandbatik #star60

Call of the Sea – OBW #97

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My favorite panels to make OBW’s with are by Josephine Wall.

Call of the Sea panel measured 35″ x 43″. I cut 3.25″ strips which yielded 5″ finished hexies.

I created a barrier reef for my mermaid using Studio 180 Design’s Star 60 tool, along with Quad 60, Framed 60, Capped 60, Checkerboard 60 & Hollow Cube 60 (not yet released) Technique sheets. My Island Batik stash is like having the BIG box of crayons. They are my go-to batiks to add color and interest to my OBW’s and all my quilts.