Category Archives: Studio 180 Design

On the Way to the Turtle Boudoir – OBW #102

I fell in love with the colors in this panel by Carol Cavalaris and QT Fabrics.

I did not want to include the panel borders in my One Block Wonder (OBW), so I measured the inside as 30.75″ x 36.75″. I cut my strips 3.25″ to yield 5″ finished hexies. As there was little design in corners, I aligned around the turtles and plants in 12 different places. I cut my strips on the shorter 30″ side as opposed to the length of the panel. I had 165 hexies to design with.

I started designing on the bottom right of the panel going across the bottom and up the right side. I added a 15″ Hollow cube that had 3 – 5″ hollow cubes inside it. My cubes are made using Deb Tucker’s Star 60 ruler and the Hollow Cube 60 Technique Sheet.

I added half hexegons made using the Star 60 ruler and a darker Island Batik fabric to fill in around the hexies from the panel.

My rows are numbered and ready to be stitched together into sections .

The photo above show how the 15″ cube is incorporated into the 5″ hexies. I don’t trim the panel till I’m ready to stitch the sides to it.

All four sections are stitched together and ready to add to the panel.

I add the bottom section to the panel first. I did not want to trim the points, so I took out few stitches in the valley’s and pressed under about 1/4″. After the bottom is stitched to the panel, I add the right side and stitch, ending about 8″ from the top of the of the panel. This shows me where to attached the top section to the panel. Once the top is attached I can finish the seam of the right section to the panel. Now the left side can be easily added.

Once all the sections are attached to the panel, I can begin to tweak and soften the edges around the panel.

I made 3″ finished Hollow Cube 60’s to applique on the left side and on the top to hide where the panel border was showing. I use Island Batik fabrics to create my Hollow Cube 60’s. Heading to the Turtle Boudoir is now ready to be quiulted.

@studio180design @islandbatik @star60 @Hollowcube 60

Wings of Joy, Emerging from the Cocoon – OBW #101

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You can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of Josephine Wall panels. I feel so lucky to have found this one.

The name of the panel is Wings of Joy. I added “Emerging from the Cocoon” because I think the design suggests she is emerging with great joy. The panel measures 35″ by 43″.

I cut my strips 3.25″ to yield 5″ finished hexies. With 5″ finished hexies I would fit 8 across the top and bottom of the panel. I will to trim the panel to fit the top and bottom sections. I had to give her a destination, so I using my Star 60 Ruler and my Star 60 Log Cabin Technique Sheet, I added a 15″ log cabin star.

My Star 60 Log Cabin finishes as 15″. I stitched three rows of hexies together above and below each half of the log cabin star, which made it possible to seamless add the 15″ star.

Now, I have the top, right and bottom sections ready.

Above, all four sections have been added to the panel.

After a little tweaking “Wings of Joy, Emerging from the Cocoon” is ready to quilt. She measures 100″ wide by 70″ tall. As always, I use Island Batik fabrics to enhance my OBW’s.

@studio180design @Star60logcabin @IslandBatik

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 bacground 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 trimed. This combination makes a 12″ finished diamond.

I made 6 of the pink and green diamonds, 6 of the bluse 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 establish the 60 degree line and continued to cut side triangles for my 24″ diamonds

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

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

Star 60 Log Cabin & Hollow Cube 60 Zoom Classes

17 Years of Leftover Hexies – OBW #100

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Crazed quilter makes 100 of the same quilt, sort of! I made my first One Block Wonder (OBW) in April 2006. One evening looking through my Hancocks of Paucah catalog I saw an ad for a book called “One Block Wonders, One Fabric, One Shape, One of a Kind Quilts” by Maxine Rosenthal. Little did I know that in 2017 two of my OBW’s would actually be in Maxine’s book “One Block Wonders of the World!

I was intrigued and ordered the book. I was so excited and had so much fun making my first OBW. I was totally hooked. Everyone loved my OBW’s. I started teaching the process that same year. I never thought in a million years that I would end up making 100 OBW’s. I made #99 in December 2022. Everyone kept asking what was I going to do for #100? I didn’t have a clue. Then the light bulb went off. I should make a OBW from all my leftover hexies, thay would certainly be different.

When making OBW’s, sometimes you use all your hexies and sometimes you don’t. I just started storing the leftover hexies in a tub. After 17 years I had quite a collection of leftover hexies. I love trees and had hoped to fashion a tree out of my leftovers. But I didn’t have the right colors and couldn’t quite get there. I was discouraged, then I thought I should just start designing and see what happens. I sorted the hexies by predominate color and went to work.

I thought…this is going to work! I counted hexies from 32 different OBW’s going back to the first year, wowza!

I was closely supervised by my Quality Control Chihuahua, Tucker!

I wanted the hexies to tell the story, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t jazz up the borders. I added Hollow Cube 60’s, Framed 60’s, Capped 60’s, Quad 60’s Checkerboard 60’s and Star 60’s using my Star 60 Tool by Deb Tucker. 17 Years of Leftover hexies measures 74″ x 108″. I seem to keep making quilted murals!

I still have leftover hexies!!!

Hollow Cube 60 & January 2023 Zoom Classes

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I’m so excited, the Hollow Cube 60 Technique Sheet has been released by Studio 180 Design. The Hollow Cube 60 can be made in 16 sizes using the Star 60 tool and is a great addition to your One Block Wonder’s (OBW’s). These cubes are easy and fun to make.

January 2023 Zoom Classes:

January 7th – Star 60: 3 hour class. Difficulty 2 Stars. This class is an introduction into making the Star 60, which can be made in 17 sizes. As with all the Star 60 Stars they can be incorporated into your OBW’s. We will be using the free pattern included with the Star 60 instructions, “Hexstravaganza”.

January 14th – Tucker Twinkle: 3 Hour class. Difficulty 4 Stars. Learn 3 Star 60 techniques in one class. This 18: finished block is a combination of 3 Framed 60 units, 3 Checkerboard 60 units, 6 Star 60 units and 12 Half Hexagons.

January 21st – Hollow Cube 60: 3 hour class. Difficulty 3 Stars. Add the illusion that light is shining on your quilt from the direction you choose by adding Hollow Cube 60’s. These cubes can be made in 16 sizes. I will help you stay organized.

January 28th – One Block Wonder 1: By the end of class you will feel confident about the OBW process, including:

Identifying and cutting your repeats.
Aligning repeats including difficult fabrics.
Choosing a ruler and understanding the difference between pointed & blunt tip rulers.
Deciding what strip widths to cut
And, of course cutting all your triangles.

Reserve your spot now: OBW & Star 60 Zoom Classes for 2023 | If These Threads Could Talk !

I have added them to 5 OBW’s so far.

Cardinals in Winter – OBW #99

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I have just completed my 99th OBW.

Theis panel is Call of the Wild, 2017 by Hoffman Fabrics. This top meaures 56″ x 100″. It is not quilted yet. I made this quilt in Memory of my Grandmother, Bessie Armstrong McCorduck, who alway fed the Cardianls in Winter.

This quilt features Checkerboard 60 blocks as my snowflakes and Hollow Cube 60’s as my water’s edge and black ice.

#star60tool #studio180design #debtucker #checkerboard60 #hollowcube60

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.

Call of the sea measures 98″ x 72″.

3rd Quarter 2022 Zoom Classes

A World of Wonders, OBW #95

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I just completed my 95th One Block Wonder! I guess I need to shoot for making at least 100 OBW’s!

“A World of Wonders” is made from a panel by Josephine Wall and measures 72″ x 97″. I integrated Star 60 and Quad 60 Stars and Island Batik fabrics to enhance my quilt’s story.