Category Archives: Studio 180 Design

Rising Star

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

Star 60 Log Cabin & Hollow Cube 60 Zoom Classes

17 Years of Leftover Hexies – OBW #100

18 Replies

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

17 Replies

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

18 Replies

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

8 Replies

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

10 Replies

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.

Chrysanthemum Quilt

4 Replies

For the last year and half I been experimenting with Deb Tucker’s Star 60 Tool and adding stars and cubes to One Block Wonders (OBW).

This block was created by the Studio 180 Design Brain Trust. I call it the Chrysanthemum. I put it in my OBW Star Chamber.

I wanted to see what the Chrysanthemum block looked like as a quilt.

Holy guacamole, someone make me a margarita! This quilt just makes me smile and think of a fiesta.

I am teaching Zoom classes on OBW’s and the Star 60 tool, along with the 5 technique sheets for the Star 60 tool. I have added the fabric requirements for this quilt to class the supply list so you can decide whether to make a block for your OBW or a Chrysanthemum quilt.

chrysanthemum-supply-list-2 Download

To sign up for classes go to: https://ifthesethreadscouldtalk.com/obw-zoom-classes/

Moving Forward – OBW #94

6 Replies

I love Josephine Wall’s panels. I call this one “Moving Forward”. It measures 74″ x 98″. The Framed 60 Stars, Log Cabin Stars and Cubes were made using the Star 60 Tool. (Technique sheets for the Log Cabin Stars and Cubes are coming soon.)