This is me on Buck, our first horse. In 1966 I was living in Las Vegas. I was in the 4H Club. Every year we participated in a parade down the Las Vagas Strip. I was such a tomboy. I once caught a wild mustang and brought it home. He was tearing up the corral so bad I had to set him free the next day. At least he had water and a meal.
Mystical Horse OBW measures 94″ x 71″. I cut my strips 3.25″ which yielded 5″ finished hexies, cut with the First Choice ruler. I included 10″ finished Framed 60 Units made with the Star 60 Tool and Island Batik fabrics.
My friend and fellow Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor Terri Butler has challenged herself to make a OBW coat for every OBW that I make. She got hers done before me.
If you follow me you know I love my Chihuahua Tucker.
But, These cat panels by Rubin Design Studio, exclusively from eQuilter are just fabulous!
Mysterious Kitty panel measures 43.5″ x 29.5″. I decided to cut my strips 3.25″ yielding 168 – 5″ finished hexies.
I decided to start my design at the top of the panel, choosing the upper right corner to start, and placing 8 hexies across the top before going down to start the left side.
Above is the design I settled on. The edges of the panel range from black to dark blue. I didn’t think the green from the eyes would show up much, so I added Framed 60 stars to the upper right corner. They make the Kitty’s eyes sparkle more. I added Star 60 units to the left side in orange and blue made using the Star 60 Tool.
Above shows the top and bottom sections attached to the panel. Notice how much it shrinks when stitched together. We know we lose 1/2″ between straight seams. But, when stitching the hexies into rows we lose 9/16″ between seams. Depending on how many hexies are in your row, you lose about 3″ or more.
There are always two opportunities to tweak the design. The first is while designing with the hexies. The second is after you finished designing and the rows stitched are together. The photo on the right shows the top stitched together un-tweaked. I needed to soften the dark corners on the bottom of the panel. The photo on the right shows the top tweaked. I added appliqued Star 60 units on the lower right and left corners of the panel in different sizes and colors to created more of a curve I was looking for.
In my OBW Supply List, I show you a method to create appliqued hexies using fusible knit interfacing. This time I tried something different. I used Steam-A-Seam. I traced the fabric unit on the Steam-A-Seam paper, and then cut it out at least 1/4″ smaller. Following the Steam-a-Seam directions, I attached it to the back of the fabric unit. I removed the paper and finger pressed the raw edges under 1/4″. It was now ready to be attached to the quilt top. Once I have all my appliqued units attached to the top, I top stitch them down using Superior Monopoly clear thread.
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.
My favorite panels to make OBW’s with are by Josephine Wall.
Call of the Sea
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.
It’s already coming up on the 3rd quarter for 2022. Below are scheduled zoom classes I will be teaching. To sign up for classes and download the supply lists click here: https://ifthesethreadscouldtalk.com/obw-zoom-classes/
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.)
Star Chamber is my design created with the Star 60 tool & Striped 60, Framed 60, Checkerboard 60 Quad 60 & Caped 60 Technique Sheets. The next Star 60 Basic Zoom Class is scheduled for January 22, 2022, sign up on this site under the OBW & Star 60 Zoom Classes tab.
Studio 180 Design is running an exclusive special through the end of January of 20% off the purchase price of the Star 60 and/or Wedge Star tools. You can purchase the tools at the links below: Use the code OBWwithStudio180 at checkout to get the discount.
My latest One Block Wonder “Ray of Hope” a panel by Josephine Wall measures 79″ x 62″. I incorporated 6″ finished Framed 60 stars made with the Star 60 Tool.
Ray of Hope
Reserve your spot in my next OBW Zoom Class January 8, 2022, 1:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time). For class details click on the OBW Zoom Classes tab.
I love Josephine Wall’s art, her fabric panels are glorious. They make spectacular One Block Wonders.
Celestial Journey panel measures 35″ x 43″
These panels must have been either the beginning of the run or the last. The outer edges were off be about 1/2″. I focused on aligning the panels around the unicorn. The outer edges were mostly space so it was not crucial they be perfectly aligned. I cut my strips 3.75″ by WOF.
If These Threads Could Talk 