tutorials

Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop: Summer Perseid Block

IMG_4825Hi! And thanks for joining me on the 2015 Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop! I’m calling this block the Summer Perseid, because the idea came to me after watching shooting stars on the dock of a lake one night this summer with my oldest son.

As this is the third day of the hop, you probably know the hop’s sponsor, Fabri-Quilt, who generously supplied all hop members with fat eighths of their Prairie Cloth Solids in a juicy Watermelon Summer Palette. This block uses small bits of all of the colors provided, but you can tailor it to your desires. The center can be all one color, the arms of the star can each be a different color, it’s really up to you! I’ve created this tutorial based on the photograph above, so let’s get started!

Supplies:

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(2) 7-1/4″ squares of lapis blue solid

(2)- 7-1/4″ squares of turquoise solid

(2)- 1″x 7″ strips of lapis blue solid

(4)- 3″ x 8″ strips of white solid

(4) – 1″ x 7″ strips of white solid

(1) – small 2-1/2″ triangle of fabric each in chartreuse, turquoise, coral, and aqua solid.

(1)-  pen of choice for marking, ruler, and rotary cutter.

Note: all seam allowances are 1/4″. This block is 12.5″ unfinished, or 12″ finished.

The How-To:

Step 1: Make the lapis blue and turquoise half-square triangles (HSTs).

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Place a lapis blue square directly on top of a turquoise square. Using your pen, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back side of each lapis blue square.

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Sew a seam 1/4″ on either side of the marked diagonal line. Repeat for both squares. Cut each of the sewn pairs on the marked line.

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Press open and square up each to 6-1/2″ square.

Step 2: Sew the strips together.

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Sew a 1″ x 7″ white strip to either side of a 1″ x 7″ lapis blue strip as shown. Make two sets and press all seams open. Tip: I find it easier to press each seam as I sew, rather than waiting to press. It makes everything lie neat and flat when working with close-together seams.

Step 3: Mark and slice the HSTs.

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Place two of your HSTs on your cutting mat as shown (turquoise on top, lapis blue on the bottom), and on each, mark a diagonal line from 4″ left of the bottom right corner to 4″ up from that same corner. Cut on the drawn line. Make sure you keep the triangle scraps that you cut off, as you will reuse these in a minute.

Step 4: Attach the strips and triangle scrap. Trim.

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Attach the sewn strips of white and lapis blue to the cut edge of the HSTs.

IMG_4806Then attach the cut lapis blue triangle scrap to the raw edge of the strips. Press all seams open. Using the original lapis blue edges of the HST as your guide, trim the existing fabric back to 6-1/2″ square.

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Step 5: Mark and slice the star arms.

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Place the two striped HSTs on your cutting mat so that the white strips are angled in the bottom right corner. With your pen, draw a line from 2″ left of the bottom right corner to 1/2″ down from the top right corner  (as shown).

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Place your ruler on the diagonal line and cut.

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Draw the same diagonal line on the two, plain HSTs and cut.

Step 6: Sew and trim the star arms.

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Sew a 3″ x 8″ piece white fabric to the cut edge of each HST. Press seams open. Then using the original edges of the square, re-trim square to 6-1/2″ square. You will have two finished squares that look like the above, and two that look like the picture below.

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Step 7: Making the center diamond.

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Place your squares on the cutting mat so that the  star arm is in on the right side of the square, points up. On each square, slice a small angle (Tip: no more than 2″ from the corner on either side) from the bottom right corner of the star arm. How much or how little you cut is up to you! If you’d like all of your corners to meet perfectly, you can cut the same amount from each square. If you’d like your diamond to have a “wonky” effect, you can cut a slightly different amount or angle from each square. How you arrange it is up to you. I’ve cut a different color for each square, and chosen to make mine slightly wonky.

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Sew a colored triangle to each cut edge. Press seams open and trim square to 6-1/2″.

Step 8: Assemble the block.

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Using your quarter inch seam, attach all four squares to form the shape of the star so that the colored diamond pieces meet in the center, and the striped blocks are diagonal from one another (as shown above).

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And there you have it! A Summer Perseid Block all your own! I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, and I appreciate you stopping by! Now, for some fun stuff. . .


A FABRIC GIVEAWAY!

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For a chance to win your own half-yard bundle in Watermelon Summer Palette of Prairie Cloth Solids, visit Quilting Jet Girl and Inspired By Fabric for all of the details!

Please make sure to visit all of the other bloggers participating in the block hop (listed below). And a huge thanks to all of our hosts: Stephanie @Late Night Quilter’s , Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, Yvonne @Quilting Jet Girl and Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination.

Host – Stephanie @Late Night Quilter
Hannah @Modern Magnolia Studio
Cindy @Stitchin At Home
Abby @Hashtag Quilt
Lisa @Sunlight in Winter Quilts
Carrie @Chopping Block Quilts
Brianna @The Iron and Needle
Tish @Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland
Jan @The Colorful Fabriholic
Sarah @Smiles Too Loudly
Beth @Cooking Up Quilts
Leanne @Devoted Quilter
Liz @LizzyClips Design
Kim @Leland Ave Studios

Thanks again for stopping by!

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  • Cindy
    September 2, 2015 at 8:03 am

    I like how the stripe gives your block a just a touch of extra visual interest. Very nice and clear instructions.

  • SarahZ
    September 2, 2015 at 8:26 am

    This is a sweet starry block! and also quite “nautical”, as is fitting, since you were on a dock 🙂 Your instructions are super clear!!

  • Abby K.
    September 2, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I love how clean this blog is. It is so lovely!

    • Abby K.
      September 2, 2015 at 8:48 am

      Block not blog…

  • Heide
    September 2, 2015 at 8:56 am

    Amazing block. Great instructions too.

  • Kirsty@Bonjour
    September 2, 2015 at 8:57 am

    Wow, what a fantastic block. I love the colours – blues are always my favourite, so the more the better. I was expecting a paper piecing nightmare (I am SO bad at paper piecing) but you made it look so easy – nice going! Love that wonky centre piece too – makes the block so less stressful (and adds more visual interest, IMO).

  • Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
    September 2, 2015 at 9:40 am

    Oh my goodness, I looked at your block and thought it would be paper pieced… but nope! You fooled me! It is a lovely design and I can totally see the connection to watching the Perseids.

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  • rosa
    September 2, 2015 at 9:53 am

    Just fantastic design!

  • Jayne Willis
    September 2, 2015 at 10:10 am

    Dang Kim!!! This looks so difficult, but you explained every thing perfectly! I love the little connecting pieces! It really does look like it would be paper pieced! Nice to know you can ‘get there’ with out it! Kudos Kim!

  • Stephanie
    September 2, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    What a great block. I hope you use this to make a quilt cuz I’m sure it will be stunning!

  • Stephanie
    September 2, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    Wow, Kim! You are impressive. You had us all fooled- we thought for sure points that gorgeous need to be paper pieced. What a clever approach. I am amazed at your creativity and thought process.

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  • Leanne Parsons
    September 2, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    Wow! That is a very striking block. It looks much more complicated than it actually is, too.

  • carrie wikander
    September 2, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    Okay, this is really wicked cool – I LOVE it. I love how the middle is a little wonky, and that added stripe is too awesome – I wanna make a mini outta this! I’ll share it with you when it’s done. (Don’t hold your breath, though..it will take a while.)Great job as usual, Kim.

  • Brenda Ackerman
    September 2, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Spectacular block design and tutorial you have put together! Thank you for sharing and giving me another great quilt block to make and create a quilt with. Have a wonderful creative day!

  • Silvia Sutters
    September 2, 2015 at 10:04 pm

    This looks like a really fun block to make. I love your directions/tutorial and pictures. Great job!

  • Dena
    September 2, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    This is a fun and modern block. I love stars. Congrats.

  • lori landenburger
    September 2, 2015 at 11:28 pm

    What a cool way to construct a block!!! I’d love to see an entire quilt made from these, and you could use the units in different ways to make all sorts of cool patterns and borders, too. Yay!!
    XX!
    Lori

  • helen
    September 3, 2015 at 4:16 am

    Hi Kim, I love your shooting stars, a real thing of late summer. They remind me of guide camps in late August. This is a block I think I think I will be making. Thank you

  • Cassandra
    September 3, 2015 at 10:19 am

    I love the clean, modern star you have created! The shot of color in the center adds the perfect punch to really make the block come alive.

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  • Lu
    September 3, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    Cool looking block Kim. Thank you very much for the tutorial to create such a zinger!

  • DebraKay Neiman
    September 3, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    What a nice block I love shooting stars. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

  • Karen
    September 5, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    What a great block! Just like those shooting stars I saw this summer. And the colors are my favorites! Thanks for the great, clear tutorial!

  • Julie Stocker
    September 6, 2015 at 6:03 am

    Intricate, but forgiving. I love the delicacy of this block, and agree it reminds me of the prism effect of meteors shooting through the sky, but the center design is forgiving when the parts all come together. User friendly design and tutorial.

  • Liz
    September 6, 2015 at 11:14 am

    This block is so pretty! I really appreciate your pieicing instructions, and that you’ve demonstrated that it’s possible to create precise, non-45-degree-angles without paper piecing. I definitely have to give your technique a try!

  • Lisa
    September 9, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    This is a great block Kim. I like that it has both symmetrical and asymmetrical aspects to it. A great use of the colours.