Friday Sampler Block #4 - Blazing Star

I learned a lot doing this block.

This one was truly fun and challenging.  There are only 3 different triangles used, but it finishes into a surprisingly complex looking block.  It definitely felt as if I had accomplished something by the time one star was complete.  I am looking forward to making a table runner with several Blazing Star blocks sometime soon.

So here's what you'll need for 1 block:

Blazing Star Die #55051
(I regret that I won't be able to provide templates for this block due to copyright issues.  More on this later)

5 fabrics

• 1 light for background 
• 2 mediums 
• 2 darks

Fat quarters would work fine.

The most important part about putting together this block is in the cutting stage.  Pay close attention to which fabric is cut on each of the 3 size triangles, and whether the directions call for them to be cut right side up, wrong side up, or wrong sides together.  I highly recommend that you use fabrics which don't have a right and a wrong side, like kona cotton, or batiks.  This will eliminate one of the ways you can get into trouble.

For one block, you will need 4 triangles of each color for the star points, and eight background triangles.

Stitch one dark outer star triangle to background triangle, and one medium outer star triangle to a background triangle.  If you have cut them properly, the pieces will align and the top will be basically a straight line.  The background pieces are to the outside and the star triangles to the inside.  The star triangles will be sewn to each other after the next step.

After stitching, press toward the dark star triangle, and toward the background piece on the medium triangle unit.  This is so they will all be pressed in the same direction in the finished block.

Join the lighter of the inner star point triangles to the darker unit, and the darker inner star point triangle to the medium unit. Press toward the darker outer star/background unit on one, and toward the darker inner star point on the other.

Then join these two units, outer star points together. You will only need one pin in the seam where all four triangles meet.  Since you pressed the units in opposite directions, you will be able to lock the the seams and get a perfect match.  Sew all four units the same way.

Next join two of  the units.  Press so that the seams are all going in the same direction.  When you join the two halves together into the completed block, you should be able to open up the center seam by undoing a few stitches in the seam allowance.  Then you can press the whole star flat and it will lay nicely.

One of the things I learned was that this is not a traditional star block.  I searched my EQ7 program and couldn't find it.  So I drew it in the Easy Draw program; it turned out great!  Now I can resize the block, print out templates, and calculate yardage.  However, since it is a copyrighted block, I can't share the templates here.

I love the way this block turned out.  Although it pieces very easily, I rate it a 7 in difficulty because of the careful attention needed in cutting.

Happy Sewing ♥

P.S. I am not crazy about the orangey-red  in this block and might have to do it over with a different color choice for the sampler quilt.  Another thing I learned.