Lilly's Doll House Handmade Quilts and Gifts
  • Home
    • Contact Information
    • Privacy Policy
  • Lilly's Blog
  • Tutorial Quick Reference
  • Quilt Album

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial

3/21/2018

0 Comments

 
Hello and happy spring! Welcome to the third tutorial for the  Block of the Month group over on my Facebook page. The theme for the 2018 quilt is "The Sky's the Limit Mystery Star Quilt".  The fabric I am using for this quilt is from the Farmer's Daughter collection by Lella Boutique for Moda. I purchased it from Kerstin over at   Huckleberry Quilting Company.  I love her selection of sweet floral fabrics! She even offers free quilting patterns on her website. I hope you'll go and visit her shop full of happiness soon.
The mystery block for March  is called the Ribbon Star Block; I simply love how pretty it  turned out! I can't wait to try the Ribbon Star in other projects...possibly even a mini quilt.  I think you will find that your imagination goes wild after learning to sew this simple but versatile block. Let's get started!
Ribbon Star Block Intro Picture
The Ribbon Star Block

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 1
Here are the pieces you will need to complete one 12.5" (unfinished) block:
  • Pieces A, B, D, and E:  Two- 4" x 4" squares of each color;  cut them in half on the diagonal ( this will give you four diagonals of each color, but you'll only need three diagonals of each color  for the block... twelve total are needed)
  • Piece C:  Four - 3.5" x 3.5" background squares ( I used white for my background)
  • Piece F:  Six - 4" x 4" squares (same color as the background); cut them in half on the diagonal ( this will give you 12 diagonals of the background color)

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 2
Next: Match the twelve colored diagonals with twelve of the white diagonals and stitch them together. You can "chain stitch" to make this step go quicker.  After sewing the diagonals together, you  will have twelve half-square triangles (HST's) in all. Click HERE for a quick tutorial on chain stitching from the Patchwork Posse.  It's easy and fun!


Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 3
My  chain-stitched HST's... aren't they lovely?  I'm sure yours will be too!

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 4
But even though our lovely  piles of HST's are to swoon over, we still need to move them along to the next step.

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture
Using a hot iron (I  like to use the steam setting), press all the HST's open; be sure to press the seam to the dark side of the fabric so that the seam doesn't show through the lighter background fabric.

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 6
Next, we want to trim our HST's into nice, neat squares. Trimmed squares behave so much more nicely in our finished project than do untrimmed, unruly squares. For my easy, step-by-step tutorial on trimming HST's, click HERE.

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 7
Once all the squares are nicely trimmed, we can lay them out into our Ribbon Star Block pattern.

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 10
The final step is to sew our block in rows as seen above. Press the seams open so that the block lays nice and flat. Now, wasn't that easy and fun? I'm proud of you!

Ribbon Star Block Tutorial Picture 8
I just love the elegant simplicity of this block! Not only does the pattern go together quickly and easily, it is a wonderful  choice for  an all-over  quilt design. I hope you have as much fun thinking about the possibilities of this block as I did! Happy quilting!
Picture
0 Comments

Blueberry Pie Quilted Table Runner

3/16/2018

0 Comments

 
Hello! We've left February behind and we're making steady progress through March.  Today is beautifully sunny and it is very tempting to be outside picking daffodils instead of working indoors. But the  motto at our house is, "do the things that need doing first and then do the things you want to do afterwards". Lucky for me, as a homemaker and quilter,  most of the things that need doing are the very things I want to do! I'm reminded of a saying I've heard often, "Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life".  That's how I feel most days, and I feel so blessed to have a job I love doing.

Just a side note here...yes, the pie crust in the picture is slightly burnt. That's what happens when you talk on the phone and forget you have a pie in the oven! But I can assure you that the pie still tasted like a slice of sweet summer goodness. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you'll  be saying, "What burnt crust? I don't see any burnt crust!" LOL!
Blueberry Pie Quilted Table Runner with Pie Picture
Speaking of things I love...blueberry pie happens to be pretty near the top of the list (right up there with chocolate pie). I also love surprises (well, pleasant ones), which is why I'm so pleased to reveal the surprise  project I've been working on since January. Ready? It's my Blueberry Pie quilted table runner! Recently, I posted on my blog about the Blueberry Pie Block project I found over on Wendy Russell's website, Patchwork Square.  You can Click HERE to read my Blueberry Pie Block tutorial.
Basket full of blueberries Picture
It's the little things like this basket of freshly picked blueberries that make life lovely!
It's not easy to put a price on the little things that bring us the most joy. Like Winnie the Pooh once said, "It's the smallest things that take up the most room in your heart."  We've been so blessed to have a wonderful little farm as our home for the fast four years. Our family stays very busy from spring until fall working in the garden and flowerbeds, taking care of the chickens, and doing need jobs around the  place. Summer months are also busy  times for picking blackberries, blueberries, and  muscadines. Sometimes it's a challenge to get every thing harvested and preserved, but it's so worth the effort!
Blueberry Pie Quilted Table Runner Picture
 After spotting  the Blueberry Pie  block on  Wendy's website, I immediately knew there was a project and a blog post in the making. I happened to have just the perfect  fabric in my stash...Roses on the Vine fabric collection by Marti Mitchell for Maywood Studios. The  lovely floral and gingham prints couldn't have been more perfect for this table runner project. I used selected fabrics from a 10" Layer Cake along with some selected yardage for the border, backing, and binding.
Blueberry Pie Quilted Table Runner Picture
I alternated the  soft red, indigo, pink, and soft blue fabrics within the star blocks for variety.
Blueberry Pie Table Runner Backing Fabric Picture
This sweet cream fabric with roses and dots made a nice contrast for the backing. In addition, I chose to machine quilt this project using a free-motion meandering pattern (my current favorite).
Blueberry Pie Table Runner with Pie Picture
The dark indigo gingham and classic dot fabric worked nicely for the sashing pieces and cornerstones. I love the contrast of these dark and light colors. The soft red border makes those dark indigo blocks pop!
Blueberry Pie Quilt Block Picture
Overall, Blueberry Pie is an  easy block  to construct, and it  has a ton of possibilities when it comes to color options.    I hope you'll give it a try the next time you're deciding on a quilting project!  Click here for a link to my step by step tutorial for the Blueberry Pie block as well as the link to the free PDF pattern from Wendy Russell's website. Side note:  I didn't use a specific pattern for the table runner but rather my imagination and a design board. I would love to hear where your quilting imagination takes you...Have fun and happy quilting!
Blog signature Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Archives

    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017

    Categories

    All
    Annie Smith
    A Quilt Like No Other
    Block Of The Month
    Blueberry-pie-quilted-table-runner
    Desserts
    Encouragement
    Evening Star Block
    Farmer's Daughter Fabric
    Flowers
    Friendship Star Block
    Gardening
    Grief
    Guest Author
    Half Square Triangles
    Kid's Quilts
    Lap Quilts
    Legacy
    Mother's Day
    Ohio Star Block
    Quilt History
    Quilting
    Quilting Beginner
    Quilt Making
    Quilt Sizes
    Recipes
    Ribbon Star Block
    Roses On The Vine Fabric
    Scraps Of Quilt History
    Sewing
    Sewing Machine Needle Types
    Square Ruler
    Standard Mattress Sizes
    Thread Stand
    Tribute
    Trimming Blocks
    Tutorials
    Types Of Sewing Thread

    RSS Feed

    Craftsy Unlimited FREE 7 day trial at Craftsy.com
    Fat Quarter Shop Quilting Fabric, Kits, Notions, Sales and Patterns
  • Home
    • Contact Information
    • Privacy Policy
  • Lilly's Blog
  • Tutorial Quick Reference
  • Quilt Album