The final setting I am doing for my blocks is a combination of framed blocks and blocks set on point. I used a quilt program to design this setting and somewhere along the line in that process it way underestimated the finished size and some of the yardage requirements-I do apologize-this has been a learning process for me and I hope such mistakes can now be avoided in the future. Here is the updated information you need for this quilt.
Red and White Version Color Scrappy Version This one goes together pretty quickly. The first step is to square up all of our blocks. I am using two rulers to do this as I do not have a ruler large enough for the block size we are using. So I lay my square ruler down first lining up the seam lines with straight lines on the ruler (I konw that the 10" marks will work on the edge to get the 16 1/2" size I need to trim to once I add my long 6 1/2" ruler that will be my trimming guide. You will have to figure out the ruler combination that works for you with the rulers you have. (I ordered a 16 1/2" Creative Grids ruler that came the day after I trimmed these, lol.)
We do have some cutting to do before we can begin putting the blocks together.
A-(cut 10) 4" x 16 1/2" See Note #1 B-(cut 10) 4" x 23 1/2" See Note #1 C-(cut 8) 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"- cut in half on diagonal ⧄ D-(cut 24) 4" x 23 1/2" cut on length of grain See Note #2. E- (cut 16) 4" x 4" Note#1: When I cut my A and B strips I cut one A and one B from each strip so that I had less fabric waste (16 1/2" x 23 1/2" =40" so I can get one of each from a standard 44" width of fabric) Note #2: To use my fabric efficiently and eliminate any stretching I cut these strips out on the length of grain rather than my usual crossgrain cuts. I measured out 25 inches and made a little clip on the fabric then tore it across the grain. Next I folded this in half along the length and again in half crossways which made it a length that worked with my 18 1/2" ruler for cutting the four inch strips. I cut these pretty much as demonstrated by this youtube video that Marti Michell did-I just folded my fabric in half so I would not have to reach so far to make the cuts. The second video is from Leah Day on how to make sure you square up your fabric before cutting-this is what I do when I fold my fabric in half and keeps the strips nice and straight.
This is my tutorial for one of the alternate settings I am doing with my Under the Stars quilt blocks. I think this may be the last time I ever set blocks this large on point again-trying to cut those very large setting triangles was a bit of a challenge-but I did eventually find a method that worked for me. I certainly like the fact that this quilt will finish large enough to go on our guest bed. Just wish I had thought to order the larger Creative Grid Rulers before now.
For this setting I need to make four more blocks. I cut my fabric as follows:
A-(cut 4) 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" B-(cut 4) 9 1/4" x 9 1/4" C-(cut 8) 8 7/8" x 8 7/8 "
I then cut the B square on the diagonal twice to yield 4 triangles (16 total) A rotating cutting mat works very well for this, or a smaller mat that you can turn to make each cut without moving the fabric.
For the next three weeks I am going to show you the three different options for setting your blocks together into a quilt. I am also making a couple of announcements at the end of this post so be sure to check them out.
This week I am doing the basic setting using sashing and cornerstones. The method I am using is my favorite and perhaps a little different from what you are used to. I have found this method gives me the best results overall. Note: It has come to my attention that I left out the amount of fabric needed for the sashing strips in this version. You will need 1 yard for the sashing.
I will be demonstrating this setting using blocks I did for the NQC Quilt Challenge last year-my Snowman version that I never finished. Instead of using a plain fabric square for my cornerstones I have pieced snowball blocks to use in this quilt. That is one of the fun things about this setting-those cornerstones do not have to be just plain fabric squares-there are so many possibilites.
The very first, and very important first step is to square up your blocks. Since I do no have a ruler large enough for these 16 1/2 inch blocks I do a little improvising with my 12 1/2 inch square ruler and a 6 1/2 inch long ruler. Ideally I should get a larger square ruler as it would make the process much easier. As it is, I wil have to rotate my block four times to square up each side.
I place the square ruler first lining up the 10 inch mark with the left side of my block. I then look at those seams running vertically and horizontally across the block and make sure to line up the lines on my ruler with them. Since I do not know what size rulers you are using for this I am not able to give you any specific measurements that will work for everyone. In my case the middle of my block falls at the 1 3/4" (vertical line) and 4 1/4" (horizontal line) on my ruler so I use that as my guidelines for the vertical aand horizontal seams. Next I lay the long ruler right up against the square ruler and trim off any extra. A NOTE HERE: Before trimming any of your blocks take time to check the size of each. If they are not all pretty close to 16 1/2" you might need to adjust your finished size-maybe you have one or two that ended up 16"-it is best to trim your others to this smaller size. And if they are larger than 16 1/2" again, just trim so they are all the same size, if you trim too much off the sides you will certainly lose those points we are all so proud of, but it is very important that the blocks are all the same size before proceeding. |
Welcome to the site of Debra Davis-a woman who loves the Lord and loves to quilt.
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