Star Light, Star Bright BOM: Block 4

Here we are, another month gone by.  I hope you enjoy reading about our next brightest star in the sky: Arcturus when you get your copy of the pattern.  This one actually goes together pretty quickly with the techniques I show you this month.

First we will be using the Quick Corner Triangle Method. The keys to this method are to make sure you have drawn an accurate diagonal line that goes from corner to corner and to sew just along the outside of the drawn line rather than right on top of it.

I want to take a moment and show you why I sew along the outside of the line.  The square on the left I have sewn on top of my drawn line.  The square on the right I have sewn just to the outside. (If you look closely you can still see the drawn line I used as my guide.

When I press the resulting triangles notice that the one on the left, where I sewed directly on the line does not quite cover the square underneath.  The one on the right covers it perfectly.  It always amazes me how just that little needle width of our stitching line can make such a difference.

Now, back to our Corner Unit...before proceeding to trim away the excess I finger press the triangle to make sure that it does indeed cover the square underneath. Since it does I will trim away the two layers underneath to get rid of the extra bulk.

Sometimes however, things still do not work out perfectly and you may see a bit of the square underneath.  There is a little trick we can do so that this unit will still be the correct size for the block.

If I trim away just the top layer of fabric and leave the base square intact it will ensure that my square ends up with the correct measurement.  It adds an extra layer, but it is not too much bulk for our finished quilt.  

I always double check to make sure that my block stays square as I add each triangle.

The other unit that makes this block go together so nicely is the Quarter-square Triangle.  We start out by just making two Half-square Triangles which, if you have been sewing along with me for any length of time, we have gotten pretty good at by now. 

This is the fun part...lay the two HST's so that the seam locks together and the dark sides of the two are facing opposite each other.

I then sew them with the seam pointing towards my needle.  This is just an added measure that helps push those two seams tightly together as you sew.

Once my units are pressed I trim to size using the diagonal line on my ruler to keep things squared up nicely.

And with just those two types of units we are ready to put the whole block together. 
I challenged myself with some fussy cutting to make
my baby quilt version of this block.

As usual my pattern testers delighted with their fabric choices:

Susie

Lisa

Nicola

Joanne

To get your copy of this month's block click on the link below:
Star Light, Star Bright pdf patterns

I do want to encourage you to share a photo of your finished block with me on my Facebook Sew Along page at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/tuningmyheartsewalong/
For more fun projects to keep you busy until Block 5 comes out check out the blocks I have been making and sharing for my Passing the Days project:
​Passing the Days pdf patterns
And stay tuned for a Christmas in July blog hop coming the middle of this month.
​I hope you have a blessed day and...
Happy Quilting!!