Star Light, Star Bright BOM-Block 8

11/1/2020

Stock Photo

One of our favorite things to do is head for nearby Crater Lake NP to see the stars. The best time to do this is in the winter when it gets dark close to 4pm as we do not have to stay up so late to see them. The drawback is that it gets really, really cold up there as soon as the sun goes down and despite our determination and best winter wear we never last long. So I am glad there are those willing to share their photos with the rest of us.
I have a love/hate relationship with the time change most of experience in the fall. As I mentioned in our part of the world it will not be long until darkness descends at 4pm. I miss being able to get out for walks after Ken gets home from work. Yet at the same time I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere that descends as I sip a cuppa curled up on the couch in front of a warm fire. It's a time to slow down and cease some of my business. A time to reset, just like out clocks. Can you tell I am often accused of being an optimist? All of this darkness can be depressing for many. So as we enter into this season I hope that as you sew this month's star block you will find some joy and look for light in the darkness.

We are nearing the end of our journey with the brightest stars in the night sky. This month I introduce you to Procyon.

I want to take some time today and remind you about the importance of trimming your units carefully. When we trim the Half-square triangles it is important to line up the diagonal line of the ruler with the diagonal seam.

If instead, I line up the outer edges you can see how that lower left corner is off along the diagonal. That would result in a corner that is not sharp when I sew this unit in place.

I have mentioned many times my love of Bloc_Loc rulers. This one works well for trimming Half-square Triangles.

You can see how that indentation "locks" into place along the seam.

I have several sizes of the Flying Geese rulers. My most used sizes are the 1" x 2",
1.5" x 3", and the 2" x 4" but I also have and use the .75 x 1.5" and 3" x 6" rulers as well.

I flipped it over to try and show that indentation that locks onto the seams. Full disclosure: I do not get paid in anyway by the Bloc_Loc company. I just truly love these rulers and have used them for years now.

When it comes time to sew the Flying Geese units I sew with them on top. This way I can watch my needle as it goes over that seam. Here is where we see why it so important to have that 1/4" seam allowance beyond the tip of the "goose". My goal is to have the needle land right at the tip. I so very slowly over these seams and use a stiletto to help guide the bulk under my needle.

With this block we will once again be using the quick corner squares technique. So let's review a tip if you are having issues with getting your finished size to be what is called for in the pattern. First, after sewing only trim away the top piece.

After pressing I can see that my top triangle completely covers the base fabric underneath.

So I flip it over and trim away any excess that extends beyond the desired size of my square. Here I line up the ruler with the outer edges of the unit. You can see that I have just a small bit that extends beyond my ruler.

After I trim it, then I flip the top layer out of the way and trim off the extra fabric underneath.

Now suppose that my top triangle is too small and does not cover the base fabric underneath. What do I do? In this case I would not trim away the base fabric but leave it in place. This will work as long as the top layer is not more than 1/8" too small. I still need it to get caught well in my seam allowance as I sew.

By leaving that base layer my unit now measures exactly what it needs to. It will mean a little extra bulk, but I would rather have that than a unit that does not fit with the rest or -gulp- to have to redo the whole thing.

I have a few bunnies hopping around on my baby quilt version. With only one block left to go I am getting excited about how I am going to put my two versions together.