Starlight Wish

12" Pieced Quilt Block

Ahh!  Yet another star motif to grace a multitude of counterpanes  everywhere!  This quilt block is rated ME for medium easy, but should be a cinch for quilters with a little quiltmaking under their belt.

Composed of four flying geese units, four heart units, and a smattering of  squares and rectangles, this one has several patches to sew (33 to be exact).  As you can see from the quilt example above, an interesting secondary pattern emerges when the block is combined with other Starlight Wish blocks in straight sets.

Cutting:

For a single 12" (finished size) block, please cut:

• Four 2-1/2" squares  and one 5-1/4" square (cut twice diagonally) from gold fabric.

• Eight 2-7/8" squares (cut once diagonally) and one 4-1/2" square from garnet fabric.

• Four 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangles and two 4-7/8" squares (cut once diagonally) from cream fabric.

Sewing:

Hmm...where to begin?  I think we'll start with the heart units that are situated in the corners of the block.  Rev up your sewing machine and away we go!

Step 1:  Sew two garnet 2-7/8" triangles to the right and bottom ends of a gold 2-1/2" square.  Trim points and press seam allowance toward the garnet fabric.  Make 4.

Step 2:  Sew a cream 4-7/8" triangle to a Step 1 unit to finish up a heart unit.  Press the seam toward the cream fabric and trim point.  Make 4.

Okay, we've got four of nine units done now.  Actually, we have five since there is no need to piece the center unit.  Gotta love those plain centers!  Now, it's time to fly.

Step 3:  Flying geese units are the objective of this step.  We'll start by sewing a 2-7/8" garnet triangle to the left and right short sides of a 5-1/4" triangle.  Press the seams toward the darker fabric and trim point.  Make four of these birds.

Step 4:  Our geese need tails, so let's add 'em.  Stitch a cream 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangle to the base of the gold triangles and press the seam allowance toward the cream fabric.  Make 4.

Our geese are cooked, or at least ready to be added to the rest of the ingredients in this block.

Step 5:  Layout your units as shown below and sew them together (horizontally) into rows.  Press the top and bottom row seams away toward the heart units and press the center row seams toward the center square.

Step 6:  Sew the rows together to finish the block.  Press the seam allowances toward the center row.

Viola!  A block a star is born!  

That's it for this block.  It should measure 12-1/2" at this time.  When you sew it into a quilt, you'll be using up those 1/4" seam allowances on each side, so it will measure 12" "finished size".

If you'd like a printer-friendly version of this quilt block pattern, choose one of the versions below:

Printer Friendly Web Page   or   PDF Document

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