July Block - Hive 9

Hi Hive 9! I'm Tiffany. Currently I live in Washington, GA, but will soon be relocating back to Colorado Springs from whence we came 2 years ago. I'm very excited to move back. Let me say right off the bat, we will be moving mid to late August, I'm not entirely sure when yet. So if for some reason you end up running late and haven't mailed my block before, say, August 7, please contact me for a new address.

Two years ago when we moved here I was woefully underpacked the NIGHT before we were supposed to leave and a friend found out and called in reinforcements. Within an hour, 12 adults and kids were at my house packing. They totally saved my butt. I've had it in my mind to make a quilt for each of the three families that helped since then, but being a procrastinator, didn't settle on a plan for any of them until now.  I hope to present them with their quilts shortly after our return, if not right after unloading the moving truck. :)

Two of the quilt tops are complete and waiting to be quilted. The third one is where you all come in!

I've chosen a paper pieced 5-point star from Hot Pink Peonies! You can find the templates and tutorial HERE.

For the star, please use red prints. For the background, please use cream/light tan prints.

You don't have to use 10 different reds and 10 different creams, but please try to use a few of each. There is going to be black and dark grey in the quilt as well, so a little of those colors in your fabrics is ok, just try to avoid other colors if possible (but even I ended up with a little pale aqua in one of my creams). As you can see below, I'm not super picky about the style of fabric. I used what I had on hand which includes batiks and Civil War repros as well as plenty of modern. Also, music themed prints are quite welcome. Just no novelty please.

I assembled my stars a little different than the tutorial, so you can choose which way you want to put yours together.

First things first, to make sure it printed at the correct size just measure across the bottom of section D or E to make sure it's 5 inches there. If it's within an 1/8 of an inch, that's fine, you'll see.

Next, if you've read her tutorial you've see that it requires a somewhat difficult final seam. Instead, I printed two copies of Section B and cut one half of the section out of each copy. I labeled them Sections B1 and B2.

Once I got all of my sections pieced, I attached Section B1 to A and Section B2 to C. It was really easy to get the pieces properly line up just by matching where the red meets the cream on the edges of both pieces. Hope that makes sense.

Next I joined B1/A with E and B2/C with D. Then I sewed the halves together. There's a pretty bulky convergence of seams in the middle, but it'll be ok.

I need the star block to 12.5 inches unfinished. Right now, it should measure 10.5, give or take. Mine was 10.5 high but about an 1/8th of an inch too narrow. So I added 1.75 inch red strips on the sides, then the top and bottom. Then I trimmed the block to 12.5 inches.

And that's it!

Now, if you don't feel comfortable with this block, no worries. Feel free to make a classic 12.5 unfinished 9-patch out of five 4.5 inch black or dark grey print squares and four 4.5 inch cream/light tan squares.

The quilt needs just as many 9-patch as it does stars. So I really will be happy with whichever block you make. :)

Phew. I feel like that got long! Last thing, here's my question. Since we're moving again soon, have you always lived in the same area, or have you moved? My dad was Air Force. For being a military family, we only moved twice in my first 16 years. Shocking. I've moved more in my 24 years of post military life. :) Places I've lived: South Dakota, central California, back to South Dakota, Oregon, college in Virgina, Oregon, southern California, Colorado, Georgia, and now back to Colorado.

Happy sewing!