Chubby Stars quilt along -- Step 2 -- matching points

Before I have you cut and create several hundred little star points, we're going to make a few of them, so that any and all necessary adjustments to size or seam allowance can be made.

In order to get the star points to match up, you have to have rather consistent sizing.

For me -- I cut my star point pieces at 2 3/16" (a scant 2 1/4"), and that works out perfectly.  When I used 2 1/8" for my star points, there were tiny gaps in between the star point pieces on the snowball blocks, and the pieces on the framed points.

This week, you're going to be checking your intersections basically, by making a few of the snowball blocks, and a few of the X blocks, and piecing them together... kind of like what I did here.

You get to decide how many you want to make for your first mock-up; I did a nine-patch, but you don't need to do that many.

Each snowball block requires:

one - 8 1/2" square  (focal fabric) and
four - 2 7/8" squares (contrast for the star points)

Each X block requires:

Eight of your four-patch units
eight - 2 1/2" squares (background fabric -- white/neutral)
eight - (scant) 2 1/4" squares (contrast star points)

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First -- Make some snowball blocks

Cut 8 1/2" piece of fabric

Cut four 2 7/8" pieces of contrast fabric for corner star points

Sew from diagonal corner to corner

Trim 1/4" from sewn line

And you have a pretty snowball block

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For the Chain/X blocks

Snag eight of your little four-patch units (they should measure 2 1/2" square)

Cut eight 2 1/2" squares of your background fabric

Cut eight 2 3/16" squares (scant 2 1/4") of your star points.

Put a small square on the larger background square.

Sew diagonal corner to corner on the smaller star-point square (doesn't matter which side -- you can always rotate the point in place)

Trim 1/4" from sewn line (I chain-pieced and trimmed them all at once)

Press half towards the light, and half towards the dark

This picture shows how your X blocks pieces are arranged with the star points and four-patch units

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This week's assignment:

Make at least 2 chain blocks and 2 snowball blocks, and sew them together -- you are checking for matches. 

If they match up; you know your seam allowances and measurements are good.  If they don't (if they're wide -- you need to cut a little smaller; if there's a space, you need to cut a little more generously).

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In other chubby stars news -- 

While visiting flickrland the other night, I squealed a little bit when I saw that Heather Bailey herself (!!!!) liked my progress so far!  (She even approved of my star point color choice -- which was VERY reassuring -- I adore her color combos)  I doubt these designers know how happy it makes us quilters when they like what we're doing with their art.  But like it we do. :)

It got even better though. 

I got an email from Karen asking to play with my chubby stars blocks on her EQ 7 (I do so want one of those for Christmas...too bad very few of my real-life people...aka Mom or husband... read this).  

First she came up with these...

I think this was my favorite of her virtual quilts.

image from Karen's blog

THEN -- Karen added in the chain blocks, and digitalized my quilt for the quilt-along! 

Thank you Karen!

Even though she gave me extra work by coming up with the idea of finishing the chain as a border, I love these. :)

So I've got even more than 400 four-patch blocks to go.  This is the current state of my four-patches (some still in two patch strips; others waiting for ironing)