Layered Star - A Free 12" Block

Today's the day for the Summer Block Party blog hop, hosted by Jen at Faith and Fabric! If this is your first time here, welcome! I hope you'll look around a little while you're here. 

Here is my new block for the block party - Layered Star!

I like the block by itself, but the fun really comes when you tile blocks together to make a quilt. I love blocks that create a secondary pattern!

I couldn't resist trying a few different colour palettes, too. Blue and grey.

 

Yellow and grey.

 Yellow, purple and grey.

Grey and teal.

And one last one...a Christmas version.

Which version will you make?

Okay, let's get started! First up, you need to download the free PDF, which includes the paper foundations you'll need.

Cut

You need 3 fabrics for this block and you want to be sure there is good contrast between them all.

Yellow - 1 square 1 1/2" x 1 1/2"
              2 squares 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
              4 squares 5" x 5"

Grey - 4 rectangles 2" x 1 1/2"
           2 squares 2 1/2" x 2 1/2"
           8 squares 3" x 3"
           8 rectangles 5 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Blue - 4 squares 5" x 5"
          8 squares 3" x 3"

Make the Center Shoo Fly Block

Draw a diagonal line on the back of both of the grey 2 1/2" squares. Pair each grey square with a yellow 2 1/2" square, right sides together, and sew 1/4" from the line on both sides. Cut apart on the drawn line and press open. Trim each HST to 2" x 2".

If you'd like a more detailed tutorial for making the HSTs, complete with pictures, check out this post.

 

Using the yellow 1 1/2" square, the HSTs and the grey 2" x 1 1/2" rectangles, lay out the Shoo Fly block in a 3 x 3 grid. Join the pieces into rows, then join the rows together.

Paper Piece Units A and B

Print out 4 copies of the templates. Make sure your printer is set to "Actual size" and then measure to be sure the squares are exactly 4" on a side (4 1/2" if you measure the outer seam allowance line). If you're anything like me, you'll discover your printer barely has enough ink to print out 1 copy, so you'll have to use your fancy lightbox (aka the dining room window) to trace the rest of the templates and add the numbers.

I like to write on the templates which colour will go where. It helps me keep things straight as I'm paper piecing. Again, if you're anything like me, you'll change your mind right before you start sewing, so just cross out the first option and write in the second 😊

If you're new to paper piecing, follow this tutorial from Craftsy for the process.

Paper piece 4 of Unit A using the blue 5" squares in the center and the grey 5 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles on the sides.

For Unit B, we're going to piece a unit to use for pieces 2/3 and 4/5. Sew a blue 3" square and grey 3" square together to make the pieced unit.

Paper piece 4 of Unit B, using the yellow 5" square in the center and the pieced blue/grey units on the sides. Line up the seam between the blue and grey with the line on the paper as shown, being careful to follow the colour placement note you made earlier.

Trim all of the paper pieced units on the printed seam allowance line.

Remove the papers and lay out all of the units in a 3 x 3 grid as shown.

Join the units into rows, pinning at the intersections to help things line up. Then join the rows together.

And that's it! You now have a Layered Star block 😊

As always, if you make a Layered Star block, I'd love to see it! You can tag me on Instagram (@devotedquilter) or Facebook (@devotedquilterdesigns), or email me pictures or a link to a blog post (devotedquilter at gmail dot com).

Be sure to check out the rest of the participants in the Summer Block Party and see what great blocks they've shared!

Jen at Faith and Fabric (our lovely hostess!)
Michelle at Michelle Bartholemew
Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts
Amanda at Amanda Jane Textiles
Kathy at Kathy's Kwilts
Jen at Patterns by Jen
Rachel at Rachel Rossi Design

Many thanks to Jen for organizing the blog hop! It's always fun to be part of a hop and see the creativity of other bloggers 😊