12 Days of Christmas in July - and Quilt-Along, Day 6!

Hi, all!

Welcome back to the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop!  This is our sixth day, and I can sure feel the creative juices flowing!  I hope you're being similarly inspired - if you're not, you haven't been paying attention!!

Today our hop starts with Joanne, who blogs over at Quilts by Joanne.  But she doesn't limit her creativity to quilts - she's got a neat craft to share with us today that you're going to want to try!

Suzy, over at Adventurous Appliqué and Quilting, has a fun project to share with us, too.  You won't even need to have Christmas fabric on hand to make this great craft - you're going to love it!

So hop on over and check out today's stops on the hop, then come back here for day 6 of the quilt-along!  See you soon!

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Today we'll be making the flying geese units that comprise the inner and outer stars of the block.  

First we'll work on the inner star units. Take the thirty-two inner star HSTs (green on the diagram), and make two stacks of 16, stacking them with color on top of color, background on top of background.  

Lay the two stacks face up next to your sewing machine with the two background triangles meeting in the center and the two green triangles to the bottom outside corners.  Place the HSTs with the seams pressed toward the background fabric on the right, and the ones with the seams pressed toward the color on the left.

Lay an HST from the right hand stack face down on the left stack.  Take the pair and nest the seams, then stitch the right hand side where the background triangles meet.  Chain piece all sixteen pairs.

Cut the piecing chains apart.  Press the seams open. This will help reduce bulk when the units are assembled.  Set these units aside until tomorrow.

Now we'll work on the outer star units.  Take sixteen of the outer star HSTs (red on the diagram) with the seams pressed toward the colored fabric and stack them with color on top of color, background on top of background.  Take sixteen more of the outer star HSTs (red on the diagram) with the seams pressed toward the background fabric and stack them with color on top of color, background on top of background.  

Lay the two stacks next to your sewing machine with the two background triangles meeting in the center and the two red triangles to the bottom outside corners.  Place the stack with the seams pressed toward the background fabric on the right side of the two stacks. 

Lay an HST from the right hand stack face down on the lest stack.  Take the pair and next the seams, then stitch the right hand side (where the background triangles meet).  Chain piece all sixteen pairs.  Cut the piecing chains.  Press the seams open.  Set aside in a stack.

Take sixteen of the outer star HSTs (red on the diagram) with the seams pressed toward the colored fabric and stack them with color on top of color, background on top of background.  Take sixteen more of the outer star HSTs (red on the diagram) with the seams pressed toward the background fabric and stack them with color on top of color, background on top of background.  Lay the two stacks next to your sewing machine with the two red triangles meeting in the center and the two background triangles to the bottom outside corners. Place the stack with the seams pressed toward the background fabric in the left stack.

Lay an HST from the right stack face down on the left stack.  Take the pair and nest the seams, then stitch the righthand side (where the red triangles meet). Chain piece all sixteen pairs.  Cut the piecing chains.  Press the seams open.  Set aside in a stack.

That's all for today!  Tomorrow we'll assemble the flying geese units into the "B" units of the quilt blocks.  See you then!

Hugs!

Sarah

Here's a list of all the great bloggers participating in the hop:

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle