Sunday, February 26, 2017

Stunning Stars #5 - "Ring Around The Roses"!

Hi, all!

Welcome to the fifth week, and the fifth quilt, of the Stunning Stars Quilt-Along!  It's been a wild ride so far, and it's so exciting to hear so many of you talking about making your own star quilt - music to my ears!!  This week's quilt is one I made a while ago to debut a new fabric line for Free Spirit Fabrics, but I promised a tutorial for it then, so here it is!


I named this quilt "Ring Around The Roses" - I love the way the friendship stars nestle into each other!  


This block has been on my bucket list for a long time, but I didn't want to make it more than once, so I super-sized it for this quilt.


Wanting to showcase more of the Free Spirit fabrics in the quilt top, I used a print to make the final border on this version.  The tutorial below calls for a border made of the background print instead.


I did a brightly colored charm square patchwork back for this one to contrast with the relatively calm front.  I love all those pretty roses and pastel colors paired with the Kona Honeydew!

So here's the tutorial for this quilt - as a one-block quilt, it's really pretty easy, provided you are careful in putting your pieces together correctly as you sew them up.  Enjoy!

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“Ring Around The Roses”
A Stunning Stars Quilt


Finished size:  approximately 66” square


MATERIALS:

8 Prints - fat quarters or 1/4 yards

3 1/4 yards background fabric


CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:

From each of your prints, you will cut two 7” squares to make the HSTs for the star points.  You can also choose to make your centers in the same print; in that case, you will also cut one 6.5” square.

From your background fabric, cut:

A - Eight 6.5” squares (unless you chose to make your star centers with the print.)  

B - One 18.5” square (center)

C - Four 12.5” squares (outer corners)

D - Eight 6.5” x 12.5” rectangles (top, bottom and sides)

You will also need sixteen 7” background squares for the HSTs that make up the star points.

E - Two 6.5” x 54.5” strips (side borders, can be pieced)

F - Two 6.5” x 66” strips (top and bottom borders, can be pieced)

NOTE:  You may want to wait to finalize the length of the borders until the center unit is completed, to be sure they fit properly on your quilt.



ASSEMBLY:

Pair up each 7” print square with a 7” background square.  Draw a diagonal line on the back of the background piece. Using the traditional method, make the HSTs for the star points.   Trim all of the HSTs to 6.5” square.  Don’t skip this step - you’ll be happier with the finished quilt if you take a few minutes to do it!

Please ignore my measurement notes in the bottom border!

Place the center square on your design wall and, using your HSTs and center 6.5” squares (either background or print, depending on your choice), arrange the stars as shown on the diagram.  Place the C and D background pieces as shown.

This diagram may make it easier to see how the stars relate to each other...
Don't use it for background placements, though.  Mine is assembled differently!

Now take the three blocks that touch the right side of the center square and sew them together, being careful to keep them in the right positions.  Repeat for the left side blocks.  Sew both strips to the center square.  Replace on the design wall.

Now take the five blocks that touch the top of the center unit you just created and sew them together, being careful to keep them in the right positions.  Repeat for the blocks that touch the bottom of the center unit.  Sew both strips to the center square.  Replace on the design wall.  

The next parts to assemble are the right and left sides, two columns of blocks that fit between the 12.5” corner squares.  Assemble those units and attach them to the center unit.

Now you will assemble the top and bottom sections.  Assemble the block units that fit between the two corner units, then attach the corner units to them.  Attach them to the center unit.

Now measure your quilt across the center vertically.  Make your right and left borders that length, pinning them to the sides of the quilt top and easing as necessary to make them fit.

Repeat for the top and bottom borders, measuring your quilt across the center horizontally.

Congratulations!  You’ve finished your quilt top!!

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I hope you enjoy this quilt as much as I did!  It's fun and easy and would make a great gift for a friend - remember, it's a friendship star!

And if this is the first week you've caught of the quilt-along, here's the quilts we've already seen...









There's only one more Stunning Stars quilt to go!  I'll share it next Sunday, and then we start the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge 2017 the following week!  Are you excited yet?

Hugs!

Sarah

24 comments:

  1. Another great one! Thanks for sharing these tutorials with us.

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  2. Love this quilt, she is definitely on my to do list.

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  3. This is a great simple quilt. Yet, it is still graphic and interesting.

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  4. You are a rock STAR. Love these star quilts.

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  5. nice quilt and pattern - thanks for sharing!

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  6. Sweet! great tutorial and inspiration, Sarah!

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  7. Thanks for this great idea. Thinking of downsizing so I can make more than one BIG block to make twin size quilt. Our guild needs those and full size quilts that families get when they move into a Habitat Home. Great ministry for us.

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  8. I'm working on the Scrappy Stars since I found a cash in my stash of 5" squares this morning.

    Love your Friendship Star!
    Hugs

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  9. Thanks for the tutorial. I finally made a top using one of last year's tutorial. Now to get it quilted.

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  10. Love it!!! Thanks so much for the instructions. Can't wait to make one from my scraps.

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  11. Sarah - it was so much fun finally to meet you in person at QuiltCon after all these years of knowing you virtually! I love this star quilt as well, and feel confident I'll be taking advantage of several of these great patterns later. But I'm up to my ears in Works in Progress right now - having just added another two from the classes I took at QuiltCon. I wish I worked faster, but I don't, and I don't much like to make tiny quilts or projects. So it'll be a while before I finish everything I already have cooking!

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  12. Another great pattern! Thanks, Sarah. Sounds like you had a great time at QuiltCon, too :)

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  13. These are so neat! I really love how Ring Around the Roses makes what is actually a simple piecing look like something ridiculously tricky to put together. :D

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  14. You are very creative. Thanks for the patterns.

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  15. I like the way yours goes together. This reminds me I need to finish mine from last year!

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  16. I've been looking for a tutorial of this for awhile. I'd like to make it in a 18 or 22 inch block. I'm not good with the math to get it that size. Could you help me?
    hawkins37087@hotmail.com
    Thank you!

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  17. Meravigliose le tue creazioni io sono alle prime armi ci riuscirò a realizzare qualcosa di queste meraviglie?😍

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  18. I would like to make a queen size quilt with this pattern. could you please tell me how?

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  19. I love this! Would like to make a two sided quilt with this on the back. Please send the PDF. Thank you in advance.

    Cjasch@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Sorry! It is cjasch03@gmail.com

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    2. I’d love to have a PDF for this yummy pattern also please. Jenny
      stephen_jenny@hotmail.com

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  20. I made this in a 12" block! Yes, the sizing was difficult but the outcome is great. I had been wanting to make it for almost a year now. I plan to make a smaller version also. Thanks for this pattern! I'd love the pdf please. orangeinheaven@gmail.com.
    Many Blessings from Deborah!

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Comments make me smile!! If you want a PDF of a pattern, PLEASE leave your email address in your comment, or email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com!