Dolly Madison's Star
Techniques used (complete these first)
Two-at-a-Time Hourglass
Hourglass Unit
Make two matching hourglass (QST) units at once from paired HSTs.
- Cut one square from each fabric using your hourglass starting size and make two matching HST units first.
- Place the two HST units right sides together with opposite colors facing so seams nest at center.
- Mark one diagonal line corner-to-corner that crosses the existing seam intersection.
- Sew 1/4 inch away from both sides of the marked line.
- Cut on the marked line to create two hourglass units, then press and trim to unfinished size.
Pro tip: Press the first HST pair in opposite directions before pairing them so the center seam locks and the hourglass point stays crisp.
Strip Piecing
Strip Set Unit
Sewing long strips of fabric together before sub-cutting them into smaller units. This increases speed and alignment accuracy.
- Cut long strips of fabric to the calculated width.
- Align strips right sides together and sew along the entire length.
- Press the seams (usually toward the darker fabric).
- Use a rotary cutter and ruler to sub-cut the strip set into units at the required intervals.
Pro tip: Check your seam allowance after the first few inches to ensure the total width of the strip set is exactly what the pattern calls for. For strip sets with multiple seams, alternate your sewing direction for each seam to keep the strips aligned and prevent the fabric from warping or leaning. Sub-cut to the unfinished unit size listed in your cutting instructions.
Subunits first
Using the techniques listed above, make the following sub units: 1 Nine-Patch Unit, 4 Hourglass Units, 4 Plain Square Units.
Block Assembly
Assembly instructions are currently in the works, check back soon for updates!