This 'block of the week' came out of the beginning of a new wall size quilt that I have started this weekend.
Started with a plan, as they all do, but this one specifically I had to do a bit of quilt math as I had no pattern for an 8 inch finished Ohio Star block. This is part of what I enjoy about quilting, the geometry and the math of it. There are web sites dedicated to 'quilt math' that offer formulas for growing a shape from one size to another and adding seam allowances. I find it easier to simply draw it out on graph paper and add my seam allowance, then measure the design just made to know what my cut vs finished sizes are. Within this one there is a bit more planning as I purchased a few packets of fabric called 'layer cakes' which is a stack of about 40 fabrics that all match from one designer in one pack. Each piece of fabric within a layer cake is 10 inches square. So, in this case the cutting needs to be precise so that I have enough to finish the project and also don't waste any fabric as these packs of designer fabric can be expensive.
It's hard to see from this photo but I've not only mapped out and labeled the sections that make up my Ohio Star, but also created a guide for myself so that I get the most cuts from one 10 inch square of fabric.
Once I have a plan mapped out and my pieces of this pattern sized properly it's time to cut and piece the block together. In this case I've created two maps for cutting my pieces, an Inside map and an Outside map. I have no idea if anyone identifies the pieces of this block pattern in this way, but to keep my mind straight on colors and what pieces go where this is how I split it up. For this project I will be alternating light and dark fabrics from the same fabric designer and family so the inside may be dark with a contrasting light for the outside pieces... then I'll switch it around. The final, completed project will have random fabrics but an alternating scheme of light and coordinating dark fabrics.... at least that's my plan.
Well.. sometimes plans change... I had originally planned on an Ohio Star inside an Ohio Star.. that is, an overall finished block size of 8 inches with the inside 4 inch square being a star inside a star. Then I began to play around with the fabrics and sew a few trial blocks. That's when it hit me... I hate flying geese! What the heck are flying geese? Flying geese are the rectangle blocks surrounding the inside square with the two facing right angle triangles on them. Why do I hate them? Well, mostly because I have not yet mastered an easier technique. There are products available to assist of course, such as 'no-math' rulers and special instruction.. I do them the old fashioned way and it is tedious and boring to me. Once I find that one method of trick that works best for me where I can make a whole lot of geese faster and easier then you'll see me posting a whole quilt of them.. but for now... one square per block will suffice.
Another reason to like the Ohio Star block in spite of the geese... the math is fairly easy. The cuts are calculated by taking the whole block size, and dividing it in sections with the following ratios; 1:2:1. That is, if a block is to have a finished width of 8 inches. and you were to draw a grid across the block creating three sections by three sections in 'tic-tac-toe' format you'd cut pieces for the first row 2.5 inches wide, the middle 4.5 inches wide and the last row 2.5 inches. The half inch for each section adds your 1/4 inch seam on both sides. I may not have explained that very well, but what I mean to convey is that this shape is easy to re-size to any finished size. Here you see that I've taken the step of creating my flying geese... from here the construction is fairly straight forward.
First a 4 inch finished Ohio Star block... I then quickly realized that I'd be much better off with larger 8 inch blocks.. both for a speedy project and the size of the piecing is much easier for me when they are bigger... not sure why.
But.. just in case you're curious.. here's an example of what it might look like had I created the smaller Ohio Star in the middle of a bigger one. Of course this little star is just laid on top of the larger one, but it gives you the idea.
For this project I'm sticking to the 8 inch finished block. Maybe by the time I'm done with all these flying geese I'll have explored some of the tips and tricks out there for creating them faster and easier... : )
