Welcome back to my 2021 Block of the Week. We are already at block #6! If you are new to this series, you can find the posts for the previous blocks here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5. Like the other weeks, there will be a drawing from the blog post commenters for one of my patterns. Your name will also be entered into the grand prize drawing at the end of the series (grand prize information in the week 1 post).
Block 6 – Rolling Star
I like the block for this week because of the way the light tan background illuminates the star portion of the block. You can also improvise and change the tan to a black print and change the colors for the star pieces to bright colors. There are many fun options.
Click here for block assembly instructions: 2021 BOW Block 6.
Here are some of the ways to make this block look different. First, change the tan fabric to black:
Next, add in another color instead of the tan print on the outside, then shift colors around. If you alternate the two block color combos below, that would make a striking quilt!
The key is to have fun! Now onto the quilting tip of the week. Achieving crisp points which will be very helpful for this block with lots of points.
Crisp Points
We have all done this. You’re piecing a quilt with a lot of stars or flying geese units. When you’re all done, your points are cut off!
Notice the point on the left is cut off compared to the point on the right. This is one of the things that dogs a lot of quilters. I find that many times this is due to impatience (rushing through chain piecing) and not being being aware of where your points are in relation to the seam you are stitching. So, here I will share some tips to avoid blocks with cut off points. I am using flying geese units in my example, but the concept will apply to any unit with points.
When you flip over a flying geese unit like shown below and you will see a point created by the seams of the unit.
Paying attention to where this point is while you are stitching is an important key for getting crisp points.
Notice, in the photo below, I have pinned the pieces so they won’t shift. As I am stitching I keep an eye on the point. I want to keep my stitching above it. Hopefully, if I made my geese unit correctly, the top of the point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit.
I am using a pin to show you where the point is as I am stitching.
In the photo below you can see my needle is going to pass the stitching above the point but still be an accurate 1/4″ seam (see where I am pointing with the pin). You want the stitching to stay above but not too far. If your stitching touches the very tippy top of the point, that is still OK. The photo on the far right shows my seam done, passing right over the point.
When I turn the piece over to the right side, you can see that the point is nice and crisp!
Like I said earlier, the key to getting these crisp points is to make sure when you piece your units that have points, the unit has the correct seam allowance. 1/4″ from point tip to edge of the unit:
In some blocks, you may need to join two units with points. Here’s a few tips on doing that and keeping the points crisp. Once again, I will use flying geese units in the example.
When pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and pinning there. Here is how I line up the points. I lay the units right sides together and then pull the top unit down to get the point lined up with the point of the unit below. I slowly inch the top piece back, eyeing the point the whole time.
Pin the center first to keep the points from shifting and then pin the rest of the unit before stitching.
Follow the stitching instructions I shared above, stitch the unit keeping your seam above the point. Since you took such care in aligning the points, the stitching should be above the point on the back unit to.
You can see in the photos of each side below where the stitching line passes above the point:
And after pressing the unit open once stitched, flip it over to the right side and see that the points are matched!
So those are my tips on how to achieve crisp points. It may take some practice, but you will get there! Hopefully you will not have to use your seam ripper too much.
That’s it for this week. Leave your comments or questions below and you will be entered into a drawing for my pattern, Twilight Desert. This pattern will give you a lot of practice on achieving crisp points!
The drawing for this pattern will be on Monday, May 24th. Good luck and see you next week! **We have a winner… Congrats, Carla!**
Happy Quilting!
Deanne
I’ve been following the blocks of the week and love your hints. The reason for contacting you is can’t seem to find the instructions for the block.
Hi! Thanks for letting me know. The link is now fixed.
Pulling the tip down to double check, good idea.
Thanks for the tip. Always good to be reminded.
Thanks for your tips! Very helpful!
First time l have seen seams pressed open on flying geese blocks. I will give it a try.
As a beginning quilter, I’m not quite ready to tackle something of this magnitude yet, but am saving this tip for when I am.
Good to know! Thank you, mjl
Hello Deanne,
I have found I need to be very careful with my points or I sew into them. Thank you for your tips on pinning the points.
Happy sewing,
Barbara
Nice block. Good Tutorial!
Donna L, NC
Thank you for the tips for getting crisp points. I find that if I do a little extra pinning along the sides of the piece I’m stitching there will be less movement when sewing the seam.
Do you recommend that seams are always pressed open instead of pressing them to one side when piecing?
I like pressing my seams open because I feel like it gives me a more accurate measurement for my units and also creates less bulk when I am joining units. As long as you are securely backstitching at the beginning and end of joining pieces, I think the seams are just as secure with them pressed open as pressed to one side.
It started as a personal preference, but with all the quilts I have made this way I have never had one come apart at the seams.
Great post! Thank you for sharing your tips. Quilting is a continual learning experience.
I love the quilt pattern too. So pretty.
Thank you for the tutorial. I think I will try pressing the seams open from now on! It
should help with the bulkiness.
Even when I pin and sew, I find my fabric still shifts a little. Any tips on how to avoid that?
I think the key is to stitch slowly especially when you get to the point area. I still do have points that don’t match perfectly sometimes, but it’s usually when I am rushing through chain piecing.
Thank you. positioning pieces can make such a difference and knowing what to watch out for –and hints helps a lot!
Thank you so much for the information. I have always had a hard time keeping my points sharp. Your explanation on how to do it makes it mu h easier to do it the way you show. Thanks for the info
Great tutorial!
Thanks for the excellent tutorial on keeping your points crisp! The tips and techniques you show are very helpful. Love the Rolling Star block and its many options!
Thanks for the great tips on the flying geese points. Definitely makes a difference. Pressing the seams open sure helps also.