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Block of the Week – Block 9

Welcome back to block of the week! We have reached the end of the sew along with this block. I can’t believe the time has flown so fast. If you are just joining in, you can find the last post for block 8 here and then find the previous weeks with the links in each post from each week.

I call this week’s block Pinwheel Star. It’s a relatively simple block so you can make as many as you want in a large variety of colors. Several of these blocks alone would make a charming quilt! While we’re on the subject of color, I will be sharing tips on color for the tips of the week section. Let’s get started!

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Block of the Week – Block 9

Here it is:

Find the free block pattern instructions here: 2026 BOW Block 9.

Now here is the block with the dark background:

Tips of the Week – Color

Whether you are shopping your stash or going to the quilt shop, here are some tips for choosing what colors of fabric you want for your latest project.

Tip #1: Look at the quilt photo on the cover of the pattern or the quilt displayed in the shop. If you like the colors, use that as your guide. But you may not get those exact fabrics unless the quilt shop has kits made up, so be prepared to choose others.

Tip #2:  Before heading to the quilt shop, first look through your stash to see what you have that will work with the pattern and “audition” them by laying them out like this:

By laying the fabrics out like this, you can see if they all “play” together well. Stand back and look at your collection and see if a fabric stands out like a sore thumb. You can then remove that one and replace it with another. Do that until you like your collection.

Tip #3: Make a few sample blocks with scraps from your stash in the color combinations you are considering for your blocks. These do not have to be the exact fabrics you use in your quilt, but similar colors. Here’s a few examples of samples I made before moving on to my actual project:

By doing this, I can see what colors I want, or don’t want, in my blocks.

Tip #4: If you need to get fabric from the quilt shop, you can audition fabrics by stacking bolts or fat quarters of the fabrics in a well lit area. I like to use fat quarters for this step because they are easier to handle and look at as they’re laid out. Just make sure there is a corresponding bolt of fabric available (since you may need more than a fat quarter) before you choose one for your “audition”.

Tip #5: Choose a fabric that you really like. Then take that around the quilt shop with you to match it to the other fabrics you need. You do not  have to stay in the same line of fabrics for them to look good together. To help, look at the selvage of the fabric you have chosen. You will often see something like this:

Those dots on the selvage are the colors that went into making this piece of fabric. You can take that piece of fabric around the shop and use those dots to find a green, orange, red and blue that will go well with this fabric. This is often used by quilters when they’ve chosen a “focus” fabric. That’s the fabric they build from to create the color scheme for their whole quilt. Here are three of my choices:

Tip #6: Another way to find new color combinations is to copy or draw a picture of the quilt block that makes up the quilt and use colored pencils to decide on a color way you prefer.

So that’s it for my color tips. If you make test blocks, you can use those to make a fun sampler for a gift or use just one block to make a small table mat. Then they won’t be laying around in your UFO stash!

Quilt Block History

The Pinwheel Star block is also referred to by a few other names: Constellations, Walking Star and Spinning Stars (named by Nancy Page). The base of this block is the center pinwheel design so here’s a bit of history on that classic block.

Versions of this block appeared in the early 1800s. There is a quilt in the Smithsonian that dates back to about 1812 that has blocks made from several pinwheels arranged in a nine-patch design.

The pinwheel was a simple and practical pattern that was used by pioneer women to make quilts for beds and curtains for windows. These blocks were probably popular because they could be easily made with scraps from the fabrics the women saved from old clothing. The pinwheel pattern gained wide popularity in the mid 19th century in the west as those women moved there with their families. Finally, during the depression in the early 20th century, this was a simple block design used often to make quilts from feed sacks.

So that’s a wrap on my 2026 Block of the Week sew along. I hope you enjoyed making the blocks, my tips, and also learning a bit of quilt block history on the side.

Feel free to share some of your finished quilts whether you turn it into a sampler or just use one block to make a bigger quilt. You can share your photos by email to: snugglesquilts@hotmail.com.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 8

Welcome back to block of the week! We’re onto block 8 so only one more block pattern after this one. If you’re new to my block of the week posts, here’s a link to last week’s post and from there you can work your way back to week 1.

I have named this week’s block Diamond Star because of the diamond pattern surrounding the center star that emerges when the block is pieced together. This block is a little more involved than last week’s block, but the units that make it up are all ones you have made before, like flying geese and HSTs. Since this block is one that has interesting movement, I thought I would review some tips on secondary design. Time to get started!

Block of the Week – Block 8

I made this block in two different backgrounds again. You can choose to do it that way or just make it with the background you prefer. Here’s Diamond Star:

Find the free instructions for this block here: 2026 BOW Block 8.

Now here is the same block with the dark background:

Tip of the Week

Now on to the tip of the week. Secondary design. Have you ever looked at a quilt or a quilt block and saw more than one design emerge? That’s secondary design. Sometimes it’s intentional and sometimes the designer just gets lucky and two blocks they decide to place next to each other combine to make another design.

My block above has interesting movement with the diamond design. If you put several of these blocks together, here’s the look you would get:

See how the diamond portion of the blocks create an interesting crisscross pattern? That’s the easy way to create secondary design with this block.

Look what happens when I change some color placement in the block. First, here’s the block:

Look at how the block changes just by moving where your colors are in the block. They’re the same colors by just in different places. Now here’s a quilt with them:

Now the diamond design is more prominent. Cool! Now look what happens when I add another element to the block. On each corner, I add a stitch & flip corner:

Now here is the modified block in a quilt:

The stitch & flip corner on the blocks creates another design that looks like another star block.

Other Ways to Create Secondary Design:

 Tip 1: The most common way is with two distinct blocks in a quilt. Generally, you choose one block with movement and one block that is more static. I did that with my Strips & Stars quilt. Here are the blocks:

The star block on the left has a different kind of movement than the log cabin block in the center. When you put those two blocks together in a quilt, alternating between them and flipping every other the log cabin block in the rows, you get a unique, dark stripe design that runs diagonally. Here’s the full quilt:

Also, where the star blocks touch, the checkerboard corners create another secondary design crisscrossing across the quilt. I love these types of blocks that create several secondary designs.

Tip 2: Create that secondary design with sashing. You can do this with one block quilts. The sashing will build off an element in the blocks of the quilt or it will just create a design all on it’s own. Here’s those examples side by side:

For the quilt on the left, Open Windows, there is a stitch and flip corner on two sides of the block that, when combined with the sashing and cornerstones, creates a monkey wrench design. For the quilt on the right, Summer Bouquets, the stars are created solely within the sashing.

Tip 3: Use the border for secondary design. This can be quiet like the quilt on the left or more prominent like the quilt on the right.

For Homestead Trail on the left, there is a subtle nine-patch in the sashing that continues into the border to create a frame. For Twilight Desert on the right, the border is created with flying geese with multi-colored centers for an creative, colorful border.

Fun times, huh?

Quilt Block History

Here’s a bit of history on the block that influenced mine. I saw this block, Dutch Rose, and like it immediately. I simplified the outer portion so it created the “diamond” shape. Here are the two blocks side by side:

I removed some of the intricate piecing in the 4 corners to make my block simpler to piece and to create the diamond design.

The Dutch Rose is a block design from the 19th century. Some other  names it’s known by are Carpenter’s Wheel, Carpenter’s Star and Double Star. The design is based on intricate mosaic patchwork designs brought over to America by Dutch and English settlers. They eventually simplified some of the designs to arrive at the Dutch Rose block.

This design was re-named “Pennsylvania Dutch Rose” during the 1930s quilting revival by  Nancy Cabot for the Chicago Tribune who was also using an alias for her needlecraft columns, just like Nancy Page from last week. This editor’s name was Loretta Leitner Rising. Her column began in 1932 and readers could receive a full pattern and instructions for  five cents by sending in a self-addressed envelope into the newspaper. She only participated in this column until 1938 but stayed with the newspaper writing under her own name. Like the Nancy Page columnist, she often gave new names to traditional blocks to appeal to the quilters of the day.

So that’s it for this week and I’ll see you next week for the last block.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 7

Welcome back to my Block of the Week posts. It’s time for block 7. If you are just joining in on the fun, these block patterns are free to download. If you want to download the patterns from previous weeks, here is the link to last week’s post. From there you can get to the previous weeks.

I call this week’s block Secret Star. It’s based on a block called Laurel Wreath (I will cover a little of the block history later in this post). We’re back to using a background fabric and two color prints. This one has fewer pieces than last week’s block and is easier to piece. Since many of the blocks we’ve done in this BOW sew along have bias seams, I thought I would cover some facts and tips on fabric bias and working with those seams for this week’s tips. Let’s get started!

Block of the Week – Block 7

The bulk of this block is created with flying geese and half-square triangle squares. I once again made one block with a light background and one with a dark background. Here is the block:

Find the pattern instructions to make this block here: 2026 BOW Block 7.

Now here is my block with a dark background fabric:

Tip of the Week

We’ve been dealing with bias seams in a lot of these blocks, so I thought it would be a good idea to review facts about fabrics and tips on working with bias seams as opposed to straight seams.

Fabric Grain & Bias

To understand the difference between a bias (diagonal) seam and a straight seam and why they behave differently, you need to know about fabric grain and bias. This may be a review for experienced sewers and quilters, but it never hurts to see it again.

The lengthwise grain of the fabric runs parallel to the selvage and is the most stable grain of the fabric.

The line I’m pointing to in the left photo (above) is showing the lengthwise grain. In the second photo, notice how there’s not much stretch to the fabric when I pull on opposite sides of the piece of fabric. It’s a good idea to cut in this direction for long pieces needed for the project like border strips, if possible.

The crosswise grain is a little less stable than the lengthwise grain. It’s perpendicular to the selvage (the line my finger is pointing to below). As you can see in the next photo, there is a little more stretch to the fabric in this direction, but not by much.

Finally, the bias of the fabric is at the 45 degree angle from the selvage. This is where the fabric is the least stable.

It’s important to remember this because any seams that are diagonal are in the bias direction of the fabric. Any seam sewn on the bias must be handled with care when pressing it or ripping it out so the fabric is not stretched out of shape. Once fabric is stretched on the bias, it can and likely will remain distorted.

Tips for Stitching and Handling Bias Seams

Tip #1: Pinning is extra important with these seams. Pinning keeps the pieces being joined with the bias seam from shifting. If the pieces shift in stitching, your units will not measure accurately and you’ll have to re-do these pieces.

Tip #2: Because bias seams are stitched in the direction where the fabric grain is the most pliable, do not pull the unit through your machine as you are stitching. This is a good rule for any seam, but especially bias seams because the fabric can be stretched severely out of shape by doing this and then your unit will not measure correctly. 

Tip #3: When pressing pieced units, whether with straight seams and bias seams, you should take care not to stress the seam. For units with bias seams, it’s extra important not to run the iron back and forth on the seam because this can stretch that area out of shape more than with a straight seam.

Tip #4: If you have to “un-sew” a bias seam, do it very carefully because that can also stretch this area of the fabric out of shape and fray it beyond use. This is a fabric saving tip because you won’t have to cut into more fabric to replace misshapen pieces.

A Little Block History

My block is a variation on a block from 1931 called Laurel Wreath. Here’s a drawing of that block with my block to the right of it:

As you can see, I just flipped the geese units and turned the center square into a square in a square unit using stitch and flip corners. 

This block was re-published by Nancy Page in 1938 under the name North Carolina. Nancy Page was a columnist from around 1928 through 1945. This was actually a pseudonym she used to publish the quilt patterns she wrote about. Her real name was Florence LaGanke Harris, which also appeared along with her pen name when the column was published. She was a dietician and a food writer. Eventually she ended up at the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a home economics editor. She herself was not a quilter, although she collected antique quilts. She was tapped to write the column because of a quilting revival going at the time.

Her columns consisted of block patterns, color choice, quilting design and finishing for a quilt. She basically created a fictional “quilt club” where she shared the progress in making the blocks. Some block patterns that were published were actually sent in by readers of her column. The quilt column ended up being syndicated to over 400 newspapers.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy making the block!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 6

Hi! Welcome back to block of the week. It’s time for block six in my 2026 BOW. This one is scrappy and is different from the other blocks because you can use some random colorful strips for part of it. I call this one Checkerboard Stars. It’s my twist on the traditional double-nine patch block. But will get into that later. 

If you are just joining, here’s a link to last week’s post for block 5. You can then follow links back to the other 4 blocks from there. I made this block with the light and dark backgrounds again. Choose either option or make both. Let’s get started!

Block of the Week – Block 6

This block is simply created by combining nine-patch blocks, squares with stitch & flip corners, and flying geese. Find some random colorful strips to make them scrappy. Here is Checkerboard Star:

Find the pattern for Checkerboard Star here: 2026 BOW Block 6.

Here is the same block with a dark background. I think I like this one the best.

Tip of the Week (with a little history thrown in!)

Strips Quilting and Strip Sets

Making strip sets is the easiest way to make nine patch blocks, so this is going to be the tip I cover this week. Accurate strip sets are needed to make the blocks so they measure correctly.

Most historians agree that strip quilting, scrap quilting or string quilting often gains popularity in times of economic downturns. Quilters who did not have the disposable income to purchase new fabric would cut up what they had and stored in their sewing baskets for future projects. New and old fabrics were used. Sometimes clothes that were no longer wearable.

They would sew together scraps and strips until they had created a larger piece of fabric. They used rulers or a specific template they wanted to use to make a block to judge the size of the fabric piece they needed. Once they reached the desired size, they cut their pieces or blocks from the scrappy piece. A lot of string quilts made in the past used strips of many different widths, not just uniform sizes. Some of the quilts of Gee’s Bend are good examples of this type of piecing.

So now let’s move on to the strip set tips.

Today when we make strip sets to make blocks, it’s kind of a throw back to the quilters of the past. First, what is a strip set? It’s when you sew strips together lengthwise like this:

From these two-strip strip sets, you can make four-patch blocks. These are fun beginner blocks.

For my block 6, you will be joining different combinations of strips into strip sets containing 3 strips each. Here’s some computer drawings showing that concept:

The two strip sets used are at the top. One has two of one color strip and one of the other. The other set is the opposite. To make a nine-patch block, you cut two segments from the first set and one segment from the second set and join them as shown. 

My example has the red as the 5 patches. If you wanted the blue to be the 5 patches, you would cut two segments from the set on the right and one from the set on the left.

Accurate Strip Set Piecing

I mentioned above that the strips in a set need to be joined together with accuracy to make sure your block measures correctly when you are finished. Here are some tips on joining strips.

Tip #1: I like to use strips that are 20″ long as they are easier to handle and have less of a chance of warping in the stitching and pressing steps. So, I cut my strips from pre-cuts like fat quarters or fat eighths to get this length.

Tip #2: Use a scant 1/4″ for piecing the strips into sets. Each time you add a strip and press the seam, you need to trim up the set before adding the next strip. Below are photos showing the first steps of joining 3 strips into a strip set measuring 3 1/2″ wide when done.  I’m beginning three 1 1/2″ wide strips:

 Instead of lining up the edge of my unit to be pieced with the edge of the 1/4″ foot, I move the strips a hair to the left (as shown in the last photo). Once these two strips are stitched, it’s time to trim the set to 2 1/2″ wide.

To achieve this I press the set open, place the ruler evenly on the strip set to trim it. The 1 1/4″ line of the ruler should rest on the center seam for trimming each side.

Time to add on the next strip using the scant 1/4″ while stitching and then trim that side:

Following these steps, you should be able to make strips sets that measure the correct length and width.

A Little Block History

Like I said above, my block is a play on the double nine-patch. Here’s what the plain double nine-patch block looks like from my quilt, Seaside Cottage:

As you can see on the left, there are five nine-patch blocks arranged with four plain squares to make a larger nine-patch block. That’s where the name double nine-patch comes from.

This variation of the simple nine-patch block was first discovered in 19th century quilts. The basic nine-patch itself dates further back to the late 18th century. It was born out of thrift because most women at that time could not afford to buy new fabric. Because of that, they saved scraps of fabric and cut squares from those to make a block.

I love how such a simple block created out of necessity has endured through the years of quilting. Most likely because of it’s simplicity and versatility. 

Strip sets, believe it or not, are not a modern invention either. It’s a technique that has been found to be used by some Native American tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries. There’s evidence that they joined strips together and cross-cut them, like we do today, to create  new blocks. It was mainstreamed as a time-saver during the quilting revival of the 1970s. I love time savers and I bet you do too!

That’s it for this week! Come back next week for block 7.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 5

We’re on to week 5 of my 2026 BOW sew along. I hope you are enjoying making the blocks and the tips I am sharing. This week’s block is called Four-Patch Star, which is my interpretation of a block I saw in an antique quilt. This is an easy to piece block because I know last week’s block was a bit harder to piece and I think you deserve a break!

If you are just joining the sew along, this block pattern is free, along with the first 4 blocks shared in previous weeks. Click the link above for last week’s post and from there you should be able to continue on back to the first post. Like the previous weeks, I make two blocks, one with a light background and one with a dark background. Choose which way you want to go or make them both. Let’s get started!

Block of the Week – Block 5

This block is simple to piece and only has a few HSTs and flying geese. Here is Four-Patch Star:

Find the free pattern for Four-Patch Star here: 2026 BOW Block 5.

Here’s the version of this block with the dark background:

Tip of the Week

My tip this week is aligning seams. As you can see with this block, there are a lot of seams to align to get the look of the block. My example below involves piecing a nine-patch block, but the same concept can be applied to the four-patch piecing you will do with this pattern.

The key to successful alignment of seams is simple. Pinning! I don’t care how short the seam is. I pin all the time because unpinned areas can lead to uneven pieces. There can be small shifts among the two pieces you are sewing that will cause your seam to be off. And if an initial seam is off in a unit, then trying to align seams when you are joining it to another unit will be frustrating. Here’s an example:

The squares I did not pin are on the left (where I’m pointing). It’s only a little off, but if all your pieces are like that you can see how that would cause problems in aligning seams.

For aligning seams in two units you are joining, line those up first and pin, then pin the ends (photos below).

The second photo (right) shows how I lay one unit on top of the other and then I peel back the top unit a bit to make sure the seams are aligned, then I pin at the seams first before pinning the rest of the unit. After pinning and sewing, you can see how the seams line up.

Follow these aligning and pinning steps when joining units with seams and your seams will line up nicely. Practice it regularly and it will be easier each time.

A Bit of History

My Four-Patch Star is a spin on the traditional 16-patch blocks, sometimes referred to as a St. Louis 16 Patch. It’s a very basic block made up of 16 of the same size squares in at least two different colors and pieced into 4 rows of 4 squares each. If you look at the center of this block, you will see the 16 “patches”.

My 16-patch is made by joining 4 four-patch units for the center of the block. Adding the “star points” made from flying geese, turns this into a star block. 

The only basis I can find for the name  St. Louis 16-Patch is that the women in St. Louis named it for the geographic area they settled in, similar to the naming of the Ohio Star or the Alabama Beauty blocks. 

As far as the four-patch block history, it’s one of the oldest and simplest quilt block designs dating to the late 18th century. It was created mostly out of necessity to use up fabric scraps that were available to make a quilt. Pioneer women cut squares from old clothes and sewed four of them into a block. By making several of these blocks from their scraps they could quickly assemble a quilt for use. Quilts at that time were mainly for use and not display.

So that’s it for this week. Come back next week for block 6. Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions about the block, tips or the history in the comments below.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Block of the Week – Block 2

Welcome back! I hope you had fun making the first block in the 2026 BOW series. If you missed last week’s introductory post, you can find it here. All the patterns for these nine blocks will be free and I will share stitching tips and, sometimes, some historical information as we go.

Like I said last week, these blocks will give you the opportunity to play in your fabric stash. You can make one of each block or as many as you want. I will be making the blocks with a light background and a dark background for some fun. You can choose either or you can make both variations like me. So let’s get started on the second week of this sew along.

Block of the Week – Block 2

This block builds upon the star block from last week and adds in some more flying geese to make the radiating design. I call the block “star burst”. Here it is:

Find the free instructions for the block here: 2026 BOW Block 2.

Now here is the same block with a black background:

This block with the reds and greens would make a really striking Christmas quilt. Hmmm cool idea?

Tips for Making Flying Geese

Making these involves working with bias seams. They need to be handled with a bit more care, especially if you have to rip out seams. That’s why it’s good to sew these carefully so you do not have to do that.

This is one type of unit that is constructed using the stitch & flip technique. Here’s a simple review on how to make a flying geese unit along with photos. If you are new to quilting, this will help you make them for this block.

For my example, I am using 2 squares 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ and a 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ rectangle, the photos below show the steps:

The above photos show the first steps: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the two squares. When you lay one of the squares face down on the rectangle, pin to keep the square from shifting. Once you sew along the line, the next steps (photos below) are very important:

On the left I am folding over the square, after stitching the seam, to make sure its edge matches up with the edge of the rectangle. The center photo shows that when I measure the unit, it still measures 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ (the measurement of the rectangle) . I can then trim off the excess fabric in the seam allowance (last photo). That is a key in stitch & flip units, always fold over and measure the unit after stitching before trimming off any excess fabric. 

Repeat the above steps on the other side of the rectangle, and you will have a flying geese unit. 

Keeping sharp points when joining geese units to other blocks or units depends on accurate seams allowance. Here is an example of what can happen to your points:

If you only have a few cut-off points in a large quilt, they may not be noticeable to anyone but you. But if it’s a smaller quilt, like a wall hanging or table runner, it may be easier to notice. So, here’s some tips to practice getting sharp, crisp points.

Tip #1: When you are joining a piece with points to a plain piece, stitch with them together with the unit with the points on top. This way you can make sure your stitching doesn’t cut off that point. 

Tip #2: If you measure the seams as you go when you are piecing flying geese to make sure the top of the point is 1/4″ from the edge of the unit, it saves you from headaches later.

Tip #3: As you are stitching the piece with the point to another unit, watch the point to make sure the stitching line passes just above the point. This guarantees the point will not be cut off when you press open the unit.

See the photos below and where my pointer is and in the last two you will see how the finished seam passes above the point and how the point is not cut off when the unit is flipped over and pressed open (photo on right):

Tip #4: Finally, joining two points so they’re not cut off. First, when pinning the units together, you want to start by lining up the points of each unit and placing your first pin there.

Here are my steps (photos below illustrate): 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 points the whole time to make sure they stay lined up. Then start by pinning at that point before pinning the rest of the unit.

Then you simply follow the stitching tips from above to keep your seam line above the point. When the unit is pressed open, the points line up. The first two photos below show the seam passing over the point on both sides.

A Little Flying Geese History

The exact origin of this design is unknown, but it is thought that it emerged in the early 19th century as early quilt makers drew inspiration from the seasonal V-formation of migrating geese flying across the sky.

There is legend that it was a symbol used in Underground Railroad quilts. The quilts were said to be hung outside, on a clothesline, of a home serving as a station as a road map to the next station. Many modern quilt historians debate the accuracy of this and treat it more as folklore.

No matter the origin, flying geese are fun to make and it’s a versatile design that helps create interesting blocks.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy making the block (or blocks) and come back next week for block 3!

Happy Quilting,
Deanne

Block Party Time!

After a year hiatus… block of the week returns! I will be posting a block for you to make, along with the instructions (for free!) each week for nine weeks. You can make all of one block and make a scrappy one block lap quilt, adding more blocks, or you can make a fantastic sampler. It’s up to you!

Along with the block pattern instructions, I’ll include some other things in the post. One week it could be tips for completing the block and another week it could be some block history. You never know! I think it will be fun and in the end you’ll have a least have nine blocks to make a sampler wall hanging/large table topper. And maybe you’ll have picked up or honed a few of your quilting skills.

These blocks give you a good opportunity to use up scraps of fabric you have, like random 10 x 10 (layer cake) pieces or assorted fat 1/8s. You can also go through your fabric stash and look at what larger cuts of fabric may work in a scrap project and cut those into fats for use throughout the project. If you want your background fabric all the same, I estimate about 1 1//2 to 2 yards will cover making nine blocks.

Let’s get started with the first week’s block!

Block of the Week – Block 1

My first block is made up of two easy to piece, traditional quilt blocks. I love traditional blocks but also like to add a twist in, like combining them. The eight-pointed star and the churn dash combined makes a cool block!

I liked it so much, I decided to make a version with a dark background. If you do this too, you’ll end up with 18 interesting blocks!

You can find the free instructions for this block here: 2026 BOW Block 1.

Block History

Since this is a fairly easy block to construct, I’ll share some block history about each element of the block. 

Star: First up, the star portion of this block. This design is often referred to as a sawtooth star. It’s one of the most common and easiest to make. It’s made with one large center square, four flying geese units and four small squares.

It is also known by other names like Eight-pointed Star, Evening Star or Variable Star. Because women in the west often shared patterns but didn’t know the original name, they would many times rename it with one they liked. That’s why a lot of traditional blocks are know by more than one name. How many other names can you find for this simple pattern?

Churn Dash: The Churn Dash is one of the oldest block designs. It dates as far back as 1800. Since it was an easy pattern to learn, new quilters often learned to piece by making this block. It is thought the name derives from the perimeter of the block resembling a churn and the center a “dash” (the stick that was used) to churn.

What makes this an easier block to construct is it’s mostly straight seam sewing. It’s made up of a plain large square framed by two strips on each side, one the color of the “churn” and the outside one the background color, often the same as the center. Finally, the corners are anchored by four half-square triangle squares.

Final Thoughts

Some final thoughts for the beginning of this Block of the Week sew along. If you want to, just make the nine blocks and have a small wall hanging or large table topper. You can also make two of each, maybe with different backgrounds like I did, and end up with 18 blocks. With some creative sashing, you can end up with a nice lap size quilt. If you decide to make a bigger quilt, make 3 or 4 of each block for a larger scrappy sampler.

The main thing is to have fun!

That’s it for this week. Enjoy making block 1 and come back next week for block 2.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne