Jennifer Blosser « modafabrics

Hi everybody! It’s the Midnight Mama back again to share another tutorial with you here on the Moda Bake Shop! This one is for a contrast quilt using half square triangles (HSTs). It has endless possibilities of piecing arrangements. By making one very simple block, you can create many different designs.

You will need light fabric squares and an equal number of dark or printed fabric squares. Get your squares and let’s get started!

4 charm packs of Bella Solids in cream

1 layer cake of Clermont Farms

4 1/2 yards of backing fabric

2/3 yard of binding fabric

Cut your 10″ layer cake squares into quarters. Each square will measure 5″.

~ NOTE ~ One layer cake cut into quarters = 4 charm packs. ~

On the wrong side of the fabric, draw a diagonal line from the top corner to bottom corner of each light charm square.

Put a dark or printed charm square right sides together with a light charm square. Sew 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal line.

Cut apart on the drawn diagonal line.

Now you have 2 HST sets. Press towards the dark or printed fabric.

Repeat these steps for all of the charm squares.

Now comes the hard part . . . deciding which layout to use! To pick a layout, I taped an extra piece of batting to the wall. My HSTs stick to the batting so I can arrange them in different layouts. I have a few layouts below, but you can make your own unique design. You can create “Endless Possibilities” with these HSTs! Have fun!

Piece, layer, quilt, and bind!

A 72″ x 72″ quilt with “Endless Possibilities.”

Sew . . . I’m Jennifer and I am so excited to show you my tutorial for a folded star quilt! Stop by my blog and I’d love to see your version of this great quilt! Hugs and stitches!

My sisters & I love to try new things. One day my youngest sister Katie, showed me a cool way to fold fabric and yield stars. I love origami and pop-up cards, so this was awesome! It is a very effective way to use a Moda layer cake because you need to start with a square piece of fabric.

Our work is “cut” out for us!

1 layer cake (“Hunky Dory” by Chez Moi #16052-LC)

2 yards sashing fabric (“Spots Sparrow” #16058-11)

4 yards of backing fabric (“Mosaic Peppy Pink #16056-28)

½ yard of binding fabric (“Tonal Bloom Sparrow#16055-28)

To make the stars . . .

Choose one 10” square from your layer cake.

Place the fabric with the wrong side facing up.

Fold the bottom edge of the fabric up to the top edge of the fabric to make a rectangle. Finger press.

Open the fabric back up. Now the fabric has a crease line in the middle.

Take the bottom edge of the fabric up to the middle crease line. Finger press. Open the fabric back up. Now you have made ¼ crease line.

Take the bottom edge of the fabric up to the ¼ crease line. Finger press. Open the fabric back up. Now you have made two 1/8 crease lines.

Rotate the fabric and repeat until you have pressed/creased all sides.

Turn the fabric over with the right side facing up.

Holding the ½ crease line, pick it up and bring up to the ¼ crease line. Be sure to only grab the top layer of fabric.

Lay the fold on top of the ¼ crease line. Place a pin on the left side of the fabric to hold it in place.

Rotate the fabric clockwise 90 degrees. Repeat the previous two steps.

You will want to pull the right corner out to make a triangle. Again, place a pin in the upper left side to hold the fabric in place.

Repeat this process on the other two sides.

You will have “twist” of fabric in the center.

Tap this “twist” down to make a square shape. It will naturally lay down into the square shape. Remove the pins one at a time and press the piece with your iron very well.

Bring the bottom left side of the diamond up to the horizontal ½ crease line. Press with your iron. I put a pin in to hold it in place.

Rotate the fabric counter clockwise 90 degrees and repeat the previous step. The second piece will lie over top of the first piece.

Again, pin the piece to hold it in place.

Repeat these steps again for the third and fourth star point. The fourth piece will need to be tucked inside of the third piece.

I like to secure the center and a few key points with some hidden stitches. Tack the star where the dark pins are. I also tack the star along one side of each star point. Be sure you use a hidden stitch.

Choose a coordinating fabric from your layer cake. Cut this 10” square into four 2 ½” strips.

Sew a strip onto the left side and the right side of the star block. Press and trim off the excess. Then sew a strip to the top and the bottom. Press.

Now you have a block that is 10”. Make 10 star blocks.

Using a 2 ½” sashing piece between each block, arrange your quilt with a star block, then a plain 10” layer cake square. Make five rows with four blocks each, alternating the star blocks and the plain blocks. I write the row # on a piece of paper and pin it on the left hand side of each row.

~ I cut 12 long 2 ½” strips from the 2 yard cut of sashing fabric first. I did not want to seam the sashing. ~

Sew the rows together with a 2 ½” sashing strip between each.

Add another 2 ½” border of the sashing fabric around the outside.

Cut the remaining 12 layer cake pieces into 2 ½” strips. Using various lengths, make a scrappy border. Make two of the rows 60” long and two rows 72” long. This will give you plenty of scrappy border to work with.
Sew the scrappy border on next.