I've been eyeing up this pattern for quite some time, not that I'm a patchwork quilter, but still wishing I had some spare time to make up a block or two, just to see how it looked. Today, I finally decided I should just get right to it and as I did, I wrote some notes that might also help you along the way.
The pattern I'm referring to is Anita's "Entwined Star". (PS Antia also teaches this as an online workshop, a great place to ask questions and share your quilt photos too. You can find it here: Entwined Star Online Workshop)
"Entwined Star" designed by Anita Eaton
Of course, the first thing we do is select the fabrics - it's not always easy to decide on the right combination. To guide me I used Anita's pattern tip "Select fabrics of medium and medium-light, on a very light background with a dark star point". I pulled a few combinations out of my stash.
Fabric combinations for Entwined Star
I selected one and got to cutting out the pieces - squares, triangles, and strips.
Cutting squares, triangles, and strips
Now let's start joining these up into units. Since some of the seams are sewn on the bias, when possible, sew with the straight edge on top and the bias edge on the bottom, that way the bias edge is less likely to stretch. If both edges are on the bias, then spray starch might be a good idea to prevent the seam from stretching.
One thing I'm never too keen on is drawing that diagonal line through a square when making a snowball corner. What I do instead is stick a piece of tape to the bed of my sewing machine that is exactly in line with the needle. That allows me to align the needle on one corner of the square and the edge of the tape on the opposite corner, then I just sew making sure the point of the square continues along the edge of the tape. Don't take your eye off that corner though, otherwise, you will veer to one side and have a crooked stitching line.
Use the tape (blue in the photo) as a guide
I made the three units. This is how they look.
Three units to make the block
When I laid my units out, I realized I'd joined the dark and background triangles around the wrong way. It doesn't make any difference really, as long as they stay consistant throughout the pattern. It only makes the star twist in the opposite direction. Do be careful you place the corner units correctly though. They will be opposite triangles to those in the center unit.
Block layout
I joined the units to finish the star block. That was fun and I love the result.
Star Block from Entwined Star quilt pattern by Anita Eaton
Do you have this pattern? I know for sure, if I had fun making this block, then you will too.
You can purchase the pattern here: Entwined Star
Yes, you knew I couldn't resist. I had just too much fun that I decided to make another. What colors did I choose this time? Look for the next blog post coming soon with even more helpful tips!
PS: have you made this quilt? I'd love to see the color combinations you used.
