The BaD for Spring is one of the simplest blocks in the quilter's canon. And there's a story why I chose it.
As you've heard me say many times, "I make the quilts I like, and if you suck up adequately, you get the quilt." This is true most times, except for wedding and anniversary quilts. Then, the recipients get some input! The three questions I ask are:
- Bed-size or throw?
- Traditional or Modern?
- What color?
When I asked my nephew in England what quilt his lovely wife would like for their new home, his answers were:
- Bed size
- Traditional (he actually said "farm house quilt," but I'm interpreting that to mean traditional!)
- Purple
And what could be more traditional than the Friendship Star?
I promise you, the dark is purple, not brown!
This block is so easy, I'm almost embarrassed to offer a tutorial! But just in case you've never made one, here's how I made my 9" finished block.
To make the Friendship Star block, you need four background squares, one center (contrast) square, and two half-square triangles made from the background and contrast fabric.
My un-pieced squares are cut at 3½" and the HSTs (Half Square Triangles) start out as 4½" squares.
Make your HSTs by whatever method you like best. I'm using the "draw a line from corner to corner, stitch ¼" from either side, cut in half on the line, and press toward the dark" method.
I do love the Bloc_Loc rulers to square up HSTs. This one makes perfect 3½" HSTs. If you've never tried this nifty tool, here is a link to my post describing how to use it.
Lay out the squares and HSTs like this (be sure the points are "spinning" the right direction!):
Stitch them together and press. I press the horizontal seams outward, and the vertical seams inward. That way, when I sew all the blocks together, the seams will nest nicely!
Presto! One down, 89 to go!
Happy Spring!
From the desk of your
