20 Years of KTQ Week #13

Week #13 - Plum Star

I am tickled when a design plan comes together so star points floats. It gives a little extra breathing room when piecing, so you don't have to worry about cutting off the points. Plum Star is one of those great blocks. We'll add squares for the star points, center and corner blocks using the Connecting Corners method to create triangles. Refer to the HST & CC page included in your first shipment for more information. It's also available for download in the June 30th post.

The basics for Connecting Corners are:

1. Draw a line diagonally on the wrong side of the square. I like a fine line white chalk marker to mark on the wrong side of dark fabrics.

2. Sew on the edge of the drawn line that is closer to the corner you'll be pressing toward. This allows a thread's width for the fold for perfect corners.

3. Press toward the corner to check if the 90degree angles match up. If the triangle you press toward the corner is short or long, it can distort the size of the unit and make sewing units together more challenging. Adjust your stitching line if you're not happy with the results.

4. Trim the background triangle and the bottom triangle of the square for less bulk.

5. Press seam open. Use sizing to set the seams.

Make sure the star points and center snowball triangles overlap 3/8" to accommodate your 1/4" seam allowance.

Plum Star units

And here's the final Plum Star block, finishing 12 1/2" square.

I'd like to make a lap quilt with this block, too. Hmmmm, if I start with a Layer Cake for scrappiness and change out the center, the possibilities are endless! Watch for my version in an upcoming KT pattern.

Thanks for following along on my 20-year journey. See you July 30th.