Tips & Tricks ~ Bonus Block for March!

Ready for a fun bonus block? I thought it might be fun to piece some 6” finished blocks to use in our quilt top. 6” blocks are so versatile – you can put 4 together as a 4-patch to make a 12” block, you can also use them as setting blocks. Right now my plan is to use them as setting blocks which would mean we’d need eight in total by December. The choice is all yours…there will be 7 more bonus 6” blocks during this quilt along for you!

Since this is a bonus block, the tutorial will be here, without so many tips along the way. This is meant to be fast and fun!

So, the first 6” block is my favorite, the Friendship Star. At the beginning of the month we learned about HSTs right? Here’s the post. This is where you can put them into another block!

Please read thru the directions to the end first, and then start your block. (Getting sick of me saying that yet?)

Pick out your fabrics  – here is what I used:

• Lights – cut 4 each 2 1/2” squares  AND cut 2 each 3” squares
• Medium or Dark – cut 1 each 2 1/2” square AND cut 2 each 3” squares

Cut to size…

At the start of this month we learned how to make a half-square triangle HST. See this post for that information.

Make 4 HSTs using the 3” squares of light and dark fabrics – you will end up with 4 HSTs that measure 2 1/2” square. Here are my photos of how I did it (detailed directions are in the earlier post)

…pressing seams away from the HST toward the square…

   

Layout your block….

Piece your rows first….

And then each row to one another… 

Square to 6 1/2” and….

…you’re done! You’ve completed a Friendship Star block!

See you again soon!

©2011, Carrie Graziano, crickets studio