Week One – Summer Star Sampler Quilt Along 2010

Hello all my Quilty Friends!
Finally the day has come, to begin the Summer Quilt Along! I am super excited and I hope you all have loads of fun quilting through the HOT summer months. 🙂 Now for a few important notes….
Both versions of the Summer Star Sampler have the same 12 basic blocks. For the first six weeks, everyone will have the same instructions for making blocks.

Here are the fabric requirements in case you missed it.

Download Advanced Fabric Requirements (Advanced w/large center block) Download Advanced Fabric Requirements
Here’s another look at the finished Advanced Summer Sampler

Download Beginner Fabric Requirements (Beginner without center block) Download Beginner Fabric Requirements
Here’s another look at the finished Beginner Summer Sampler

Week One – blocks one and two.
Week Two – blocks three and four.
Week Three – blocks five and six.
Week Four – blocks seven and eight.
Week Five – blocks nine and ten.
Week Six – blocks eleven and twelve.
Week Seven… The advanced quilt version will make the center medallion block in week seven, and the beginners will have a week off or to catch up.
Week eight… brings squaring blocks and putting them together with sashings.
Week nine… will be the borders.

Please use this pattern only for your very own personal use. 🙂 If you own a quilt shop or would like to use these patterns in some other way, they will be available for sale very soon. Contact me if you are interested.

Feel free to join the Summer Star Sampler Quilt Along 2010 Flickr group and share your fabrics and progress! I would LOVE to see what you have created!! You can find the Flickr group here.

Block One

Block One.

Cutting Directions for Block One

Brown Suede – Cut ONE square measuring (6 1/2) X (6 1/2) inches.

Sea Glass Green – Cut FOUR squares measuring (3 7/8) X (3 7/8) inches.

Apple Green – Cut ONE square measuring (7 1/4) X (7 1/4) inches. Cut FOUR squares 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches.

Piecing Block One

The fabrics used to make the flying geese units in block one.

The first step is to make four flying geese units for the star points. These are the two fabrics you will use to make flying geese units. FOUR squares of Sea Glass Green measuring 3 7/8 X 3 7/8 inches ONE square of apple green measuring 7 1/4 X 7 1/4 inches. You can find my tutorial for making flying geese here. Press seams towards the smaller triangles.

Make four Flying Geese units.

Trim the flying geese units to remove the bulky little triangles. They should measure 3.5 X 6.5 inches.

Sew the patches together in 3 rows.

Lay out your patches as shown in the photo. Sew patches together in three rows. Press the top and bottom rows outwards. Press the middle row towards the middle. Finish by stitching the top and bottom rows to the middle section.

The completed Block One.

Press the final two seams towards the center of the block. There! Finished block one…. Isn’t it pretty? 🙂

Block Two

Block two.

Cutting Instructions for Block Two

Chantilly Cream – Cut ONE square measuring (5 1/4) X (5 1/4) inches. Cut FOUR rectangles measuring (4 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches.

Sea Glass Green – Cut TEN squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches.

Apple Green – Cut TWO squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches. Cut FOUR squares measuring (2 7/8) X (2 7/8) inches.

Rose – Cut EIGHT squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches.

Piecing Instructions for Block Two

The fabrics used for the flying geese in block two.

The first step is to make four flying geese units for the star points. These are the two fabrics you will use to make flying geese units. Chantilly Cream – ONE square measuring (5 1/4) X (5 1/4) inches & Apple Green – FOUR squares measuring (2 7/8) X (2 7/8) inches. You can find my tutorial for making flying geese here. Press seams towards the smaller triangles.

Attach a flying geese unit to a background rectangle.

Trim the corners off the four flying geese. Fabrics used for this step are: Chantilly Cream -FOUR rectangles measuring (4 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches. Attach one rectangle to each of the four flying geese, as shown in the picture.

The center four patch sewn together.

Now to make the center four patch. Fabrics used for this step are: Sea Glass Green – TWO squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches & Apple Green – TWO squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches. For instructions on how to make a four patch, you can see my Nesting Seams in a Four Patch tutorial here.

The outer corners of the block.

Now to make FOUR more four patches which will be the outer corners of the block. Fabrics needed for this step are: Sea Glass Green – squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches & Rose – Cut EIGHT squares measuring (2 1/2) X (2 1/2) inches. For instructions on how to make a four patch, you can see my Nesting Seams in a Four Patch tutorial here.

Sew the block together in 3 rows.

Time to put Block Two together! Layout the patches you have created like you see in the photo. Stitch together in three rows. Press the top and bottom rows towards the center. Press the center row outwards. Stitch the top and bottom rows to the middle row, and press the last two seams towards center.

The finished block two.

Well there you have it! Two blocks down!

Please send me any questions you may have regarding this quilt along. I would love to hear your comments and suggestions!

A very special an HUGE thank you goes out to FatQuarterShop.Com for their enthusiasm and support of this project!

Need Fabric? Shop Fat Quarter Shop!!