I thought about posting a sneaky trick today for April Fool’s….like that I’m pregnant or that I’ve decided to stop doing the Sugar Block Club (neither are true!)…but I’ll be honest- I don’t think I could deal with the reactions! Some weeks I can laugh at anything, and others I might cry if you tell me my shirt’s on inside out. Today is definitely the later. Sheesh. Ok, I’m getting off topic. Back to the subject at hand…
…The Sugar Block Club! A new block today and I’ll be real with you- I’m crazy about it! Aren’t the colors funky and happy? Springy…but with a little happy dash of unexpected Christmas cheer…and, oddly, slightly stoplight-ish? Ok, my mind is officially off on safari today.
This month I chose the Ohio Star as my classic patchwork inspiration. This star shape has been a quilting staple since the Civil War, and through the years has had many names- Variable Star, Eastern Star, Western Star, Lone Star, Texas Star. The sharp, bold star points sticking out on the horizontal and vertical- those punchy quarter square triangles just standing proud and never letting us forget, “Hey, I’m an OHIO STAR!”
Here’s an example of a classic Ohio Star (it’s my free One Block Wonder quilt pattern)- see those aqua triangles facing one another in those big fat quarter square triangle units? Telltale Ohio Star. Love them.
When I started playing around with this shape, I discovered that I could fill in one of those negative space (white) triangles with the same color as my star points (green) and really create a new fun shape that still has those bold points sticking out, but instead of an hourglass, it reminds me of a tulip. Then I started playing with the corners and the center unit- adding funky details and creating fresh, new look, that’s still deeply rooted in that classic little piece of Civil War history.
This week I’ll be releasing a full quilt pattern based on this block design, and it’s called Antebellum (which means before or existing before a war, particularly before the American Civil War)…I haven’t found a precise date for the earliest recorded Ohio Star, but I’m betting somebody probably made one before the war started on April 12, 1861. And if they didn’t, oh well- what a cool word! Antebellum. It’s just fun to say.
Premium Sugar Block Club members will receive their digital copy of this pattern over the weekend. In fact, premium members are receiving ALL of the quilt patterns for this year’s club, along with handy printable PDFs of all of the block patterns, and some other awesome stuff as well like monthly giveaways and even a free quilt label for their finished quilt. You can sign up to be a premium member HERE.
Ok, ready to make this block? Let’s get stitching!
Fabric Selection Note: To make the green star point units visually pop, and so the seam that runs across these units isn’t distracting, a blender (small print) fabric, or even a solid, works really well (OR completely ignore this suggestion, and instead choose a fun directional fabric or fussy cut something awesome! Be sure to share a picture of your one-of-a-kind block on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarblockclub
Construction:
- Using a ruler, draw a diagonal pencil line from corner to opposite corner on the wrong side of the white 5 3/8’’ and 5’’ squares, the green 5’’ squares, and all of the gold and pink squares.
- Pair each 5’’ white square with a 5’’ red square, right sides together, with the drawn line facing up. Pin. Stitch ¼’’ seam on each side of the drawn line (Figure 1). Cut unit in half on the drawn line. Press units open with the seam facing toward the darker fabric. Trim all four half square triangle units to 4 ½’’ X 4 ½’’ square and set aside.
Figure 1
- Pair the 5 3/8’’ white square with the 5 3/8’’ green square, and repeat the steps in Figure 1 to create another pair of half square triangles. Do not trim this pair.
- Now, pair each of the two untrimmed green half square triangles with a green 5’’ square, right sides together and so that the drawn line is perpendicular to the seam. Follow the steps in Figure 1 to create four units In the same way that all of the previous half square units have been created (Figure Press these units toward the unpieced side and trim to 4 1/2’’ square.
Figure 2
- Take each red half square triangle unit and align a pink square on the red corner, and a gold square on the white corner, right sides together and both with the drawn lines parallel to the seam.
Stitch on the drawn lines, then trim outside the seam to 1/4’’ (Figure 3). Press corners open.
Figure 3
- To create the center snowball unit, take the white 4 1/2’’ square, and in the same way that the gold square was added to corner in step 5, stitch gold squares to all 4 corners. Trim to 1/4’’ seam allowance and press corner patches open (Figure 4).
Figure 4
- Last but not least! Take all 9 units (Figure 5) and lay them all out using the block image as a guide. Stitch into three rows of three units each. Press seams toward the green, then join the rows and press.
Square up the block to 12 ½’’ X 12 ½’’.
YAY! That’s all there is to it! Fun, eh? If you want to receive email notification of new block patterns each month, sign up for my mailing list using the box below, or if you’d rather receive the printable PDFs for all of the blocks and quilts in this month’s club, you can upgrade to premium HERE.
Amy, I sat down this morning, started my laptop to see if the April Block is already on……. but nothing! The whole I thought maybe it´s an aprils fools day prank and it´s going to show tomorrow….. but I took the chance this evening (it´s a quarter past seven here) and here it is! You do not know, how you make my day with your blocks!!! Thank you for that!
You want to live in Australia, I have to wait till the 2nd, but still check on the 1st just to see if it’s up. Get disapppinted each time! Happy sewing …
Love cheryl
Hello! I’m missing the e-mail that provides the quilt pattern for the April Premium Membership. Hope all is well!
I love this block! I look forward to working on it after I finish the Craftsy 2012 class (yeah, I know-just a weee bit behind on it but at least I’m finally at it!) I admit, I did enjoy how the hexies turned out after I swore I never wanted to do them!
I recently just started reading your blogs and I am truly amazed at your ability to have a quilting life with the awesome family you have. You’ve inspired me to get back to my sewing room after taking a hiatus and I’m finding that I can’t wait each day to get back in there! God bless you and your family!
I’m still working on the Craftsy 2012 class, too :-) I’m just plugging along and enjoying it.
Your colors and fabric choice make a traditional pattern look so new and contemporary. Love your step-by-step pictures! Happy Spring!!
I watch for each block starting at 6:30 a.m. love your ‘take’ on traditional blocks. Thanks!
i never knew the meaning of the word “antebellum”, precisely, just sort of knew how it applied to the south. so thanks for the language history lesson as well as the block instructions! i really like your method for the combined qst and hst component piece. wow!
Amy,
I have been following along with your Sugar Block Club. Thanks for making it free for us! The instructions and photos are so clear and well thought out. Your color choices are so lovely and bright! Just like you.
Thanks. Annie
I just found your site,love it but can’t find your tutorial
Thank you for another lovely pattern. I have almost finished it, just need to stitch the 9 squares together. Do you have any tips for getting all the seams to line up. No matter how hard I try, they’re always a little bit (or more) off!
Dear Amy,
the April block is done, it was fun to sew. Thank you so much for this lovely pattern!
Martina
Your directions call for a 5 3/8 ” white block, but cutting directions do not.
Maybe, I’m wrong. Check it out.
Yes, I noticed this too! I’m going to try to figure this out. Hopefully I won’t have to cut again and waste fabric.
Oooh, now that I’ve placed my comment I got a refreshed version of the blogpost with an extra white square. Those cookies……
I too appreciate that the BOM is free! I am learning so much and my piecing is really improving. I really like making them slightly oversized so they can be squared up to a precise block size. You are a great teacher. Thank you.
Hi Amy,
Here I go again I lost the pdf for April quilt pattern and the blk. Not sure what I did.
I am a premium member.
thks Fran Foss
Just finished the April block (I know, it’s May 2nd…) It looked really complicated but your instructions are so clear I got it finished with no trouble! Thank you for allowing a bit extra fabric so that the hst can be trimmed to the right size, it really is helping everything fit together neatly.
Amy,
When will the quilt pattern for this quilt be available in your shop?
I am not a premium member but would like to purchase this quilt pattern so I can begin on it. The ohio star is my favorite, and I just love the looks of the full quilt for this block.
I just finished March and April’s blocks today. Yes, I have fallen a bit behind. Wow! I loved March and had even precut the fabric several weeks ago. It came together nicely and I love how it looks. April, however….woah!!! I don’t know why I had such trouble with this block. Part of what confused me was that the directions were in different colors than mine. I know…not a deal breaker or real problem, but I kept tripping up on which fabric was my red equivalent and my pink equivalent. I messed up several HST’s and now have a pile of extras. The block came out great but I could never attempt a full quilt with this block. I will stick with a block with only a few HST’s so that I can stay on task.
Hi Elana! So happy you’re following along with the blocks, and am so glad you shared about your experience! Here’s a little tip that might help when you run into these confusion pattern situations (I do as well!) where your fabric is different than that used in the pattern…..before you begin cutting or sewing anything, print off the pattern and go through, color by color, and cross out the existing colors and write in your own. So for example, if you chose a pink where the pattern has used a red, go through and look for every spot where the word “red” is listed and cross it out and write in “pink” over it. I know this might sounds kinda goofy, but for folks who are really visual (like me and perhaps you), it can be helpful to have that visual from the start. That way you don’t have to keep track of anything in your head or keep reminding yourself. Hope this helps! Glad you made the block!!! :)
Hi Amy,
I love this block. It is the very first thing I have sewn this year. Thank you so much for your great instructions and beautiful photos. Jay