Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilts - Clue #3
Can you believe we are already up to Clue #3 of our Sweet Freedom Mystery?! Welcome!
Time to adds some Stars to our Patriotic Mystery, don't you think?
Fabrics = White, Blue, Patriotic scraps/leftovers
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| Wonky Star - we'll be making four (4)...FUN! |
White:
- Thirty-six (36) 4 ½" squares - I used my rotary cutter to cut 4 ½" strips, then cut those strips into 4 ½" squares. How many strips? Depends on the width of your fabric. Cut one strip to determine your final needs.
- Sixteen (16) 4 ½" squares, cut on the diagonal, to create thirty-two (32) triangles to be used for the star points OR leftover Blue scraps of various sizes which can be trimmed to size during construction - pics of examples included below in our sewing instructions.
- Various size strips for center square - I used three (3) different patriotic fabrics/remnants, including the same Blue/Star fabric from Clue #2 and the RED fabric from Clue #1 I've already used in this quilt, and a third complimentary patriotic fabric... quilter's choice!
Cutting Tip: Make sure your cutting tools are properly sharpened. Replace the blade in your rotary cutter regularly and/or after a mega-cutting session, and especially when the blade becomes dull and starts to 'skip'.
Alternative cutting: for those who may be cutting your Wonky Star units by alternative means, NO worries! You may cut your Wonky Star units according to the sizes given, utilizing the ‘lengthwise OR crosswise’ grain of fabric - whichever works best for you, will work in our Wonky Star block.
Please Note: There are AccuQuilt GO! Dies available in the sizes we are using for this mystery clue that work very well. Since I would need to cut fabric chunks at least the width of these units w/rotary cutter, chose to go ahead and finish up my cuts to get the units needed...once again, quilter's choice ;-)
Good cuts result in great sewing!
Sew:One (1) Blue triangular piece of fabric to one (1) 4 ½" white square of fabric, right sides together.
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| Lay first Blue fabric triangle/remnant in place - be sure to cover BOTH sides of fabric |
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| Notice the pins = the stitching line |
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| Prior to stitching, 'roll' the fabric over to right side along stitching line to ensure the entire area of the foundation block will be covered |
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| Stitching first triangle/Star point |
Jenny of Missouri Star has a FUN video tutorial on HOW to cut/make these Wonky Stars:
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| Press first Wonky Star point |
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| Flip over pressed block unit and trim excess fabric |
Additional trimming to create uniform-sized block and remove excess fabric in seams:
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| Trim 'excess' base fabric |
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| Trimmed and ALL ready for second Wonky Star point |
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| Second Wonky Star point w/Blue fabric remnant, ready to be stitched in place |
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| Once again - check to ensure there is ample fabric to cover the white 'foundation' block prior to stitching in place |
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| Second Wonky Star point in place, sewn & pressed, and ready to be trimmed |
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| Trimmed! Be careful to NOT trim off the Blue star fabric, by folding it back and out of the way |
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| Completed Wonky Star unit - make four (4) for each Wonky Star block |
Jenny of Missouri Star has a FUN video tutorial on HOW to cut/make these Wonky Stars:
PLUS - a F R E E Wonky Stars/Charm pack pattern - NOT ours, just 'another' quilt pattern to use w/Wonky Stars...Enjoy!
Sew:
Two (2) Patriotic strips of fabric to one (1) 4 ½" white square of fabric, right sides together.
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| Strip piecing four (4) center blocks |
Sewing Tip:
I 'center' my first patriotic fabric strip by folding my white foundation block in half, creasing that fold line and centering my first patriotic fabric strip over that creased center fold line.
Next, I lay my second patriotic fabric strip over the first strip - right sides together, stitch down & together at the same time w/scant ¼“ seam allowance, using my presser foot as a guide for my seam allowance, pin in place if need be. These seams do NOT need to be perfect - sewing a straight seam line is more important for aesthetics, and for maintaining a 'flat' block unit - curvy sewing lines can create wavy block units that refuse to press/stay flat...NOT fun, especially in your finished quilt:
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| Two (2) patriotic strips sewn - chain pieced together, ready to be pressed/cut apart and the third strip added to the opposite side |
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| Trimming the center block unit to size |
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| Center block unit ALL trimmed - ready for assembly into a Wonky Star! (I did follow-up w/basting down ALL the raw edges of each completed center block 1/16" away from edges, to ensure my basting remained within the ¼“ scant seam allowance) |
Assemble & sew ALL center block/star point units, along w/white corner block units into four (4) Wonky Stars - ensuring each Wonky Star block measures 12 ½” square, (12" Finished in a quilt), once completed:
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| Laying out prior to Assembly of the Wonky Star block units |
Wonky Stars:
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| Wonky Star #1 |
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| Wonky Star #2 |
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| Wonky Star #3 |
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| Wonky Star #4 |
Have FUN sewing these Wonky Stars!
Final Sewing/Pressing Results for Clue #3:
UPDATE:
- Four (4) Blue/White/Patriotic 12 ½ x 12 ½” Wonky Star blocks (Finish at 12" x 12")
UPDATE:
The Mission of Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilts: "Dedicated to inspiring the creation of patriotic quilts to help Celebrate our Country's 250th Anniversary of FREEDOM."
FREEDOM to You and Yours in 2025/2026,
Deborah Lindley
Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilts
Sweet FreedomPatriotQuilts@gmail.com
217.264.2051
"Striving to Create Beautiful Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilts to Help Celebrate Our Country's 250th Anniversary...One Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilt at a Time...Come Join Us!"
Sweet Freedom Patriot Quilts Facebook Group:
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