Ohio Star Block Exchange

 Finally! I finished off the Ohio Stars while I was away at a mini quilt retreat this week!!

To have something done so far in advance is so NOT like me, but gosh, it sure does feel good. I was not dreading making these, but for some reason I had created a daunting giant job in my mind. Tackling it seemed like climbing a mountain. 

But, just like I've told beginning quilters, break the job down into manageable steps and it seems so much less overwhelming. 

 

I had done all the cutting last week. I'd also drawn all my diagonal lines and matched up the lights and darks. Two or three steps done. 

Getting to retreat, I began sewing my hourglass units. And I sewed, and I sewed, and I sewed. I needed 42 stars and there are 4 hourglass units per star, so that adds up. Then they all needed to be trimmed. Time consuming, but made loads more enjoyable when surrounded by quilting friends who encourage and inspire.

Typical for me, I have a couple of stars constructed so that I can see how my finishes will look. The precariously stacked star parts are all cut apart and trimmed and ready to be pressed for the next step.

The photo above shows another stack - all the hourglass units are made and stacked with the correct center squares and corner squares. The next step: chain piecing. 

I am happy to report that most of my stars turned out great with points coming together as they should and final measurements consistently coming to 9.5 inches. Blocks that look a bit wonky will not be too noticeable, and I made a few extra stars just in case a block or two ends up being too poorly sewn to be exchanged.

By the final morning of our 3-day retreat, I was pressing my stars. I spent Monday making the hourglass units. Tuesday, I sewed the stars, and Wednesday, pressed them all. DONE. 

We Frankfort girls have done block exchanges for a couple of years, now. We started with 9-patch blocks. Then we did Churn Dash blocks. Now Ohio Stars. I believe everyone is ready for a break from block exchanges for awhile. We did agree to a different sort of exchange, though - scraps! I will share more on that another day.

Click here to see how I set together my exchange 9-patches. 

Click here to see how I set together my exchange Churn Dashes.

I do have an idea for my Ohio Stars, but I will save that until after we have exchanged, which is scheduled for our Christmas gathering.

Hope you are all keeping cool in this heat wave we are having here in the midwest. Gracious!

Happy Quilting, Friends!