Whistle Stop Tour - Steam Engine - Day 2

Happy Tuesday! Bonus Blog post this week, as I'm hosting one of today's stops on the Whistle Stop Tour! 

From yesterday, September 9 through next Monday, September 16, 2019, ten S180 Certified Instructors will show you how to make the blocks for the Union State quilt.  We will be using Deb Tucker's new Signature Collection, Steam Engine by Kathy Engle for Island Batik.

Each day of the hop, you will tour a different S180 Certified Instructor's blog to download the cutting instructions for each block. The download will give you fabric placement and a block layout diagram for a 12” block. Instructions for making the pieced border will come in the middle of the tour. On Monday, September 16th you will receive the finishing instructions for the quilt from the S180 Blog. 

So, what are you waiting for?  Hop on board! 

Today's block is from S180 BlockBuster's Block #39, Do the Twist!.  This is a fabulous block.  It is made using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star and the Starburst Technique Sheet.  

I will be providing a pictorial below, but you need both the tool and technique sheet, plus today's download, which you can get at the bottom of my Retreat Page:  Click Here for Download.

I personally like to mark up my download with the placement/positions.  Especially, this is a block that you really need to stay organized. 

Step 1 – Place the outer point and inner point strips right sides together. Make a 45° cut on the left.

Step 2 – Continue to cut 45° diamond pieces from the strips. Each cut should be the same measurement as the Star Strip width. You will need to cut 2 pairs from each set to make this Block.  Keep the pair of diamonds layered right sides together for the next two steps.

Step 3 – Using you Magic Wand or another quarter inch marking tool, mark stitching lines ¼" on either side of the middle of the diamond.

Step 4 – Stitch on the lines and cut between the stitching lines. Press seams open. 

Stitch

Cut

Press Open

I like to apply Best Press with my Mister

You will have (4) of each set

Step 5 – Make sure to have Invisigrip™ on the back of your tool. On the pointed end of the tool, locate the lines for the 12" size star.   Using a fine line permanent marker and working on the Invisigrip™, draw a line bisecting the diamond into two equal triangles. The line intersects at the ¼" seam line and the size line (coming back from the point, you want the 1/4" mark behind the 12 Solid Line).

Step 6 – Lay the tool on the pieced diamond positioning it so you will be trimming the outer point. Align the drawn line with the center seam. Assure that the tool is centered over the entire unit. Trim only the outer point. Do not trim the inner point at this time.

• For the A Side, you will be trimming the Blue Fabric 

Left Handed

Right Handed

• For the B side, you will be trimming the White with Blue Dot Fabric

Left Handed

Right Handed

Step 7 - Cut background triangles from the (4) background squares. Make cuts ¼" off the true diagonal to create large and small triangles. Position the ¼" line of the Lemoyne tool on two opposite corners and cut to create the slightly different size triangles.

(4) Background

• Then, you will repeat this for the Purple Fabric

(4) Background)

• You will used (4) of the Large Purple and only (2) of the Smaller Purple Triangles.

• Next, you will be cutting the Blue Square in half (not a quarter inch of center).

• You will use these (2) Blue Small Triangles in place of the (2) Purple you discharged to the scrap bin.

Step 8 - Arrange pieces from Step 7 and the star points from step 6 into A sections and B sections as shown in the download, page 2.  Be very careful, you will produce (4) A sections that are all the same, but you will produce (2) different versions of B sections.  There will be (2) with the Blue Small Triangle and (2) with the Purple Small Triangle.

Step 9 – Sew the larger triangles onto the star points first.  Make sure to sew with the Star Diamond on top.  Press as illustrated on the tech sheet; toward the Background/Large Triangle for the A section and toward the Star Diamond for the B sections. 

Step 10 – Sew the smaller triangles on next, again with the Star Diamond on top.  Press as as illustrated on the tech sheet; toward the Star Diamond for the A sections and toward the small triangle for the B sections.

Step 11 – Trim these A and B sections with the Lemoyne Star tool, aligning to the 12 guide lines to the outer point seams and align the drawn line with the center seam.

Left Handed

Right Handed

Step 12 - Following the diagrams on Page 2 of the Download, match the A and B sections.  Complete as you normally would for a Lemoyne Star, matching the star point, the inner edge and star point intersections.

• Press the seams open.

Step 13-  For this block you will need to trim the Lemoyne Star as a quadrant, using the Tucker Trimmer I (love the new TTI with the 1/4" line).  

• First, trim the dog ears.

• Next, you will line up the TTI's common line with the main seam, line up the inner point side (that you just trimmed the dog ears) with the 6 1/2" lines.  If you have one of the newer TTI, you will also be able to line up the 1/4" seam with your star points.  See circles below.  

• Trim both sides 

Step 14- Lay out the block according to the layout on page 2 of the download.   Be very careful, check this one twice then sew!

• Press the seams open.  And sew the two halves together.
• TADA!   Do the Twist Block is complete. 

Thank you for joining me today.  Make sure to check out some of my other Blog posts, especially my Holiday Extravaganza Series.  We are down to just 2 clues, but you can purchase the clues you missed.   Check out my prior Blog Posts for information.

This is just one of 10 blocks in S180's Union Station quilt.  Make sure to check out the schedule below for the other 9 blocks.  

Karen shared a block yesterday.  Marie is also sharing a block today.  Note, we are using Deb's latest line, Steam Engine from Island Batik, which you can look for it at your local quilt shops. 

Here is the Blog Schedule:

Monday September 9^th

• Karen Overton – The Quilt Rambler

Tuesday September 10^th

• Michelle Renee Hiatt – Sew on the Go
• Marie McKay – Ribbon Star Studio

Wednesday September 11^th

• Sarah Furrer - Studio 180 Design

Thursday, September 12^th

• Gail Renna – Quilt Haven Threads
• Kathy Beltz- Kathy Beltz Designs

Friday, September 13^th

• Jackie O’Brien – If these Threads Could Talk

Saturday, September 14^th

• Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis
• Carolyn Ratola – CaTs Quilting

Sunday, September 15^th

• Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Design
• Bonny Peters – Cat Den Mountain Quilts

Monday, September 16^th

• Sarah Furrer - Studio 180 Design