MAKING AN OHIO STAR part 1

I got a letter from the National Quilt Museum asking that I donate a small wallhanging for a sale they will have at the museum during  the week of the show.  I have a miniature quilt in the permanent collection, so that is why I was asked.  Making a quilt is easier than writing a check these days.  I thought that I would show you what I am working on, and let you follow along.

 

These 2" blocks were in my UFO  pile.  I don't even know what I planned to do with them.  I was hoping that they may be Ohio Stars, then I would be 4 blocks ahead. Unfortunately they weren't.  I don't even remember why I  made them with the contrasting triangles in the corner.  So I sewed them into one 4" block.  Probably to add to my orphan block pile. ;)

I want to make an Ohio star quilt. 

I would like to make the quilt with 2 " blocks, but an Ohio Star can't be paper pieced.  I haven't had the time to sit down with the book Flip Flop Paperpiecing which I hope can shed some light on how to do this.  

So, I had to piece it the normal way.  I want to do decent quilting on this one. And the smaller a block is, the more seams and the less quilting can be done easily.

 

I started out using 2" Thangles.  These come in a strip with 4 of the units that are shown.  These didn't really have to be cut apart, but that is how I did it.  All of my stars are going to be made out of a different taupe print.   I have been collecting these colors for several years to make a miniature.  I hope that I don't end up wanting to keep this one!

For one Ohio Star block, I will need 4 half square triangles.  Each of these units make 2.  All you have to be careful of with thangles is placing the fabrics right sides together on the non printed side of the paper.  They do not have to be the exact size of the paper, they can be bigger and trimmed.  Although I need a 1 -1/2 " quarter square triangle,  I am starting at 2- 1/2 " and trimming down.

This is what I got from these two thangle units.

Cut each HST in half  as shown.

This is what you end up with.. four opposite triangles.

To make a quarter square triangle block, you take two triangles that are the SAME. Meaning the same colors on the same side.  Turn as seen and sew a quarter inch seam.

For this block, you need four 1 -1/2" QST, four 1-1/2" background blocks, and one 1-1/2" contrast block for the center.
I didn't take step by step photos while making this block, but it is pieced like any other Ohio Star would be, it is only smaller.  I will update my progress on this quilt and take photos of my process to share.  Check back.  I will try not to be so long until next post.