Using Triangles: Star


10 Ways to Love Improvisational Quilting


Lesson Info

Using Triangles: Star

Let's talk about stars and any amount of internet searching first half square triangle stars will yield lots of different star variations so there's lots to choose from but I decided to choose I chose this one just because I felt like there were more opportunities to make the half square triangles some are just like where there's one here one here this is almost it's ah it's a nine patch with the bulk of them are just open squares so I wanted something that gave me lots of opportunities to make half square triangles so this one is going to require ah two one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve half square triangles s o that means six black squares and six white squares um and then showing them to create those half square triangles so ah the center is a lot like the pinwheel in fact makes me wonder whether I could just steal my little pinwheel one that I made already so did together never mind eh so it's it's a lot like the pinwheel so you can start with the cente...

r being just the pinwheel and that's what I'm gonna do so I'm going to need to black into white for that center to black squares and two white squares wait go ahead and so those wait okay so I have to I'm in it to so something into there but it's just a it's just in the scene no one will know be our little secret and you see the little piece of fabric that got caught up in there all right? So we're ready to make that center kind of pinwheel uh, shape so if you've been making pit the pinwheel then you're you know you already know what to do here the market has ever actually happen did you get so far with a pattern and it just doesn't work and you really do have to scrap it all because of the improv nature of this is just always you can always make it work oh, no, you can't always make it work but it's not the pattern it's usually you know, some kind of fabric choice are yeah, you know, I have loads of, you know, projects that I when I started on them, I thought this is brilliant, you know, this is it this is what I should be working on and then, you know, after a while I was thinking maybe not, you know, but I never throw away anything. Um I never throw those stuff because oftentimes that will then go into another project. So, um that's my advice never throw away anything good advice? Yes that's actually good device for life in general never throw anything I think they're like shows to tell you otherwise, but absolutely but every time I see something in the street that I was wearing twenty years ago I was right I should have gone to that and then you go out and buy it again exactly now we had to actually some new viewers who are joining us throughout the latest segment I know we talked about this earlier but market just remind everybody how long you've been quilting oh gosh um twenty years yeah, so I started doing it because when I graduated from college with us, you know, find printmaking degree um, you know, you printmaking needs a really fancy studio. Well, that doesn't have to be fancy, but you need a lot of equipment that costs a lot of money and I didn't you know, I didn't I didn't have money for a bavarian limestone or really even one without the breeding of a bavarian limestone s o I was making a lot of drawings at home and I thought to myself, you know, my drawings really remind me a quilt now this is, you know, without having had any kind of quilting, I mean, it's not like I came from a family had quilts felt like my mom made quilts I just thought he's just really remind me, quote, I don't know what a quilt is, but it just really remind me of them and so I decided tio get a sewing machine um and start making some quotes just like the drawings that I was making and ah, you know and then after a while I decided that I didn't like the fabrics that I had to choose from in the store so I needed to go ahead and die my own and then um dad led me to making up for many years I made art quotes and then I decided then I don't know they just didn't I didn't get to connect with people the way I wanted to making art quotes and I wanted to make something that I felt like I could reach out to people with and so I decided to make much more kind of functional items um and so and the quilting process goes off it could be applied because obviously earlier on we saw the image of the pillow that you've made a hand beautiful people for think of quilts in terms of something they may use as a wraparound or something on a bed but they're not to be used in much smaller context. Oh yeah and pills are right way you know you haven't a design idea you want to try out a pillows a great way because it's not such a not such a time commitment, you know, so um I think that is a great advice actually people getting started all right would you say to start small and was sure I no I say that with the first quote I ever made was a double bed size quote but yeah sure stop because no listen to what I say I actually don't do what I do what I say so I'm going to finish the pinwheel here and then we'll get started on the outer triangles which hopefully we'll finish up but either way you have a sense of the the process that goes into making the star and here to the star could be huge you know it could also be super tiny but it could be huge and it would have such a dramatic effect it could be the center star of ah much bigger quote like you could have a huge star and then have have fabric surrounding that you know so it could be the center of ah even this size but just a little bit bigger it would make a great pillow top so it's a great way to try this and then applied to something not feel like oh I got now I have to make twenty stars no make one slightly bigger than this star and quilted into a pillow talk all right so I got my little um center pinwheel since I wanted to be just like holly tried to make it as perfect as possible he said my points made and there's no need to add any fabric I'm kind of happy and a little disappointed all at the same time, so because you don't get to play as much, but that's ok, so I've got that one now I need for this for the top points, we're going to call the points of star any two more half square triangles, so just one piece of of ah white in one piece of black fabric, and then I'm going to need just two squares that are just white, maybe get a slightly larger black square presses, all right, you know, I have two more impressive in this one, and those are going to be the point, the top points of my of my star, so when I lay it all out, it will go, this piece will go this way in this piece will go this way, and then over here, I'll have just a simple white square, maybe a little more square like and on the other end, the same as well, and you can see that the disparity of size really allows for a lot of play, there's going to be a lot of room to kind of mess around with what happens, which is really great, so I think what I'm going to do rather than attach, I'm going to go ahead and touch these two guys and then I mean, I could actually in order to attach him I could add a little peace I mean, you kind of want all these little opportunities to add something here and something there because that's that creates that that pop of color otherwise it's you know, just a black and white star which is, you know, lovely but not as lovely as maybe it could be there we go all right, so when I put my little points together ok, I'm going to say it's important to put your points together in the right order um there it is you know, what I've noticed is that nobody else has ripped the same today, but I have probably ripped for or five wait speak up because I'm looking just being very quiet about stealthy it's funny I can do wonky with the shape that I can't do wonky with like if the patterns just off like that's a print and it was like I have these crosses and then they're like they were kind of straight and then I only see this too we little bit of it then I have the bugs may so oh yeah, you have to take it apart. All right? So we're going to put these two guys together then we make the triangles on the side and just kind of give you a sense of what the top half is gonna look like but either way you get the you get the sense of how you put this triangle together and like I said there's so many kind of half square triangle patterns online that it's really easy tio adapt one of those is well, so here are outer bits we need uh another two here and another two here and will be at least able to put the top half of the star together way need another way need a total of two blacks and two whites? What makes this a little smaller? There we go. Another one I'd like to do a scientific study where we found out whether you know traditional quilting or this method made more mess. You know which one makes more money I would like to know it's not actually not really messy when you get your table that I mean, obviously you've got your fabrics around but it's not really yeah. Wait. All right. Okay, so we've got two more pairs of half square triangles. We're going to cut those apart so them back together um and then be able to do this top four section and he kind of don't even know what you need to do in terms of responding to the disparity of size until you you know, you start putting stuff together like these two will pretty much fit together just kind of interesting don't go ahead do responded that by putting them together malka are you trimming your seems down to a quarter inch after you so this squares together only if I feel like they're really really big you know but other than that no I mean and if if she was planning on hand quilting her stuff than I would because you don't need all that extra bulk but but if she's gonna machine quote now I wouldn't bother wait can I get this let's open up this one these two seem to fit pretty pretty closely it's kind of interesting maybe it's the day wears on your I've become sharper what do you think sarah is that true as the day wears on your ability to kind of cut from the same size gets sharper yeah yeah yeah well you kind of get used to working with this well all right ok so now we have both of these so we could put this top piece together so let me move this guy always we can see what we're doing so we've got this in this here's our center kind of pinwheel here our outer wings to our star so we're ready to assemble so we need to make some decisions for instance if we add if we add this square here where are they gonna have to trim or add some fabric to the top and I always like to add fabric so that's what I'm gonna do it's a fabric there and the same thing is going to be true well I actually have to add fabric here because this one's bigger than those two so they're too can handsome some color okay so we can go ahead and put those two together they'll be able put that road together so you've done some really interesting things here you know you're quite advanced with your stars they're my mess yeah I said the triangles were real fun yeah so I kind of went ahead and did it any way you look at those absolutely on you know those up for greg over here that great greg hello greg yeah um what was this was that rooftop those house top house I grew up thinking remind us again a so did you consider yourself when you came to us this morning uh I never quilted you most enjoyed today very what's the thing you most enjoy today um I don't know I think it's just all the colors yeah yeah you've obviously got a great eye for color thank you I was somewhere about you you've done some great stuff here I'm making zigzags I didn't get to that last block so these will go together and then let's hold this up for greg so you can see you so this is the top row and then these will go underneath and I'll square them all up I love the way you views almost triangles for the filler space there have the accident everything that charlie crooked so I put in a lot of extra fabric and I made pinwheels there's a great look great they're fun I love this guy I saw them together in the wrong direction several times courthouse steps though that this awesome fabric yeah and the rooftops yes that's that's what we're going to call it from now on yeah yeah which I really want to teach the areas that's where we're going and I really want to finish all of this I mean this was some front you've done some great stuff there well don't know what how advanced would you say you were there so before you joined us fellow I've been selling my whole life yeah, that helps I love this is but this is great because you're not worried you're just playing with color and design well the dress fit well the bride hated we've done some great stuff there thanks appreciate it jenny what have you been up to today he was a great adrian I had loads of fun so you just interesting so you put a border already round that one but the others you actually just used a different philosophy yeah, I just did something spared the moment yeah, I was a very happy accident that's a great yes black and this yes but this is beautiful we're not done here but this is what this one I think it's stunning oh, ok and the fact that you did that just in the class is amazing right? Yeah heading for the table mets you know, place met and uh I love the door dot open I must get more you know you're going to make more on border it that way I think that's a great idea so I don't lose the little piece and one more to go looking very good so they holly you've done some really beautiful things serious well, I think my favorite was thea the orange green also impartial I like both city was this green fabric with the camera was out here because it's very appropriate feet yeah yeah, it has all my love's yeah like us and I love the incredible detail you've done on these because you've put in some really small pieces on politically here they looks really great. Yeah, I was using up the scraps that I had cut off and laid them down so there are so and as long as you limit your color palette you're pretty safe so they look fantastic. Well, thank you, ladies and I'd like to see some incredible stuff. Yeah, mark are we almost there? I mean, so that's basically the whole I would make us a final row this just a repeat of that top row and there's your star and I love the variations you'll have done I mean that isn't the best thing about teaching is is being inspired by what other people come up with, you know, it's, their version, I mean that that is really great. So thank you very much, done a great job. Yeah, well, you've taught us some amazing things today, it's been absolutely fantastic, and I think once we get all this sewn together, it's going fantastic. Is this? I mean this. I think this is a great example where the improv idea comes in, because you can put this, leave the different well, some of them several, some of the triangles, with whatever they end up, the way they all fit together in any pattern. Yeah, on the spacing with the different colors really brings it to life. It's been fantastic.

Class Description

Custom quilts are the kind of heirloom craft everyone longs to create, but stitching together a unique pattern can be seriously overwhelming. In 10 Ways to Love Improvisational Quilting, Malka Dubrawsky will introduce you to new forms of quilting — with fresh color combinations, techniques, and patterns.

Malka will get you started by showing you how to cut and create a simple log cabin nine-patch block. You’ll learn how to incorporate triangles, pinwheels, and curves into your designs to make them more versatile. You’ll build the skills needed to take any quilt block (and even other patterns, like wallpaper or a painting) and deconstruct it so you can create something similar.

If you want to create bold and memorable quilts and learn new ways to express your creative style through quilting, this course is for you.