Economy Star Parade: Sew Star Blocks
This post is part of the Economy Block Parade Sew-Along! See all posts.
Over the course of four weeks, I’ll be cutting and sewing an Economy Star Parade quilt along with you. If you follow along with this pace, you’ll have a finished quilt top by the end of June.
Are you sewing-along? Please share your progress pictures, wherever you are in the process, on Instagram with #EconomyStar. It really sustains momentum and spurs new ideas to see everyone else in the process. We can learn from each other, inspire each other and just generally have a good time!
Let’s get started!
Week 1: Sew Star Blocks
This week our goal is to sew 24 economy blocks for our 72” square throw-size quilt. It sounds like a lot, but these blocks go together pretty quickly thanks to relatively few seams and the way you can efficiently add triangles two-at-a-time.
First of all, read through the Economy Star Parade pattern to get an overview of our project. The entire quilt is made up of one repeated block - the economy block. Thus, the cutting and sewing is pretty straightforward. The magic happens thanks to smart fabric placement and intentional use of contrast (see page 2).
Feeling oriented? Good. Now navigate to pattern page 9 where you’l find the Quilt Map Key. Here you can see how the Star Parade is formed using different kinds of economy blocks. This week we’re sewing all Star blocks, both the Star Centers and Between Stars. These blocks use star fabric for the outer layer, so sewing them as a batch makes sense.
You might like to highlight the Star Centers by using darker fabrics for the block centers, as I did with my first Economy Star Parade quilt.
Sponsor of the Week
Fenceline Fabrics
New today: All Ruby Star Society fabrics are 10% off, including the brand new Purl and Adorn collections! Sale ends June 13th. Discounts calculated at checkout.
With my new version, I’ve decided to use identical fabric for all Star Center blocks and a slightly different fabric combo for all Between Star blocks. After all, a bit of repetition can be very satisfying in patchwork. It definitely draws attention, and the stars are exactly where I want the most attention in this quilt.
Sew, press, sew, press, repeat! Don’t forget to trim up each block to a nice, tidy 8.5” square when it’s complete. Fingers crossed that you have lots of success with sharp points and easy seam allowances, thanks to the construction method. I’d love it if you let me know how that goes!
Sew Along to Win!
One lucky participant will win QuilterSpace - a PDF course is designed to help you organize and beautify your sewing space in five detailed modules!
You don't have to keep up with our schedule to qualify. Stitch at your happy pace and enjoy!
How to Enter: Share your Economy Star Parade progress on Instagram with tag #Economy Star. Each photo is a chance to win! Winner will be selected randomly at the end of June.