Feathered Star , Block Thirteen of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt

The Feathered Star

is one of the prettiest traditional star blocks. It looks deceptively difficult to piece, but comes together beautifully, everything falling in place just so! While drafting it for Block 13 in the Round the Year Quilt, I could avoid the ‘y’ seam altogether by a small change in the paper piecing pattern, making it easier still! Like all other blocks of this block of the month quilt, this also is drafted as a 15″ paper pieced circle and set in an 18″ (finished) square.

The templates and the Instructions for the Blocks can be downloaded from the links at the end of this post. You can access the patterns for the other blocks of this quilt from links on this page.

There are two template files, one containing the paper piecing templates. You may also wish to download individual templates for the background and other pieces , I worked with strips and rectangles.

Print the Templates Files with your printer settings on 100% or actual size, in portrait mode. One way to check if your templates are printing correctly is to check if the ¼” seam allowance is correct! Check that on a straight edge, not on a corner or a curve!

Cut out the templates.

Print the Instructions File and keep at hand; you can refer to this blogpost for step by step instructions with pictures.

Fabric Requirement

For the block in the Dusk Colourway, I have used 3 shades of blue ( other than the background) and 4 contrasting colours in the yellow-to- orange range.

I suggest you pin a slip of paper with the fabric code on your chosen fabrics. You could also press a small scrap of freezer paper with the code on the fabric. I also recommend starching your fabric crisply before cutting it.

Fabric	Fabric Code	Background*	Star	Feathers	Wedges*	Total pieces in block
Light blue	3	3 rectangles 10″ x 6″				3
Light-medium blue	2		2.5″ x 10″	2″ x 20″ (2 strips)	3.5″ x 20″	27
Medium blue	4			2″ x 20″ (2 strips)	3.5″ x 20″	30
Deep blue	1	3 rectangles 10″ x 6″	2.5″ x 10″			6
Yellow	8		1.75″ x 14″			6
Gold	5			2″ x 20″ (4 strips)		42
Light orange	7		3″ x 15″			6
Deep orange	6		3″ x 15″			6

* Cutting Instructions

NOTE: I have italicized the names of the templates after `Z’, to avoid confusion.

Background (Optional)

Use Templates AK, AL and AM (from the Individual templates File) to cut background in fabric#3. Label and keep aside.

Now use same Templates to cut Fabric#1 background rectangles, labeling them AN, AO and AP respectively.

You may want to appliqué the completed circle on the square. In this case, the option is to join the longer sides of two rectangles measuring 9.75″ x 19″ in fabrics #3 and #1 to make a square 19″ and put away till your circle is pieced.

Wedges

Cut as follows –

From the strip 3.5″ x 20″ of Fabric#2 cut and label as follows

3 pieces using Template AI for AI, Y and AA

3 pieces using Template AJ for AJ, Z and AB

From the strip 3.5″ x 20″ of Fabric#4 cut and label as follows

3 pieces using Template AI for AG, AC, AE ( Note – AI is identical to AG)

3 pieces using Template AJ for AH, AD, AF ( Note – AJ is identical to AH)

This is how I cut the wedges. I traced my templates AI and AJ on freezer paper.

I layered the two 3.5″ x 20″ strips of fabric #2 and #4, both wrong sides up. I pressed the freezer paper templates on the wrong side and cut the strips as shown in the pic below. If you do not have freezer paper, simply pin plain paper templates on the strips!

Cutting the wedges. Remember to keep the wrong side of the fabric UP when using printed templates which are mirror images!

Piecing Instructions

I like to sort the templates according to the shape and then colour coding ( if possible) for maximum efficiency and least confusion, before I start my piecing. This makes chain piecing simpler too, as the fabric can be stacked in piles in the correct order, accordingly.

General tips on paper piecing for these blocks have been given in this blogpost.

Piecing the Star

Strip chain piece the inner star in 4 lots .:

A, I and Q

E, M and U

B, J and R

F, N and V

Piecing the feathers

Sort the templates in 4 lots as follows.

C, G and W

D, H and X

K, O and S

L, P and T.

Note – I have provided an individual template for the diamond at the corner of the feathers. You may like to cut 6 diamonds and keep them aside before you start piecing the feathers.

After experimenting with strip chain piecing and rectangles, I tried the following method, which I found to be most efficient way to piece the feather row.

Trim the previous piece ¼” beyond seam line. Line up incoming strip parallel to the template. Sew on the seam line.

For sewing triangles facing opposite diections, line up the incoming strip so…

… as viewed from the printed paper side. Sew on seamline.

Open the strip. It will lie at an angle to the template.

The opened up strip covers the entire equal-sided triangle.

( This does not work with any triangles other than those where all three sides are equal, as in this case.)

Now trim the strip at the edge of the template. The triangular piece is fully covered …and a seam allowance is also available!

As viewed from the right side:

Once you get the hang of it, the piecing is quick!

Add the next strip as before.

It is better to work simultaneously on templates from each of the lots, as the direction of the ‘slant'( after cutting ) will alternate with each seam. The strips can be switched around accordingly.

Caution: When you reach the diamond ( piece #7) towards the end of templates D, H, L, P…etc, trim the strip after only covering the full diamond piece. As mentioned earlier, I have also provided an individual template for cutting the diamond pieces. You can use these ( instead of strips) when you reach this step.

Once the feathered rows are done, we are ready to assemble the block.

After the problems I had with Block Twelve, I `mock assemble’ the block at every stage to ensure all is proceeding well.

Assembly Instructions

This Master Template is used as a guide to assembly. Remember, it is a mirror image of the final block, which means it shows the block from the back (printed paper) side.

Step 1: Assembling the inner star ‘points’

Join A to B; I to J; Q to R;

Sew E to F; M to N and U to V.

Removing the paper makes this step easier, as the seams can be ‘locked’.

End of Step 1:

You end up with 6 pieced diamonds which will make up the inner star.

Step 2: Feathering the wedges

Sort the templates shapewise and then colourwise and sew the feather rows to the respective wedges. Just remember, the colour on the feathers and the wedges should be the same!

First the shorter feathered rows to the `blunt-edged’ wedges!

Sew W to AI ; C to Y; G to AA.

Sew K to AC; O to AE and S to AG

First join the feathers to the outer wedges.,,here are the blunt wedges joined to the ‘short’ feathers

Block 13 Feathered Star Assembly — The ‘blunt’ wedges with the ‘short’ feathers

Now the ‘pointy’ wedges to the longer feathered rows (with the diamonds)

Sew D to Z ; H to AB; X to AJ

Sew L to AD; P to AF and T to AH.

Here they are, all done! Did I tell you it is very important to press after each step?

..as is to arrange them again as per the final design to ensure there is no mix up anywhere!?

Step 3 : Joining the feathered wedges to the inner star ‘diamond shapes’

We are almost there, ready to give the inner star its feathers.

Sew AB to CY; EF to G.AA ; UV to W.AI

Sew IJ to K.AC; MN to O.AE and QR to S.AG

These look a mess! But just one more step and…

Step 4

I again arrange the templates assembled so far to ensure all is going well.

I am down to the last step that I will be doing for now!

Join ABCY to DZ; EFG.AA to H.AB; UVW.AI to X.AJ

IJK.AC to L.AD; MNO.AE to P.AF; QRS.AG to T.AH

And I am done!!

Our 6 star wedges are ready.

Final Assembly

This is a step I am skipping for now.

You could join the 6 wedges to complete your circle and appliqué it to 19″ square. Trim to 18.5″ after the appliqué.

Join to background pieces as follows, (referring to the star centre) before finally joining them:

Wedge with U to AK; wedge with A to AL; wedge with E to AM; wedge with I to AN; wedge with M to AO; wedge with Q to AP.

Join these along the straight lines follwing the Master Template to obtain your feathered star!

Some people have asked for the Master Template in colour.

Don’t forget to share your Feathered Star on my Facebook Page Patchwork of My Life! Click on the link on the right to like my page and gain access to it.

I must not forget to mention Prabha Mathew who tested the block for me and pointed out some errors in the original pattern, which I have tried to take care of! Thank you so much, Prabha 🙂

Have fun!

1. Block 13 Feathered Star Instructions including Fabric Requirement and Master Template

2, Block 13 Feathered star Paper piecing Templates Revised

3. Block 13 Feathered star Individual templates

Please note that the downloadable patterns with paper piecing templates and instruction files for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year quilt blocks are being migrated to my store MadsPatch and will not be available for download for free from 15th November 2020 onwards.

Southward Bound – Block Seven of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year BOM Quilt

Which quilter does not have the Mariner’s Compass on her bucket list?

I have been in love with the block for ages; I had to include it as the seventh block in the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt!

This off-centre Mariner’s Compass is a variation of the block, which is traditionally hand pieced or English paper pieced. However, this pattern employs a number of techniques, including foundation paper piecing, machine piecing and appliqué. It finishes at 18″ square, with a 15″ pieced circle. The printable pdf files instructions and templates for the block are now available on my MadsPatch store on Ecwid.

The learning and inspiration for this block cane from this workshop…

…in this book

The blocks were drafted on Quilt Assistant free software and I used Primo PDF to make the pdf templates.

Instructions

This is the Dusk colourway, the rays of the setting sun lighting up the needles on the right, as the darkness gathers from the East on the left. The name of the block came about as the pattern originally had a circle of geese , recding in size, flying upwards from both sides – I dropped them to simplify the design.

Fabric Requirement

Southward Bound Mariner's Compass Round the Year Quilt — Fabric Colour Code – Block Seven Southward Bound

Four shades of the main colour (blue) and four in a contrast colour way – yellow, gold, light and deep orange – are used here.

The fabric requirements given here are quite generous (according to me!), but you may want to cut fabric as you go along.

Fabric Code		For templates A to H	For templates I to P	Wedges Q to X	Centre YZ
Fabric #1	Deep blue 6″ x 42″Cut more as you need it.	6″ squares for the two large wedges at D4 and E2.6″ HSTs and QSTs can be used for the other wedges.	Cut QSTs from two 6″ squares. Alternatively, you can use scraps.
Fabric # 4	Blue 5″ x 35″		Cut strip 5″x 25″ lengthwise to get 2 strips 2.5″ x 25″	Use (freezer) paper templates to cut the wedge pieces
Fabric # 5	Light to medium blue 5″ x 35″		Cut strip 5″x 25″ lengthwise to get 2 strips 2.5″ x25″	Use ( freezer) paper templates to cut the wedge pieces
Fabric #6	Pale blue 2.5″x 18″3″ square		18″ x2.5″		Cut circle using template Z
Fabric #7, 8, 9 and 10	2.5″ x 17.5″ strips each		2.5′ x 15″		2.5″ squares of each
Fabric # 1 and 2	For background cut 10″ x 19.5″ of each. Join along 19.5″ length to get a square 19.5″x 19.5″

BUY PATTERN HERE

Printing and Templates

After you buy the pattern, download the files from the links you receive in email in .pdf format. You would need Adobe Reader, available free online to read these files on your computer. The files downloaded will include three files, as follows:

Instructions File – contains these instructions including the fabric requirement, piecing order and Master Template to be used as a guide for assembling the block.

Template File.1 containing paper piecing templates A to P . Print at actual size or 100% in portrait mode

Template File.2 containing templates Q to X and Z . I suggest you print these on freezer paper, if available, at 100% or actual size. These are odd shaped pieces with circular edges, and I personally like to use freezer paper for accuracy for cutting these.

For printing on freezer paper, cut the freezer paper to your regular printer paper size (A4 or letter – approximately 8.5″ x 11″). Iron just the edges of the freezer paper (about ¼”) to a regular printer sheet, so that they are joined evenly, without any creases. Print as usual, taking care to insert the joined sheets in the printer so that the printing is on the freezer paper.

You also need to cut a 2″ radius/ 4″ diameter circle on freezer paper/ stiff paper/ card ( for template Y).

Note : The background template AA and AB are not given for this block, as the circle is appliquéd on to the square.

This diagram is the Master Template that will help you in assembling the block – remember this is is a mirror image. It shows you how your block will look from the printed paper side, not the fabric side, when assembled. It is included in the Instructions File.

Piecing

The block is partly foundation paper pieced. I have blogged about the paper piecing patterns for this quilt earlier, and also given a few paper piecing tips here . In case you are too lazy to go through those ( I would be, I know!) here is a quick checklist before you begin!

Paper Piecing Checklist

Have the fabrics been colour coded?
Has the machine stitch length been reduced?
Are the templates in order specified in the instructions?
Have you picked up the correct fabric pieces or strip/s? The fabric code number is printed on each piece position. It is a good idea to check that once in a while.
When you start, is your piece #1 placed on position #1 on the templates?
Is the wrong side of the fabric piece touching the paper?
Is the incoming piece placed right sides touching the previous one?
If strip chain piecing the templates, have you sufficient space between one template and the next?

Now to begin with the piecing!

For best use of fabric, piece templates in the following order:
D. E, F, G, H, I, A, B, C.
Beginning with the bigger templates, you will be able to use the trimmed off scraps of fabric #1 (deep blue here).
Piece templates I, J, K… to P.
Attach the wedges Q to A, R to B, S to C…. X to H using the Master Template below as guide.
Piecing the inner circle YZ: Use the 2.5″ squares of fabric 7, 8, 9 and 10 to make a 4-patch

Make a four patch. Dont worry about accurately matched centre.
Fold the fabric circle Z twice to find the centre. Match centres and applique it to the centre of the 4-patch, using your favourite method.
Applique inner circle on centre
Place card template / iron freezer template on wrong side of the fabric. Trim to size – remember to add the seam allowance! This makes the inner circle YZ.
Place card template, add 1/4″ seam allowance

Trim.

Assembly Instructions

Template Assembly Checklist

Have you a print out of the Master Template in front of you?
Avoid removing paper pieces before your template is ready to actually go under the machine! Arrange the templates, printed side up, using the Master Template as a guide.
If you do remove the paper, ensure you have the template (alphabet) name pinned to wrong side of the pieced template, to guide you during assembly.
At all times, keep the printed/ wrong side up, pick up the templates to be assembled, (remove the paper, if you wish to) sew them together. Put back in place, wrong side up. Go on to the next. At all times, remember to keep track of template names!

For this particular block, assemble the outer circle A to X and then attach it to the background square AA-AB. Applique the inner circle YZ last.

Refer to the Master template at all times during assembly to ensure all is in order! Reminder: If you take off the paper before assembly, remember to stick a post-it note or pin a piece of paper with the template name on the pieced template.

Assemble as follows:

AQ to I; BR to J; CS to K…and so on, till HX to P.

Join the adjoining wedges, anticlockwise when looking from the wrong/ printed paper side as follows:

AQI to BRJ to CSK

DTL to EUM

FVN to GWO to HXP

On flipping over to right (fabric) side, this is how your partly assembled templates should appear.

Complete the assembly to form a ring…

Applique to the background square. Finally, appliqué the centre circle YZ and trim excess fabric from behind the appliqued circle if you like.

And we are done – the Mariner mastered!

Before I sign off, here is a look at the Rainbow version of the block. Remember, the templates and instructions can be purchased from my Ecwid online store Madspatch!

Please note that the downloadable patterns and instruction files for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year quilt blocks are being migrated to my store MadsPatch and are not available for download for free from 15th November 2020 onwards.

Buy SOUTHWARD BOUND PATTERN Here

Venus at Dusk- Block Five of `Dreamcatcher Round the Year’ Block of the Month Quilt

Goddess on the mountain top
Burning like a silver flame
The summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name…

( Lyrics from a popular song from the 70s, when I was a teenager!)

I find the folded star so very pretty and you see it everywhere these days! The reason that I could never get around to making it is that … as much as I may hate to admit it… I am a fabric miser! Therefore, I designed this paper pieced block, inspired by the folded star and named it Evening Star. There is already a quilt block with that name, so I thought of calling it `Morning Star’, but in Hindu mythology the Morning Star is the North Star, not to forget that this quilt is called “Dusk’!

I also wanted to dedicate this October Star, Venus, to my husband and son, whose birthdays fall this month. And then, Indian scientists decided it for me by sending a mission to Mars; if men now have a place to head to, we women need our very own Venus!

Venus - Block Five of the round the Year Quilt — Venus ( at Dusk) – Block Five of the round the Year Quilt

So…introducing Venus, Block 5 of the Block of the Month quilt ” Dreamcatcher Round the Year”, designed in two colourways, Dusk and Rainbow. I used Quilt Assistant free software to design this block. This colour design shows the ‘Dusk’ Colourway in four shades of the main colour (blue here) and four shades ranging from yellow to deep orange in the contrast colour. My contrast colours are not symmetrical, because I liked the idea of a twinkling star, please make necessary adjustments in the fabric requirement if you want a `steadier’ star.

Fabric Requirement – Venus at Dusk

Instructions

Print all templates in portrait mode at actual size. Also print the first two pages of the Instructions file and keep at hand. If you want to refer to the step by step piecing and assembly instructions, print the whole file! The links are at the end of this post.

Number and label each fabric colour. You can use the master template given below for trying out colour combinations.

I like to cut out all the pieces of one colour and pin them to the respective templates before I move to the next colour fabric. This helps me avoid a lot of confusion and heartburn later!

I suggest you piece the 8 templates A to H like log cabins. Align the straight edge of the strip with the printed seam line at each stage. It saves time if you work on all the templates at the same time. Complete the piecing at each step, trim the seams and press, before moving to the next step.

For more tips on paper piecing the blocks of this quilt, refer to this blogpost!

Assembly

Join the 8 wedges A to H to respective background pieces using the colour design and the Master template on Page 1 as a guide. Join in pairs to make the ¼ squares. Assemble these to make up the full block.

Here is the Master template – this is a mirror image of the colour design and shows the block from the printed paper side.

Step by Step Piecing and Assembly Instructions

Anuradha Bahuguna of anumrinal.wordpress.com was sweet enough to test the block for me! All these pictures were taken by her. Would you believe this was her first attempt at paper piecing?

Like I said, the block templates A to H are pieced like individual log cabins, beginning from the centre ( yellow to oranges here).

1.I would recommend you sort out all the pieces template-wise and pin them to the far end of your template ( near the piece # 10-11) in the order of stitching – the longest piece at the bottom of the pile and the shortest on top.

For convenience, I am giving the piece number, size of the piece and fabric number here.

2. So we start with the 1.5″x2.75″ piece and pin it on the unprinted side of A1. The wrong side of the fabric should touch the paper at all times.

Note that the fabric extends at least ¼” beyond both seam lines, adjoining A2 as well as A3. Align the long edge of the fabric to the seam to be stitched – in this case between A1 and A2. Do this for all pieces to come.
(Note –
In the picture below, one can afford to move the fabric piece a bit upward, toward A3, so that the corner between A1 and A2-A3 is better covered.)

What I am going to show you now is incorrect, because the ¼” margin is not available toward A2.

Now place the 3″ x1.25″ fabric #3 on the just pinned piece, right sides together, and long edges aligned at seam A1-A2.

Anuradha has pinned it on the seam allowance to check that fabric for area A2 completely covers it when opened. In the next picture she shows us how it looks from the flip side.

That looks good.

Set the sewing machine to a stitch length between 1 and 1.5 so that it is easy to tear away the paper. Sew on the seam line A1-A2, extending the stitching line about ¼” on to A3.

Similarly stitch the first two pieces on all the templates, before heading to your ironing table and pressing the seams to set them. Then trim the seams to ¼” and open the piece #2 on all templates.

3. Pin piece#3,
which is fabric#3 and 3.5″ long, right side down, aligning the long edge to ¼” beyond the printed seam line between A1 –A2 and A3, the way you would in a log cabin. Do this for all the templates and then do the stitching of piece #3 to pieces #1 and #2.

Press seam to set. Fold away the paper template after stitching the seam and trim the seam to ¼” before pressing open piece #3.

This is how your templates should look after this stage…

4. Similarly attach pieces 4 and 5…

Round the Year Quilt - Venus Block — Checking if pieces # 4 and 5 in place?

5. Sew pieces # 6 and 7 to each of the templates.

Venus Block - Round the Year Quilt — Pretty!

Aren’t they pretty?

6. Here comes Piece#8. It will be followed by piece #9.

Venus Block - Round the Year Block — Piece 8 coming up

…the final blue pieces# 8 and 9 attached!

7. Turn of the golds! Anuradha was a bit confused here, so she coloured the pieces 9 and 10 with pencils! Remember – the master template is a mirror inage?

Not for long though! She attached the yellow to orange pieces at Areas # 10 and 11.

7. Here are her eight wedges, that will make up the 15″ circle, all pieced!

The pattern suggests that you join each of these eight large pieced wedges to a corresponding background piece.

While I suggest a diagonal kind of dark/ bright background, Anuradha wanted to experiment with other `looks’. Time then, for some more confusion, while Anuradha tried out various settings for her circle! This..hmmm…I quite like this..

…this(which is also delicious)…

…and this! I am not so sure about this one…

Anuradha, I think, liked this! She joined the wedges to the backgrounds…

but changed her mind! She joined these wedges into pairs to make four squares. The squares were joined ( like a four patch) to make up the final block. Here it is from the wrong side, withe paper removed!

Anuradha does not care much for the centre of her block from the back. It refuses to lie flat.

I promised to show her how to make those seams meet in a swirl and lie perfectly flat. For that she needs firstly to ensure that her seams are pressed in one direction. I tried looking for a good tutorial that teaches you how to do it , in vain. It is very similar to the what you would do in a pinwheel block. She has not got back to me on this, so perhaps she has found a solution?

When I make my block, I will share with you (and Anuradha) how to make the wrong side of your block look like this.

Eight point star - swirl centre seam — A star on th wrong side of an eight point star – tute coming up, soon!

The front is perfect, all points matched, just so. Here it is, Anuradha’s gorgeous Venus Block, flipped over, from the right side.

Now is that not absolutely gorgeous?

Anuradha’s block is ready, waiting to see yours ! Meanwhile, the Venus song is stuck in my head.

She’s got it
Yeah, baby, she’s got it
I’m your Venus, I’m your fire
At your desire
Well, I’m your Venus, I’m your fire
At your desire

(Do go listen to the full song, it is `awesome’!)

Before I log off, here is a look at the Rainbow Venus, in its original avatar.

And finally the Instructions and templates are available on my online store Madspatch in pdf format. Remember, print at actual size! You need Adobe Reader to be able to read these files, Adobe Reader is downloadable for free.

BUY PATTERN HERE

Instructions file – Venus, Block 5 of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt. The step by step piecing instructions and pics are included in this file, page 3 onwards. If you do not want them, print only the first 2 pages.

Paper Piecing Templates File – Venus, Block 5 of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt

Please note that the downloadable patterns and instruction files for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year quilt blocks are being migrated to my store MadsPatch and will not be available for download for free from 15th November 2020 onwards.

Dusk Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt : Fabric Requirement – Downloadable file

Dusk Round the Year

I had this horrible nightmare last night, where I had given the wrong fabric requirements for the “Round the Year” Block of the Month I am hosting! In the morning, I checked, but all seems to be okay, except the requirement for 36″ background fabric which I increased to 3.5 metres from the more conservative 3.25 metres.

I also saw a request on my blog for a downloadable file for the fabric requirement, which I think is a great idea. As there are at least two `official’ colourways, to avoid confusion, I am calling the blue- orange -yellow version “Dusk Round the Year” !

I am so fascinated by the wonderful colours that the setting sun paints across the skies – the brilliant oranges, golds and yellows – colours that can be rarely matched on canvas. Some may claim that sunrises are equally beautiful, but being a late riser I am rarely up in time to appreciate those. My quilt is, I hope, going to be evocative of languid monsoon evenings – grey clouds looming while the blues, more brilliant than ever after the rains, struggle to make their presence felt before the indigo darkness prevails!

I do so ramble on, don’t I? So without much further ado, here is the Fabric Requirement -Round the Year – Dusk !

You will need Adobe Reader (available free online) on your laptop to be able to view this file.

For those of you planning to make the `Rainbow’ version of the quilt, I hope to be able to post the requirements by tomorrow.

Please note that the patterns and instruction files for the quilt blocks are being migrated to my store MadsPatch.company.site and will not be available for download here from 15th November 2020 onwards.

BOOKMARKED! Free Pattern!

I quilted this bookmark as a gift for an unknown recipient in Japan! I used scraps (some as small as ¾” square!) of my precious Fossil Fern Fabric (by Bernatex) to piece the rose stem. It was totally improvised on a piece of fusible fabric stabilizer 2.5″ X 9″. When I discovered it could not be done in a single piece, I made a diagonal cut below the upper leaf, and pieced the lower leaf separately. The bud was an afterthought!

I have made a paper piecing template for the bookmark which can be downloaded here Bookmark -Rose Stem Paper piecing Templates. Remember to print the templates in the landscape mode of your printer! The instructions can also be downloaded separately as a .pdf file, as I have not been able to work out how to put the instructions and templates in a single file Bookmark -Rose Stem -Instructions L It is presumed that you know how to do foundation paper piecing! There are several great tutorials available online too!

( I used QuiltAssistant free software by www.timcosman.nl for making the pattern! I absolutely love it!)

Foundation Paper Piecing Template – Rose – Bookmark (2.5″x 8″)

INSTRUCTIONS

Fabric Requirement

Scraps of light coloured fabric for background (Coded 1)
Green for leaves – I used three shades of green (Coded 6, 4 and 3 – dark to light)
Scraps in any colour of your choice for the flower and bud – I used 5 shades (Coded 9,2,7,8,5 – dark to light).
2″ wide strip fabric for binding – 25″ long
3″ X 9″ piece of fabric for back
3″ X 9″ piece of heavy batting. You could use a double layer instead, if you do not have heavy batting.

Piecing and Binding

Print Paper piecing templates file. Remember to print this in landscape mode! There are 4 templates, A,B, C and D.
Reduce machine stitch length to 1 or 1.5 before you start piecing. You can trim the seam to about 1/6″, as the pieces are so small. Finger press to flatten after joining each piece. Do not trim the fabric that extend beyond the edges at this stage.
Using master template given below as guide, join the pieced templates.
Layer with batting and backing and quilt closely on background to highlight the flower and leaves. It would look even nicer hand quilted, I think!
Trim to 8″ X 2.5″
Binding
- Double the binding strip length wise.
- Cut 2 lengths X 9″ and 2 lengths 3″
- Attach first to the longer sides and hem/ sew to the back. Trim binding at the ends.
- Fold shorter edge of binding inside before you attach it to the width of the bookmark for a neat finish.

*Suggestion – Trace templates on to fusible stabilizer and use that for foundation piecing, as it may be difficult to remove paper from such tiny pieces.*

So go ahead, make your own bookmark!

Quilted Bookmark 2.5 — Quilted bookmark – Rose Stem

…and do link back to share your bookmarks if you decide to make them!

Bookmark -Rose Stem Paper piecing Templates – Please print in landscape mode

Bookmark -Rose Stem -Instructions

Update : November 2016.

I recently had the ocassion to make this bookmark and have revised the master template and added some details to the instructions. I used the freezer paper method to piece the templates and could avoid having to take off tiny bits of paper after piecing! As you can see, I also did a button hole stitch on the edges instead of binding them.

Tag: Free pattern

Feathered Star , Block Thirteen of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt

The Feathered Star

Fabric Requirement

* Cutting Instructions

Piecing Instructions

Assembly Instructions

Like this:

Southward Bound – Block Seven of the Dreamcatcher Round the Year BOM Quilt

Which quilter does not have the Mariner’s Compass on her bucket list?

Instructions

Fabric Requirement

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Printing and Templates

Piecing

Assembly Instructions

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Venus at Dusk- Block Five of `Dreamcatcher Round the Year’ Block of the Month Quilt

Fabric Requirement – Venus at Dusk

Instructions

Assembly

Step by Step Piecing and Assembly Instructions

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Dusk Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt : Fabric Requirement – Downloadable file

Dusk Round the Year

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BOOKMARKED! Free Pattern!

INSTRUCTIONS

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The Feathered Star

Fabric Requirement

* Cutting Instructions

Piecing Instructions

Assembly Instructions

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Which quilter does not have the Mariner’s Compass on her bucket list?

Instructions

Fabric Requirement

Printing and Templates

Piecing

Assembly Instructions

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Fabric Requirement – Venus at Dusk

Instructions

Assembly

Step by Step Piecing and Assembly Instructions

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Dusk Round the Year

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INSTRUCTIONS

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