A bit of wisdom from the Bible, from the sewing community, and a how to! I am trying a new type of post, please let me know what you think or if you have a bit of wisdom to share!
Seek wisdom from the Bible… We all can use a bit of wisdom from time to time. One of my favorite quotes is “knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ~Miles Kington. Not that this quote has anything to do with quilting or the Bible, but I think it is a good bit of wisdom. More importantly, the Word of God has a lot to say about wisdom. I may not be old enough to have discovered much wisdom on my own, but I do know that if the Bible addresses a topic multiple times, we best pay attention! Proverbs 3:13-14 says, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.” Wisdom is a rare treasure! I encourage each one of you to take a little dive deeper into what the Bible says about wisdom. If you are struggling with a trial or decision, ask God for wisdom. James 1:5-8 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” A bit of wisdom about reading the Bible, do not interpret a verse outside of its context.
Measure twice, cut once… If I had a dollar for every time my Gramma said this to me! I should get it painted all over my sewing room one day, for this has gotten me out of trouble on multiple occasions… and forgetting it has gotten me into more than one sticky situation! I know it is an old proverb that has been around for quite some time and can be applicable to many different hobbies. The outward meaning is simple; before you cut, make sure you measure twice (or multiple times). This ensures you do not make a mistake and cut the wrong size. This can save you both time and money! I also believe it has a deeper meaning. Take some time to think about what you are doing before you act. Some actions and words cannot be undone. Honestly, I have measured twice before; however, because I was not thinking, I still cut the wrong size! Just yesterday, I was cutting multiple 3 inch strips. On my second one, I accidently flipped my ruler over, measured twice, and ended up cutting a 3 1/2 inch strip. (For the non-sewers, some rulers have one side that measures in halves and one side that measures in whole numbers.) This mistake, because I wasn’t thinking, prevented me from utilizing all of the fabric. Learn from my mistake and many quilters before you and measure twice!
How to… make a star block! This is a nice and simple quilt block that is beautiful with many patterns! To make this block, you will need two or more colored fabric. These directions are written with quarter inch seam allowance, and will result in a 5 by 5 inch star block when finished.
Step 1: Cut required pieces seen in the picture. The green fabric will be the star and the cream color will be the background
If you want to make multiple blocks, I recommend cutting strips the width of your block. Then cut multiple pieces at the same time. I will be referring to the pieces by their respective letter.
Step 2: Draw a diagonal line with a fabric pen or pencil on piece A.
Step 3: Pin piece A onto D and sew along diagonal marking.
In all honesty, I do not mark and pin these pieces together. It is much faster and easier for me to chain sew them all together by eye balling the diagonal line. However, this is not a very accurate way of sewing, so if you are a beginner or prefer to have more exact rectangle, I would recommend marking and pinning.
Step 4: Using a ruler and a rotary cutter, measure a quarter of an inch from the seam and cut the tip off (as seen in picture). Then press the attached triangle open.
Note: You must press the now green triangle before moving onto step 5, or you will have to rip out your seam!
Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 for the other side of the rectangle. Repeat steps 2-5 three more times for a total of 4 flying geese blocks (picture to the left).
Step 6: Sew two flying geese to the opposite sides of block B, and sew two block C to the opposite sides of the remaining two flying geese blocks.
Step 7: Sew the remaining edges together. Now you have a star block measuring 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches.
Please let me know if you found these directions helpful or could use more clarification! Happy quilting!
Quilt Bus 
Good reminder – context, context, context. I used to make star block pillows. Think I gave each of my friends one for Christmas…. and then I quit. 🤔
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