Hey everyone. This week you will learn how two familiar blocks can walk into a zigzag, why a print that points one way needs a decision before you cut, and how a tiny stuffed tree can use up your green scraps. Here we go.
The short version: pair Shoofly blocks with star blocks and let the layout make the movement, check the direction of every print before the ruler moves, and keep one small stuffed ornament in your gift pile. Three small ideas. All of them finishable.
Can two simple blocks make a zigzag?
Over at Missouri Star Quilt Co, a recent tutorial takeaway pairs Shoofly blocks with star blocks and assembles them into a zigzag. Neither block is new. Neither block is hard. The interest comes from how they sit next to each other — the eye travels across the quilt instead of stopping at every square. It is a good reminder that layout is a design tool, just like fabric is.
Our take: we love this kind of sewing, folks. Learn two honest blocks well and you have a dozen quilts in you. Keep your seam at a steady quarter inch. Press each block the same way. Then lay the whole top out on the floor before you sew a single row. If the zigzag wobbles, swap two blocks and look again. Completely up to you — but look first, sew second. Browse fabric in one strong colour family plus a quiet background, and that movement will show up clear as day.
Why should you decide a print's direction before you cut?
The same teaching feed at Missouri Star Quilt Co made a quieter point this week, and it is the one that saves quilts. With a directional print, orientation is a decision, not an accident. The maker positioned a 10-inch square first, checked which way the print was running, and only then made the measured cuts for the block — so the motif still pointed the right way in the finished piece.
Our take: this is where we slow down in the shop. Turn the square. Look at it from the side you will see on the bed. Mark the top edge with a small clip if you need to. Slow down here or a whole row of little houses, trees, or words ends up lying on its side — and yes, we have done it too. The fix is free. It just costs ten seconds before you cut. It doesn't have to be perfect, y'all. It just has to point the way you meant it to.
What is a stuffed tree ornament good for?
Also from Missouri Star Quilt Co this week: a small stuffed Christmas tree ornament, sewn and filled until it holds its shape. No big yardage. No long cutting list. Just a soft little tree that can hang on a real tree, tie onto a wrapped gift, or sit in a row along a mantel.
Our take: this is the perfect scrap project, and we mean that as high praise. Pull green leftovers first — prints, solids, even a little plaid. Sew with a size 80/12 needle and 50-weight thread, leave a small opening, stuff it firm but not hard, and close the gap by hand. Make one to learn it. Then make six while the machine is threaded. Just like that, your gift toppers are done. If I can do this, y'all can do it. Our Craft Project Ideas series is full of makes in this same small, friendly size.
Corey & Linda's game plan for your sewing week
- Sew two test blocks. One Shoofly, one star. Lay them side by side and turn them until the zigzag shows itself.
- Audit one directional print. Before you cut a single piece, mark the top of the fabric and keep every cut facing the same way.
- Stuff one little tree. Use scraps, stuff it plump, and hang it where you can see it while you sew the next one.
- Finish small, finish proud. A bound runner or a finished ornament beats a perfect top still folded in a pile. Take your time, it's not a race.
Quick answers
Do Shoofly and star blocks work in the same quilt? Yes. Keep one background fabric across both blocks and let the layout — not extra colours — create the zigzag movement.
How do I keep a directional print the right way up? Decide the top before you cut, mark it, and check each piece again at the machine. Ten seconds of checking saves a row of sideways motifs.
That's the roundup for this week. Tell us what you're stitching — and if you need the fabric, batting, or backing to finish it, you know where to find us. Thanks for sewing along with us. We'll see you next time. Bye.
— Corey (Chief Quilter) & Linda, Linda's Electric Quilters
