Carol Doak - Carol Doaks Simply Sensational 9-Patch: 12 Quilt Projects Mix & Match Units to Create a Galaxy of Paper-Pieced Stars

Text 2005 Carol Doak Artwork 2005 C&T Publishing, Inc. PUBLISHER: Amy Marson EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Gailen Runge ACQUISITIONS EDITOR: Jan Grigsby EDITOR: Liz Aneloski TECHNICAL EDITORS: Carolyn Aune, Susan Nelson COPYEDITOR/PROOFREADER: Wordfirm Inc. COVER DESIGNER: Christina Jarumay DESIGN DIRECTOR/BOOK DESIGNER: Rose Sheifer ILLUSTRATOR: Mary Ann Tenorio PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Matt Allen, Kiera Lofgreen PHOTOGRAPHY: Luke Mulks, unless otherwise noted Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 Dedication This book is dedicated to Sherry Reis, a star who shines as brightly today as she did more than 25 years ago when we discovered our special friendship in a quilting class. Acknowledgments My heartfelt thanks and appreciation are extended to Timeless Treasures fabrics for the wonderful fabrics used in many of the quilts and blocks, Prym Dritz for the Omigrid rulers I love to use, Bernina Sewing machines for their support, Jim Salamon and Miriam Neuringer of Quilt-Pro Systems for the Foundation Factory program to print the foundations used in this book, Betty Oxley and Becky Doane for their enthusiastic offers to sew some of the star blocks, Kathryn Blais for her beautiful and creative machine quilting, Jan Grigsby and Amy Marson of C&T Publishing for their excitement and support of this book, and Liz Aneloski of C&T Publishing for being my guide as we brought Carol Doaks Simply Sensational 9-Patch Stars to life. Introduction T hese paper-pieced star blocks are simple to make, yet the results are sensational.

Even if you have never paper pieced before or made a star block with perfect points, you will discover success using these paper-pieced units. It is no secret that I love the accuracy paper foundation piecing produces and I love star blocks. It was natural for me to explore the concept of creating 9-patch star blocks using paper-foundation piecing methods. However, even I am in awe of the thousands of 9-patch star blocks resulting from the idea of combining simple 9-patch units. The designs range from very simple star blocks, completed quickly and accurately, to more intricate ones produced perfectly every time. I am so excited to share with you these easy methods for creating 9-patch star blocks! In the Creative 9-Patch Star Options chapter, I share with you how easy it is to combine these simple paper-pieced units to create thousands of star blocks.

In the Tools, Fabric, and Foundation Preparation chapter, I describe the tools I use to produce paper-pieced patchwork and share methods for cutting fabric pieces accurately and efficiently. In the Paper Piecing Techniques chapter, my tried and true paper-piecing methods are described in a step-by-step format to ensure success. In the 9-Patch Star Blocks chapter, there are fifty 9-patch star blocks, one dedicated to the quilters in each state. In my previous book, 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars , I presented an eight-pointed star for each state. In this book I have created 50 more state blocks9-patch stars this time. Each block references the units used to produce it.

The Quilt Projects chapter presents twelve exciting star quilts, ranging from 36 x 36 to 72 x 72, each with simple-to-follow instructions. The Quilt Finishing chapter covers how to finish your quilt. In the Foundation Units and Cutting Lists chapter, you will find the 40 foundation units and their very important cutting lists. The Resource chapter explains the installation of the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Foundation Factory program that is included with this book. The Foundation Factory program will let you print the foundations for your star blocks from your computer printer. This is a very easy to-use program and one that you will love.

Now that I have described all that is included, please take some time to read through the book before you begin your first block. There are lots of tips and suggestions to ensure that your paper-pieced 9-patch star block experiences are efficient and enjoyable. Creative 9-Patch Star OptionsI can hardly wait to begin describing all your creative options when combining the paper-pieced units to create 9-patch star blocks, but I am going to start at the beginning and try to contain myself.Foundations The foundation drawing is the reverse side of the block. When the unit design is symmetrical (e.g., Unit 3), this is of no consequence because the finished unit design appears the same on both sides, although the number locations are reversed. However, when the block design is asymmetrical (e.g., Unit 8), the finished unit design is the reverse image of the foundation design. Star Points I created foundations for the star points and combined the foundation star-point units with squares of fabric to produce 9-patch star blocks quickly and accurately. Center Units Next, I created foundation units that could be used as paper-pieced star centers and added these units to the mix. Corner Units Finally, the corner foundation units were added, resulting in a stunning star block design. Combining Units Simple foundation units and fabric squares are combined to create 9-patch star blocks. Combining Units Simple foundation units and fabric squares are combined to create 9-patch star blocks.

There are twenty star-point unit designs, ten center unit designs, and ten corner unit designs, resulting in thousands of possibilities for star block designs made from simple unit combinations. To illustrate the variety of creative options available, a star-point unit, a center unit, and a corner unit were combined to produce several star block designs.