Saw Tooth Star Wall QuiltSummer Project, 2013

Designed by Abigail Dolinger

Goals: To have fun with a quilting project this summerTo create a unique wall quilt (28” square)To learn various ways of constructing Flying Geese blocksTo become proficient at making the Saw Tooth Star quilt blockTo practice sewing a consistent ¼” seam allowanceTo learn how to measure and attach borders to a quilt

Saw Tooth Star is a traditional quilt block composed of squares and Flying Geese units. You can personalize your wall quilt by choosing fabrics you love, by designing the 6” center square of your star, and by selecting a favorite pieced border. Here are some examples of star centers:

Here are some examples of pieced borders:

Here are some examples of fabrics:

Fabrics:½ yd. medium to large scale print for outer border½ yd. very light or very dark background fabric¼ yd. each of 3 or 4 coordinating prints or tonals1 yd. backing fabric

Saw Tooth Star Wall QuiltSummer 2013 Quilt-Along Project

Our project is a medallion style quilt. This means there is one central block surrounded by several borders. We will use online resources for instructions and inspiration.

Step 1: Center Patchwork Block, 12” finished (12 ½” unfinished)You may make any patchwork block that finishes at 12” square. For illustration purposes I selected a simple Saw Tooth Star. You will find excellent instructions for this and many other patchwork blocks at quilterscache.com. Here is the direct link to “Sawtooth” http://quilterscache.com/S/SawtoothBlock.html

The instructions for “Sawtooth” on quiltercache show the “one rectangle/two squares” method of making Flying Geese units. Another method is the “one large square/four small squares” method which yields four Geese. You may view a tutorial at Quilts by Jen at this URL:http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Quilts+by+Jen+Flying+Geese+tutorial&mid=8268ED14091EE41A1C298268ED14091EE41A1C29&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1Keep in mind that Jen’s colors for the “goose” and the “sky” may differ from yours. The large square will be the “goose,” and the small squares will be the “sky.”

A third method for making Flying Geese is the “one large triangle/two small triangles” method.The Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers are super helpful for rotary cutting the triangles. You can read a tutorial on Bonnie Hunter’s quiltville.com website: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/12/geese-on-string.htmlKeep in mind that Bonnie string pieced the “geese” in her quilt. For our Saw Tooth Star, you would be more likely to string piece the “sky” triangles since they are the star points. Bonnie’s tutorial is helpful because the lines she follows on the rulers are the lines we need for the four Flying Geese units for Saw Tooth Star.

Three methods for making Flying Geese can be found at quilterscache.com under How to Make Flying Geese. The first method is not recommended for beginners because it is too easy to stretch the triangles out of shape on the bias edges. http://www.quilterscache.com/H/Howtomakegeese.html

The Bottom Line--Fabric shapes needed for Saw Tooth Star:1 center square measuring 6 ½” – Variations: a patchwork block, string pieced, appliqued4 corner squares measuring 3 ½”4 Flying Geese units measuring 3 ½” x 6 ½”

Make sure the block measures 12 ½” square!

Step 2: First BorderCut 2 strips of background fabric 2 ½” x width of fabric (WOF) – from selvage to selvageAssuming your center block measures 12 ½” square, cut 2 strips 2 ½” x 12 ½”. Sew these to the top and bottom of the Star block. Press seams toward border strips. Cut 2 strips 2 ½” x 16 ½” and sew these strips to the sides of the Star block. Press seams toward the border strips. The project is now 16 ½” square.

Step 3: Second BorderThis pieced border should finish at 4” wide (4 ½” unfinished). Some options are making 32 Flying Geese units that are 2 ½” x 4 ½” unfinished, or 20 4 ½” unfinished Square in a Square blocks, or Rail Fence (4 strips each cut 1 ½” x 4 ½”). Be creative! After attaching the pieced border to the quilt, it will be easiest to press the seam allowances toward the first border. The project should now measure 24 ½” square.

Step 4: Third BorderCut 4 strips 4 ½” x WOF. You could use a tone-on-tone fabric to act as a frame for the quilt. Or you could use a large scale print that ties together all the colors in your quilt.The quilt will measure 32 ½” square.

If you desire a larger quilt, add more borders between Step 3 and Step 4 listed above. The math calculations will be easier if you deal with 2” or 4” units. If you purchased more than ½ yd. of fabric for the outer border, you may cut the strips wider to enlarge the quilt size.