Three Cheers For the Red, White & Blue! --- Part 3

When I started working on a QOV top from my R/W/B stash, I had also hoped to make some more projects from the stash when it was done.  The good news is that I had a good reason to do so and another good cause to apply it to.  I learned about Kat Drinkwater's Covered In Love charity quilt drive back in February and donated String blocks to her January/February drive and Star Flower blocks to her March/April drive.  Kat spends May and June catching up on finishing up the quilts from earlier block drives.  When she announced that the next drive was to be in July, I figured I'd be ready to participate by then.  I want to do all the drives this year and since she has traditionally asked for the July blocks to be made from R/W/B fabrics, you know I was in!

This year's drive is called "Oh My Stars".  Kat's looking for 12-1/2" (12" finished) Star Blocks this time around.  Given the "Star" prompt, this also seemed like a good time to play with some new block designs or block making techniques I want to try out.  A themed drive like this is also a chance to make some blocks with some of the quilty piecing gadgets you don't get to use often.  Here were the ones I chose:

One of the first patterns I found was for a star block that was part of a quilt along project.  An ombre fabric had been used to achieve the gradient effect in the Double Sawtooth Star blocks in the quilt from Bernina's "Summer Sparkle Quilt Along". 

I tried to acheive the same effect with my fabric choices.  I'm not sure I was as successful but it was fun to try anyway.  The block as designed was only 10" fnished so I added a border around mine to bring it up to the size Kat needs.

Another block I wanted to make was the Split Ohio Star blocks from Judy Laquidara's "Road to Brownwood" quilt.  This quilt has long been on my "I Want To Make That" list.

However, I had also looked for stars to make in other places.  In my "QOV Ideas" file, I had this McCall's booklet:

There were quite a few interesting star blocks in this one --- including the Split Ohio Star (for Massachusetts).  I also decided to make the Mississippi block too.

Speaking of getting to use those quilty tools:  for the middle units in the Mississippi blocks, I was able to make those quicker by cutting the shape with the Accuquilt Go! Signature block die:

When combined with 3" finished HST triangles (also cut with the Go!), the units finish at 4-1/2" (5" unfinished) so after sewing them up, I trimmed them down with the 4-1/2" square on the Value die.  So with that, I've now got four blocks to mail out to Kat!

Seeing as how I originally found out about "Covered In Love" from a post linked up at "Finished or Not Fridays" on Myra's Busy Hands Quilts blog, it's only fitting that I link up my latest blocks there as well!  I'm joining Cynthia over at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework who also posted her July CiL blocks and bring some more attention to Kat's great cause!