The Many Faces of the St. Louis Star Block
Posted by Toby Lischko on Oct 1st 2015
We had so many authors eager to participate in National Sewing Month that we couldn't fit them all in September! So today, please welcome Toby Lischko, author of St. Louis Stars, for our October continuation of National Sewing Month.
My book, St. Louis Stars, features (of course) the St. Louis Star block. It is an eight-point star that has no Y-seams, making it much easier to piece.
There are many reasons why I love this block. First, even though it looks difficult, it is very easy to piece. It has no Y-seams and therefore is pieced in sections.
One of the fun things I like to do with this block is play with two fabrics, three fabrics, even five fabrics, to create completely different looks.
But the main reason I like this block is because I like to fussy cut fabrics in the center of the block (kite shape) to create a one-of-a-kind designs. I can use a repeating pattern or symmetrical fabric depending on what kind of look I want to create. The quilt that inspired me to write this book is my Stars Over St. Louis quilt. You can see that the center of the St. Louis Star block is fussy-cut and so are the half LeMoyne Star blocks that surround it. I had won a quilting award from the Miniatures of the Heart contest sponsored by Miniature Quilts Magazine for the quilt. I used a bright floral for the center of the blocks.
Here is a quilt I designed using a symmetrical fabric.
Although most of the book is dedicated to fussy cutting the center of the block, there are some quilts for which you do not have to be that particular. Ornamental Stars is a quilt that uses five different fabrics with three different fabric placements, making each block look completely different.
I teach a very fun workshop on St. Louis Stars, and everyone that takes it comes away with such a wonderful block and feeling of accomplishment. Here are some student samples.
If you have never tried to fussy cut fabrics, my book gives step-by-step instructions for getting perfect repeats every time and clear directions and images for piecing the block using my precision-piecing techniques. I hope I have whetted your imagination, and I’m sure that you will find something that you would like to make out of the nine different quilts in the book.
Want to win a free copy of St. Louis Stars? Enter the giveaway here: a Rafflecopter giveaway. Open to US residents only; winner will be announced one week from today.
Congratulations to Jennifer P., winner of this giveaway! Jennifer, we hope you have a blast making many, many St. Louis Stars, and thank you to everyone who entered!
