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7 steps to warm up to a 6-point star project with a 4-patch diamond (easy)

by Claire Haillot

Here’s a nice warm-up to get you to enjoy diamond-shaped quilts. In yesterday’s post, I revealed my two darling cushions I made to go with my diamond hexagon oversized cushion and listed what you need to make these cushions including very useful rulers such as the Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60°, and the 6” x 12” Omnigrip Ruler. Now I’ll show you just how easy it is to make what I like to call a 4-patch diamond. Because it is as simple as the regular 4-patch!

A close-up of a hexagon pillow in the bottom left-hand corner with a pieced star made of 4-patch diamonds on the top right-hand corner. All in bright and vibrant colors.

4-patch diamonds are the first step to my 6-point star pillow.

Instructions to create the 4-patch diamonds

See the material list in yesterday’s post, so I’ll get straight to the instructions on how to make the first 6 units for the two cushion blocks.

A 4-patch diamond in bright colors lies on a cutting mat; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18"

4-patch diamonds are a cinch to create.

Step 1

2½” strips of Kaffe Fasset fabrics with one edge trimmed at a 60-degree angle lay on a cutting mat next to a triangle ruler and rotary cutter; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18", Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60°, OLFA Quick Change Rotary Cutter

Cut 2½” strips and trim one edge at a 60-degree angle.

Step 2

  • Sew 2 strips together, while trying to keep the 60-degree aligned.
  • Makes 6 strip units.

6 units of two strips sewn together at a 60-degree angle

Sew 2 strips together while trying to keep the 60-degree aligned.

Ready to trim off the excess fabric on the edge of two strips sewn together using a triangle ruler, rotary cutter, and cutting mat; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18", Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60°, OLFA Quick Change Rotary Cutter

Don’t sweat it! You can trim off any excess.

Step 3

Two strips of fabric sewn together on a cutting mat and next to a quilting ruler and rotary cutter; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18", Omnigrip Ruler - 6″ x 12″, OLFA Quick Change Rotary Cutter

Make 12 units.

Now for the fun part!

Step 4

  • Position your step 3 units 2 x 2 to create your 4-patch diamond.
  • Play around with them and see which combination makes the fabric pop.

Grouping the units 2x2 to make the 4-patch diamond; 5 groups of colorful fabrics.

Now for the fun part!

Step 5

·         Press your seams open using the Oliso Pro TG1600 Pro Plus Smart Iron. This helps you sew the units together in the next step.

The back of 2 units shown with the seams pressed open on a cutting mat; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18"

The secret is pressing your seams open!

Note: Having the ‘ears’ pop out helps you align your units and get a perfect block.

The front of 2 units each with 2 diamond shape pieces sewn together with seams pressed open showing the ‘ears’ popping out on a cutting mat; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18"

Having the ’ears’ pop out helps you align your units and get a perfect block.

  • Position the two units, right sides together, align the ‘ears’ and stitch to make a perfect 4-patch diamond.

A close-up of the back of a unit showing the ears aligned and seams pressed open on a cutting mat; Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat - 18" x 18"

Align the ‘ears’ and stitch to make a perfect 4-patch diamond.

Step 7

  • Repeat the steps to make 6 units.

Five 4-patch diamonds made with colorful Kaffe Fasset fabric on a white background

Make six 4-patch diamonds.

Congratulations! You’ve warmed up to making a 6-point star by succeeding in making the first unit: the 4-patch diamond using tools such as the Komfort Kut 360° Rotating Cutting Mat, Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60°, and the OLFA Quick Change Rotary Cutter to make the creative process easier. I’ll see you tomorrow when I’ll show you how it’s just as easy to create a 16-patch diamond!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Easy 6-point stars without Y seams: What you need to get started

Go to part 3: 16-patch diamonds are easy with the ESSENTIAL Sew Easy 60° Triangle Ruler

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