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!
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.
4-patch diamonds are a cinch to create.
Step 1
- Cut a 2½” strip from 12 of your scrap fabrics.
- Using your Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60°, cut one edge at a 60-degree angle.
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.
Sew 2 strips together while trying to keep the 60-degree aligned.
Don’t sweat it! You can trim off any excess.
- Now remember! It doesn’t have to be perfect! You can simply use the Sew Easy Triangle Ruler 60° once more to trim off any excess.
Step 3
- Use your Omnigrip Ruler – 6″ x 12″ to cut 2 x 2½” units from each Step 2
- Makes 12 units.
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.
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 secret is pressing your seams open!
Note: Having the ‘ears’ pop out helps you align your units and get a perfect block.
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.
Align the ‘ears’ and stitch to make a perfect 4-patch diamond.
Step 7
- Repeat the steps to make 6 units.
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