Join diamond patches to make 8 pieced diamonds the size that you wish your Lone Star to be, pressing all the seams open during construction. Use a dry iron. Any moisture present during this initial pressing makes distortion of the pieced diamonds more likely to occur. Do not slide the iron over the surface, but use an up-and-down pressing motion.
Measure a completed and pressed pieced diamond across the width from one edge to the opposite edge, as shown, and record this measurement. Turn the ruler and measure across the opposite direction. Record this measurement.
Average the two measurements. For example, if the pieced diamond measures 5 3/8" in one direction and 5 5/8" in the other, the average would be 5 1/2". Measure several more pieced diamonds and record those measurements. If you have been very careful in sewing, cutting, and pressing, there should be less than 1/4" difference among all the measurements. However, don't get too discouraged. I've seen differences of as much as 1/2" and I was still able to stitch the points together to make a satisfactory quilt using this method for blocking.
Step 2
When using freezer paper, be sure that you always press on the dull (paper) side. Cut a piece of freezer paper longer than a pieced diamond. If your diamond is larger than 18", cut 2 pieces of freezer paper, overlap their long edges 1 1/2" or so and adhere them together with a hot, dry iron.
With a permanent-ink marker and a ruler, draw a straight line near one edge of the freezer paper. Using the average measurement from Step 1, measure and mark a second line parallel to the first line. If your ruler isn't wide enough to mark this second line as shown, measure and mark a dot in several places equidistant from the first line, and join the dots for the second line.
Step 3
Align the 45-degree line on the ruler with one of the parallel lines, and draw a third line near one side of the freezer paper that intersects both lines at an angle. Measure and mark a fourth line parallel to the third line, again using the measurement from Step 1. This completes the blocking guide.
Step 4
Adhere the blocking guide
to a padded ironing surface by pressing it, shiny side down, with a dry iron.
Lay a pieced diamond, seams down, over the blocking guide. The edges may or may not align with the markings on the blocking guide. Align the edges at the widest part of the pieced diamond with the appropriate marks on the blocking guide. Insert glass-head pins about 1/4" inside the edges through the fabric, blocking guide, and pressing surface. Place the pins at a low angle with the heads away from the center, as shown.
Step 5
Align the end points of the diamond along the marked lines on the blocking guide and pin as before. Then place several pins along each side, aligning the fabric as well as possible with the drawn lines. Don't worry if some lumps and bumps appear in the star point. They will disappear during the next step.
Step 6
Make your own economic spray starch. Purchase liquid starch and mix it with water in a one-to-one ratio in a plant-mister bottle. This mixture will keep at room temperature for up to one month.
Mist the pieced diamond lightly with spray starch or sizing. Starch relaxes cotton fabric even more than water. You will notice the bumps begin to disappear at this point. If you prewashed and starched your fabric before cutting the strips, you may wish to mist the star point with water only at this step. Over-starching can result in very stiff points, creating more bulk in seams when they are stitched together to form the star.
Step 7
Press the pieced diamond until dry with a hot, dry iron. If you find that the iron sticks a bit due to the starch, just lightly touch it to the surface and quickly remove it until you feel it no longer sticking. Any starch residue may show up as white flecks on darker fabrics when dry. Do not worry about them. They will either flake off or disappear with humidity or laundering.
Step 8
When the point is completely dry, remove the pins. Block each of the eight pieced diamonds. Double-check them for accuracy by stacking them together, exactly on top of each other. The edges of all 8 diamonds should align. The more nearly identical they are in size and shape, the easier it will be to stitch them together for that perfect Lone Star! If any of the diamonds seems too much out of alignment, try blocking again.
Complete your star as usual by joining the 8 diamonds, and insetting side triangles and corner squares.
Join diamond patches to make 8 pieced diamonds the size that you wish your Lone Star to be, pressing all the seams open during construction. Use a dry iron. Any moisture present during this initial pressing makes distortion of the pieced diamonds more likely to occur. Do not slide the iron over the surface, but use an up-and-down pressing motion.
When using freezer paper, be sure that you always press on the dull (paper) side. Cut a piece of freezer paper longer than a pieced diamond. If your diamond is larger than 18", cut 2 pieces of freezer paper, overlap their long edges 1 1/2" or so and adhere them together with a hot, dry iron.
Align the 45-degree line on the ruler with one of the parallel lines, and draw a third line near one side of the freezer paper that intersects both lines at an angle. Measure and mark a fourth line parallel to the third line, again using the measurement from Step 1. This completes the blocking guide.
Adhere the blocking guide
to a padded ironing surface by pressing it, shiny side down, with a dry iron.
Align the end points of the diamond along the marked lines on the blocking guide and pin as before. Then place several pins along each side, aligning the fabric as well as possible with the drawn lines. Don't worry if some lumps and bumps appear in the star point. They will disappear during the next step.
Make your own economic spray starch. Purchase liquid starch and mix it with water in a one-to-one ratio in a plant-mister bottle. This mixture will keep at room temperature for up to one month.
Press the pieced diamond until dry with a hot, dry iron. If you find that the iron sticks a bit due to the starch, just lightly touch it to the surface and quickly remove it until you feel it no longer sticking. Any starch residue may show up as white flecks on darker fabrics when dry. Do not worry about them. They will either flake off or disappear with humidity or laundering.
When the point is completely dry, remove the pins. Block each of the eight pieced diamonds. Double-check them for accuracy by stacking them together, exactly on top of each other. The edges of all 8 diamonds should align. The more nearly identical they are in size and shape, the easier it will be to stitch them together for that perfect Lone Star! If any of the diamonds seems too much out of alignment, try blocking again.
