Guild Blocks (Done Early)

Quilt guild meets this Saturday, and I've had my blocks done for over a week. Go me!

First up: this block is called Another Star, and instructions can be found here at the Quilter's Cache website.

Flying geese and HST's

While Marcia Hohn's instructions for this block are just fine, I chose to construct mine a different way. 

I noticed that there were four flying geese units (one is outlined in red) and eight HST units (four of them are marked with asterisks).

My favorite flying geese method, when making 4 gooses, is the no-waste technique, which you can find demonstrated very aptly at McCall's Quilting University.  So that's what I did there.








And I tried out a HST method that I read about in a magazine.  [The math: double the finished size of your HST block and add 1-3/4"] 

Put two identical squares right sides together, with the lighter color on top, and mark along both diagonals.  Sew 1/4" away from each diagonal, on both sides of the drawn lines (4 lines of stitching).  Then carefully cut the square in quarters and along each diagonal.  When ironed open, you will have eight identical HST units.

The second block was actually more challenging, as it is constructed along the diagonal, and there's lots of bias edges to be aware of.  I'm just happy with the skull fabric hanging out in the black-and-white mix.

And happy to be done early--for once.  What deadlines have you beaten lately?