Often when someone mentions diamonds, I think of the song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.
It’s not that the story line of the movie the song came from, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has any special meaning to me.
In fact, I can’t say I even really remember the whole story.
Nor do I actually remember much of the song.
It’s just the notion of loving diamonds – the beauty and sparkle of the stone as the light hits the various facets; the realization that the process of creating a diamond is quite amazing; and that it takes a great deal of determination to bring it to the surface.
The same is true when you talk about creating quilts using diamonds.
Many star quilts are made using diamond patches instead of using half-square triangles.
This allows for some special kind of quilting creativity, since you can easily cut each point of your star into smaller diamond shapes and then use your color choices to add the sparkle to your quilt.
It’s fascinating to note that some diamonds in nature are formed in days, weeks or months as a continual process.
While others begin to form, then – for some reason – take a rest, and continue the process of forming over much longer periods of time.
The first two star quilts I made using diamonds fell into the “start and then take a break” category.
You can read about them later.
And, as for the determination it takes to mine a diamond —
With most diamonds lying more than 100 miles below the surface of the earth, you can imagine how much determination and perseverance it takes to get to the diamonds themselves, let alone knowing that you’ve spent all of that time and energy getting there only to get a small-in-size reward that has a huge payoff once it is polished and put on display.
And the same is true for creating quilts made from diamonds.
Whether it’s because of the shape, the number of patches, or the fact that you are sewing all of those bias seams that can stretch and cause every quilter anxiety, sewing diamond patches into a finished quilt takes a great deal of determination, patience, and a few critical and specific techniques.
During our summer survey, most of you said that you wanted to explore the world of using diamonds to create heirloom quilts.
And, finally, this information is ready.
Unlike the creation of diamonds in the center of the earth, you’ll see from start to finish exactly how to sew a beautiful star quilt using diamond patches – nothing hidden; no assumptions requuired.
And this information goes way beyond just sewing a simple quilt.
I have included several interesting techniques that you will use in other quilts you make as well:
- How to “fussy cut” patches. Sometimes you will love a particular design in a piece of fabric – a flower, a tree, a pond, or in my case a beautiful fish. You’ll see exactly how to cut your fabric so you can use those pieces in your quilt blocks – or in the diamonds in an 8 pointed star.
- Machine quilting on your home sewing machine. As much as we might love hand quilting, the fact is that it takes less time to machine quilt; and some of our fingers aren’t quite as nimble as they used to be.
As a result, many quilters appreciate being able to quilt using the machines we have, and not feeling that we need to go out and spend thousands of dollars on a quilting machine or pay someone great sums of money to finish our quilts for us.
You’ll get fantastic, detailed demonstrations and information about quilting straight lines using a walking foot on your sewing machine, as well as specific techniques that will make your free motion quilting perfect every time.
- Hand quilting – and for those who love hand quilting, there are detailed techniques for you as well. Including the type of needle to use, how to place your quilt in a hoop, and how to actually position your needle for perfect stitches.
- And, of course, sewing set-in seams. This is what prevents many quilters from even starting to sew a quilt with diamonds – adding the pieces that go in between the star points using set-in seams. But it doesn’t have to be.
Just like the simple technique for making perfectly square mitered corners in your binding, sewing perfect set-in seams is easy, once you know the simple technique. You’ll see everything you need to know to sew perfect set-in seams every time.
Of course, there is more.
Because this is brand new information, it is available for a short time at a special introductory rate.
Think of it as an early Christmas gift for you or a special quilter you know:
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/diamondquilt.php
Blazing Star Quilt Block
