Decadence Stitch-Along - Month 8 - Carolyn's Peacock Star October 15 2019

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so how about a Snowflake, or shall I say my Peacock Star!  This month's block is my design, AND we will be using English Paper Piecing Papers. It is actually my preferred way of EPP. 

You will notice in your October package that you received these papers as well as the pattern and fusible interface for the Clamshell block. IMPORTANT: YOUR FABRICS INCLUDE ENOUGH FOR MY SNOWFLAKE BLOCK ONLY. The clamshells take a lot of fussy cutting, so Jen has more fabrics available for purchase if you wish to do both of these. You may want to substitute the Clamshell block for another of the monthly patterns. The Snowflake would make a lovely Christmas pillow in blues or Christmas fabrics.

The fabrics we are using this month are:

• Teal Damask
• Peacock Feathers
• Black with Green Border Print
• Cream with Black Dots
• Black with Large Floral (for the solid black areas)
• Background Fabric 

If you don't already have acrylic cutting templates, you will need to either purchase these from Red Thread Studio (please inquire via email info@RedThreadStudio.com or phone 772.219.3991) OR make them...It is a very simple process to make your own templates.

1. Trace your paper piece onto template plastic. 
2. Draw your seam allowance around it.
3. Cut it out on the seam allowance.
4. I normally use 3/8 inch seams for my acrylics templates. But for 1/2 inch hexagons, a 1/4 inch seam is easier to work with. 
5. The picture below shows two ways I have made templates. One is from the template plastic. The other is from card stock with a window cut into it for fussy cutting.

FABRIC CHOICES AND FUSSY CUTS:

1) The center of the Snowflake is a one-inch Hexagon cut from the Cream with Black Dots fabric. 

• Trace your template with seam allowance.
• Cut along seam line.
• Baste or glue your seams folded over the back of the EPP paper.
• CUT ONE.

2) Surrounding the six sides of the center Hexagon, you will be cutting one-inch Jewels from the Peacock Feathers fabric. AND you will be cutting 1/2 inch Equilateral Triangles from the black area of the Black with Large Floral fabric.

PART ONE (of 2 parts):

• Trace your one-inch Jewel template with seam allowance, fussy cut shown below.
• Cut along seam line. 
• Baste or glue your seams folded over the back of the EPP paper.
• CUT SIX.

PART TWO (of 2 parts):

• Trace your one-inch Equilateral Triangle template with seam allowance on the solid black area of the Black with Large Floral fabric.
• Cut along seam line.
• Baste or glue your seams folded over the back of the EPP paper.
• CUT SIX.

Referring to the picture of the Snowflake and the illustration below, attach one Equilateral Triangle to one SHORT side of the Peacock Feather Jewel. Be sure to align each one in the same direction (ie, top left one-inch side).

Next, sew these sections to the center Hexagon with a long side of the Jewel to each Hexagon side, creating a larger Hexagon.

3) Trace your two-inch Equilateral Triangle template with seam allowance onto the Teal Damask fabric.

• Cut along seam line.
• Baste or glue your seams folded over the back of the EPP paper.
• CUT SIX. 
• Sew these sections to each side of your large pieced center Hexagon.

4) Now we will be tracing and cutting lots of one-half inch Hexagons, cutting along the seam line.

• From the Peacock Feather fabric, FUSSY CUT SIX HEXAGONS, with the tip of the Heart facing a point. 

• From the Black and Grey Stripes portion of the Black with Green Border print, CUT TWENTY-FOUR HEXAGONS, with the stripe running from point to point.

• From the Black area of the Black with Large Floral fabric, CUT TWENTY-FOUR HEXAGONS. 

• From the Cream with Black Dot fabric, CUT TWELVE HEXAGONS. 

NOW, PUTTING THEM ALL TOGETHER:

• Baste or glue your seams folded over the back of the EPP paper.
• I found it easiest to put together one section at a time, starting with ONE Peacock Feather Hexagon.
• Sew TWO Black w/ Grey striped Hexagons, one to each side of the Peacock Feather Hexagon, stripes running vertical.
• Sew TWO Solid Black Hexagons TOGETHER and attach them to the top of the Peacock Feather Hexagon with the point of the Peacock Heart facing the center of the block. Repeat for bottom.
• Sew TWO Black with Grey striped Hexagons, one on the top of this unit and one on the bottom, with stripes running vertical.
• As shown in your picture of the Snowflake Circle, sew a Cream with Black Dot Hexagon just below the striped Hexagon and to the side of the black Hexagon. Repeat this on the opposite side of the unit. NOTICE, WHEN ATTACHED TO THE CENTER UNIT, THERE WILL BE AN OPEN SPACE below this Cream with Black Dot Hexagon.

5) Attach your Snowflake points to the center concave area between the Teal Damask Equilateral Triangles. When attaching the Cream with Black Dot Hexagon to the Teal Equilateral Triangle, leave an open space the width of a 1/2 inch Hexagon cut in half from point to point. Once attached, the unit will lay flat. 

ATTACH ALL SIX SNOWFLAKE POINTS IN THE SAME MANNER. 

6) Appliqué your Snowflake to the center of an 18 inch square of the background fabric. Remember to appliqué the "hole" created by the placement of the Cream with Black Dot half-inch Hexagon.  Trim to 17-1/2 inches.

Enjoy! Soon it will be snowing for many of us. Enjoy it with the eyes of a child.

In the meantime, which do you prefer?  Iron-on papers or traditional papers?