Sometimes you look at buying a ruler set and wonder if you will ever make more than one quilt with it.  No affiliation here, but I really like the Tri Recs ruler set that makes an elongated star.  My local quilt shop had the rulers, and I saw a demo there.   I have done several quilts and projects with it, and I’ll probably do more. Here is a candle mat with just one block, with squares added to the corners.  This was also my first attempt at stippling free motion quilting on my domestic machine.  I used Aurifil thread for this one.

So you can see how easy this is, here is the basic instruction using the rulers.  There are also templates available all over the internet.  Once you get the star point units done, it is a basic nine-patch.  Start with cutting your triangles using the angle rulers. I want the finished block to be 12 inches, so I use a 4-1/2 measurement for the Tri Rec units.

Note that you need a right and left red triangle. I put my fabric right sides together and cut two at once.

Place the red unit on top of the white one, right sides together. Note that the cut off point fits neatly on the angle showing you just where to sew.

Sew with a quarter-inch seam allowance. A quarter-inch foot comes in handy here.

Press the red outward with the seam allowance under the red.

Repeat for the other side.

I like to do them chain style with all the right sides at once, then all the left so I don’t get mixed up. By now you know that I am a big fan of laying things out multiple times to be sure you are doing it right. Saves a lot of frogging!

Cut 4-1/2 inch squares of fabric, one red for the center and four white for the corners. Multiply by the number of blocks you want to make.  Sew in rows, press the seam allowances to the left on the top and bottom rows, and to the right on the middle row so the seams will nest.  On this project, I used plain background squares for the corners.  It became the Patriotic Table Runner with the addition of some plain print blocks.

Here is the allover print TriRecs star without the cornerstones shown in the candlemat, quilted in the table runner. Both looks are interesting.  The variegated thread is from Superior.

Here’s another quilt I made, this time adding some yellow squares to the purple stars, and adding the same yellow to the sashing as cornerstones.  The center of this block is a pinwheel, so the star pinwheels through the center.  Note that the right and left points on the star are different, the left is black while the right is purple, so it matches up with the center pinwheel.  This adds a lot of movement to the quilt design. (The candlemat above is a pinwheel too.)  This quilt is well loved and has been washed a few times for that old-timey look.  It is wonderfully soft to cuddle under on a chilly evening.

Do you have a ruler set you use over and over?

Want to try Aurifil Threads? Get spools and cones at Fat Quarter Shop Aurifil Threads. Be sure to see all 17 pages, there are a few of the collections on sale, and special pricing on bundles of fabrics with Aurifil threads.  See Fat Quarter Shop’s Notion of the Month, too!

Get the Tri Rec’s Ruler set at Amazon.