Starburst super-nova for April 2013

In college I had a favorite sweater; it was alternating stripes of an eye-searing neon blue & a purple that would do Barney proud.  The only improvement that could have been made would be if the stripes were of variable widths.  My roommate called this my "hurts the buzz" sweater & it could bring a hungover frat boy to tears.  I loved it.

Why is this relevant, you ask?  Well, for our starburst super-nova you will need two (2) fabrics. Neither one has to be particularly bright or ugly or whatever, but the combo should make you Take Notice.  All I ask is that you not use either white or black (too neutralizing) & if you want to use something patterned, make sure there is very limited color/value contrast within the piece (a dark purple, dark red combo would be lovely: I myself own an orange & pink paisley that will be perfect).

In keeping with the overall contrariness of this block, you know how I often say the block is easier than it looks?  Well, this one is a bit trickier than expected, mostly because the final seam is all bias, both sides.  I suggest pinning your brains out & easing it all under the foot with as little tugging as you can manage. 

This block is also our "component block".  In other words, this block x4, plus some strips & a stones makes the Cross & Crown block (also known as goose tracks-I think the difference is something to do with the width of the strips&stone).  Rather than re-invent the wheel, I am instead going to refer you to the directions on Quilter's Cache.  Again we are making only the corner squares for our swap.  When you get your swapped blocks back, you can go on to finish the overall block as you like.

These blocks are due the last Saturday in April, which is Saturday, April 27th.  We always swap in sets of five (5), you send five (5) blocks & get five (5) back.  If you can, think about including a 6th block-this one goes to whichever member of that swap has volunteered to make a quilt for her community.  If you would like more details, just ask to join our group on FaceBook (search Quilt Block Swap).