On a cold January 17th, in 1706, Josiah and Abiah Franklin welcomed a new baby, Benjamin, into their small rented house on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Benjamin was, at the time, the youngest of fifteen children! The little newborn was wrapped up and carried off to church...after all, it was Sunday.
To print a copy of Page 1, click here-->Download Boston Star Block-Block 1 Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt page 1
To print a copy of Page 2, click here-->Download Boston Star Block-Block 1 Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt page 2
To print a copy of Page 3, click here-->Download Boston Star Block-Block 1 Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt page 3
(We strongly advise downloading all three of these pages)
Boston Star Block Tutorial:
Start the Boston Star block by sewing together four Blue scrap 1 3/4-inch strips; press the seams in one direction.
Cut the strips into 2 1/2-inch wide units. You will have more than enough to cut the E units; save the scrap in case you need to cut more.
Trim the E units to measure 2 1/2-inch by 4 3/4-inch. We used the middle two pieces as the center of our unit and trimmed from there. The exact amount you need to trim depends on the measurements of your unit. You have your scrap leftover in case your make a mistake. Make 4 E units.
The D units are made the classic way: Draw a diagonal line on the back of both Red 1 D 2 7/8-inch squares; layer on top of a Blue scrap 2 7/8-inch square. Sew 1/4-inch to both sides of the drawn line, cut on the line, press towards the Blue scrap. You will need to make 4 D units total.
The B/C units are easy to make; press toward the Blue scrap triangle. Spray starch will help keep the bias edges from shifting.
Sew the B/C units to the 3 1/2-inch background squares. Make 2 outer corner units.
To find the center of each C triangle, and the A background square, fold each piece in half; mark with a pin, then pin in place to sew.
You will need 2 A/C units like this for the center row of block.
The block, row by row. Use the Page 2 diagram to put your block together. The heavy lines will help you.
Give your Boston Star block a final press and a spritz of spray starch, if you like. See you again next month for block 2!
If you are missing a page, or need further copies of any of the instructions posted to date, click on the Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt button under DON'T MISS A STEP to find what you need. If you have a question, or need further assistance, please contact Erik HOMEMADE®.
