can you make out the block design?
 

The star-ish block in the upper right? I can't get my head around it, but it looks fun.

Not a star I am familiar with, but I always love seeing plaids and stripes being used in various ways.

Looks like a couple ways you could go about it, either starting with an octagon in the center, or by making V units that include one each of the red/blue bars and the triangle in-between, as well as the point in the middle.

I'll see what I can draw up, but I'm still on my first cup of coffee -- and this looks like I need 3 cups.

To me it looks like a Dresden with two different colours for the blades. Not sure if they are the same height either. Where did you come across this picture/pattern. I have a pile of homespuns that would be perfect for something like this. If you have pictures of more of the blocks, please share.

It's a version of the dresdan plate. North, S,E,W,NE,SE,SW,NW are all the pointy dresdan made by cutting a flat top blade that is stitched like a necktie to create points. The in between smaller pieces are likely appliqued beneath the plate,and all is appliqued on top of the background...at least that's how l'd do it. The sewist took care to orient the plaid as centered and in straight of grain direction when cutting.

I agree it looks like a Dresden. Where the lighter part of the plaid is makes it look like skinny blades. A trick to the eye

It looks like a Dresden Plate to me with different plaids for the blades. One color having longer blades that the next. Very pretty.

So here's how I would go about it -- I used an 8-pointed ruler (Quilt in a Day triangle in this case) and folded paper and treated this more like a Lemoyne Star variation than a Dresden Plate.

The first scan shows my folded quarter with outlines drawn, using blades that are about 1.5" wide, it is a large block, about 12". I didn't show the pointy ends on my scan, I'd probably make it easy on myself by just sewing on oversized squares along the diagonal to have enough to trim off, but you could make tiny little flying geese units if you wanted, or maybe consider some texture with prairie points.

The second shows half the block, the darker lines are 1" blades.

edit: you can make the quarters any size you want with those 1" blades, just adjusting the points (or skipping them is easiest and gives you substantially the same look).

ah. yes, I can see it might be some form of dresden. Ginger, I contacted place that might have an answer but haven't heard anything back.
thank you IceBlossom, for the visual! With my vision problems, I thought it might be something with Y-seams, or paper pieced? Maybe not.

I believe it is some form of Dresden Plate pattern. Very nice of Iceblossom to give you a visual to work with.

Kalama, the way I designed it, you could do it in wedges around that center octagon.

I think I would construct it in a circle basically, each of the triangle wedges whole with the colored blades between them, and then I'd applique in that center octagon. You can set in the seams but the angle is so soft I think it's going to end up rather rounded, which could be ok as well.

For the rays to fit the 1" sides on the octagon, that makes the octagon 3" along the perpendicular measurements. It's bigger than it looks on the prints.

For easier piecing if your fabric allows it, easiest would be to cut the center triangles in half. If you wanted to have the most fun with stripes, you probably don't want to do that.

It's an 8-point star surrounded by inset squares and triangles.
the fussy-cut plaid fabrics create the illusion of a separate center piece.
the plaids also confuse the eye and make the background seem part of the star.

I heard back from the designer Debi Adkinson-McOwen who sent happily shared the pattern with me, except it is a zip file I can't seem to open. I can forward the email to someone cleverer than I if you'll PM me your email address.

Are you on a PC or laptop? Can you try a right click on the file with the mouse?. Then extract all should get the individual files that make the "zip" file.

iceblossom is working on it for us. I've opened zips before, but this one wants me to sign in with my google account which says I've given google access to my full computer and all files. Eh?

Well, the file/picture I got is a six-sided version and did not open, am trying other things... don't think it was operator error on Kalama's part. I know I have how to do this as a hex in a book -- just have to look for it.

If someone has a book on octagon or hex variations, it should be findable maybe even with directions. I know the book I have is just diagrams with no construction info.

I can always finalize my rough sketch if you give me a desired finished block size. I'd be starting with my triangle ruler and cut out the 8 triangles of background fabric. Then I'd put one each color bar on either side of four of the triangles (you can make them with the pointed tops), and then put the corner triangle across that diagonal edge. I'd then combine each corner with a center triangle, piecing them around the block and as mentioned before leaving that center octagon to applique or carefully fit in.

Interesting block. I sent you a pm.

Managed to get a more detailed pic of this block. It is an 8 pointed star with a smaller square in the corners, so I made one up in EQ as a 12" block.
Have been having a terrible time attaching photos lately, just will not work. Heres' hoping.

I decided to go ahead with a prototype block using a couple of contrasting scraps that I actually, yes, did pick up off the floor. I've designed it to finish as a 10" block with the 1" blades. For me the design consideration turns out to be that octagon in the middle, if you want your blade width to be the same as the octagon, the bigger the blades the bigger that octagon needs to be. 1.5" blades makes that about 4" wide. As it is with 1" rays, it is about 3" across in a 10" block.

Gay's block shows what I was thinking of, I'm treating this more as an exercise in Lemoyne star construction.

The way I work, I cut and sew large and then trim down for accuracy. That does mean you need to do some accurate cutting. For this, I've been using my Quilt in a Day Kaleidoscope ruler to cut my triangles.
https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponli...t-in-a-Day/708
A 60 degree ruler makes a hex (6 sides). You need 45 degrees for octagons (8 sides).

My strips I already knew were going to be 1" finished, so I am cutting them straight on grain at 1.5". I'm using the rectangle that came off the floor, so they are oversized. Being consistent on how I put the fabrics together, I put the (red) on first, then the yellow. I used the stitching line of the red to start the stitching for the yellow. It will make more sense when I post the pictures.

I don't usually use/need starch, but I am getting quite a bit of slippage/stretch on those triangles, even sewing straight grain to it and will recommend it for this project.

Taking a break because I already made twice as many "triangle" pieces as I needed (and so need to recut the corner ones), but I should have pictures shortly and since I have Kalama's address handy, when I'm done I'll just shove it all in an envelope and send it her way. Once she sees it, we can work out further details and instructions if needed. I'm going without the pointy triangles on the blades in my practice block, but I made a couple of oversized examples for Kalama in case that's the part that really excites her. You just have to be a little more accurate with the cutting and measuring to do them.

oh goodie, stuff shoved in the mail to me :) :) :) I love something to look forward to!

Here's my "finished" proto-type and some observations on how I would do this with plaids because I really like working with plaids and striped fabrics.

As mentioned before, I sew large and cut down and have a lot of process photos but I think what I've taken away from this is, those setting triangles need to be small to let the plaids work, so maybe just a 2" or so triangle with 2" or so of blade, I'm not happy with the 1" finished I did.

I'd cut the blades as wide as I wanted for the consistent plaid, and then I'd trim down the triangle sub-units as shown in picture two and completely skip the center octagon, letting the plaids be fancy on their own. I think this could all be improvisational in terms of dealing with the plaid, and just trimmed down to the proper triangle and I would skip the pointy ends for speed of processing.

Yes, that's just a finished sized octagon of cut paper in the center.

And we all know that the best days are when squishies come in the mail, even if it ultimately could mean more work for us.

I agree with patricej and gay that it is a version of a lemoyne star . The corner setting squares have an additional small square in the inside corner.

The Quilt Block you are talking about is a cheater I have the same panel will try to post a better picture of it tomorrow or Monday.

thud. Really? A cheater panel?! I had serious insomnia last night and worked out how to make this, genius I said to self. Can I remember this morning? :)

I've done that - agonized over the design of a block I really loved, and after research discovered it was a cheater panel. It was similar with a lot of plaids, and something I think that is a big clue it's a cheater panel, it's made with plaids and they are fussy cut.

If you look closely, you will find the blocks centre right and top and bottom left are the same. Also the centre left and top and bottom right are the same. So the bottom left block shows the design better though it's not a whole block image.
http://www.touchedbycolor.com/

As Roseanna Danna would say -- never mind! Oh that picture is so much better and I see it so differently than is obvious from what I drew up. What ever was I seeing/thinking -- I was wondering if I was looking at the correct square or not.

Just a Lemoyne star with a corner inset into the corner, just as Gay drew. Easy peasy.

I did a lone star once with a plaid in "Easter" colors, white and lavender, green, pink, yellow. The center of the star was the fussy cut plaid and then rays of the solids.