Looking for a straw star

Sometimes you just have to sew something special. I had to sew a Christmas table runner of straw star blocks.

This is what you need

• 4 squares 6" dark fabric (sky, woods)
• 1 square 1" red fabric
• 8 strips 1x9" light fabric (straw)

Sewing

Cut the 6" squares diagonally in half. Sew the strips in the middle. Sew two strips and a red square together to form a long strip.

Trim the 6" squares  to 53/4".

Sew the long strips in place and the block is ready. The finished block measures 11½".

But, in fact this is not a star block, this is a himmeli block. Himmeli is a traditional Finnish Christmas decorations, made of straw. I'm have to try again!

This is what you need for a straw star

The strips diagonally in the middle of the 6" blocks have to be made of two fabrics: light (6") + dark (3").

 Now when you sew it all together it looks more like a star.

This is a straw star, a Finnish Christmas decoration, too. Light straw on dark sky or woods. The little red square is the yarn that ties the straws together.