Why the Name Flying Fruit Tingle?
'Flying Fruit Tingle' seems like such a weird name for a 12 pointed star block.
Last week for #oldepatchartday I shared this wonderful group of 1850's star blocks on Instagram.
I mentioned that the maker clearly didn't give a flying fruit tingle whether that errant point on her blue star matched or not. And quite clearly she did NOT!
Most makers will go to painstaking ends to piece together tiny scraps for a patch or failing that will find a close match.
Not our maker............she was a freedom quilter to the power of 100!
A note re 'Fruit Tingles': they are an Aussie lollie that Google tells me are most similar to 'Swee Tarts' in the US and 'Refreshers' in the UK!
Collage of Flying Fruit Tingle Stars
First here is a pretty collage showing some of the other Flying Fruit Tingle star blocks.
Click here for the original Instagram post on my @oldepatchart profile and scroll through for more close ups including some delicious madder reds.
We Have Ourselves a Draft Off!
After reading my post @monaquilter and I decided to have ourselves a good ol' fashioned draft-off to recreate this beauty!
Mona sketched her's with compass and pencil and mine was done on the computer.
Different processes for the exact same outcome and by the next day we each had recreated our stars.
My Reproduction vs the Original
Here's my reproduction block sitting alongside the original with the very same disregard given to matching that rogue point!
Random thought......what we wouldn't give for a reproduction of that stunning mid-blue original print.....sigh.
Hand Pieced Flying Fruit Tingle Star
Hmmmmm to hand piece or applique that centre circle?
Basically the choice is all your's......but I found I lost almost a quarter of an inch when piecing in the circle.
So I unpicked it and appliqued it on top of the pieced ring.
It now measures the finished size of 6.75".
Free PDF Download for Flying Fruit Tingle Star
Okay enough preamble.....here is your link for the FREE PDF Pattern Flying Fruit Tingle 6.75 Inch.
Simply ‘add to cart’, enter your details, click ‘proceed to checkout’ and then click ‘place order’: your download link will appear.
Please-please-PLEASE don't print direct from this link as scaling issues will likely result.
I have written a blog post called How to Download and Print a Digital PDF Quilt Pattern which I recommend reading before you print.
Printing straight from a PDF link can alter the formatting of the pages which may in turn reduce the size of your templates or cut off part of the instructions......eeek!
The most accurate way to print your pattern is to save it to your computer first, open that file with a dedicated PDF reader, then from printer settings select '100%' or 'Actual Size' before hitting print.
I recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Download it here for free! Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
.
A few Extra Notes
A few extra things to note.
I have included EPP papers to print should you prefer to English Paper Piece your stars.
When hand piecing: trace each template onto plastic for marking your stitching lines then cut a quarter inch outside of that line for your seam allowance.
For a single Flying Fruit Tingle star cut four x Template D and use at each corner to square-off your block.
Alternatively applique your star to a background.
If you decide to make a number of FFT blocks, fold squares of your background fabric into quarters and align the marked edges of template D against the folds as shown, trace your stitching line and repeat for each quadrant.
More Marvelous Madders!
Let's finish off this post with one last star showcasing no less than eight different madders!
I hope you enjoy making your own Flying Fruit Tingle Stars.
When posting your finished block on Instagram then please tag me and use the hashtag #flyingfruittingle I would love to see your stars.
Feel free to message or email me if you have any issues or questions: feedback is always welcome.
Please follow me on instagram: oldepatchart
