Black Magic Quilt Block Tutorial: 6", 9", 12", and 18" finished blocks

You'll be captivated by the charm of our bewitching Black Magic quilt block.

Simple Half Log Cabins and Triangle in a Square pointy-points are the magic formula for this mesmerizing 8-point star design. There's no hocus-pocus.

Add a little fussy cutting, and you'll have A-bra-ca-da-bra'd your way to spellbinding quilt block.

Use a pencil and make a tick mark 5/8" in from the top left and lower right edges. (This measurement creates the correct angle to keep the outside edges of the patch on the straight of grain after stitching.)

Align your ruler with these marks at the very top and bottom edges of the rectangles.

Cut.

Use the template you printed to cut the Center squares into triangles for our TiaSs.

Layer all four Center squares together. They can be RST or WST, it doesn't matter because the triangle is symmetrical.

The top and bottom edges of the template should be even with the top and bottom edges of the squares. If they are not, turn your squares a quarter turn. Before cutting, they should be even.

Use your rotary cutter and ruler to cut away the excess on both sides.

The second cut and these patches are ready.

Choose either the Side or Side.R (it doesn't make a difference) and with RST align the long bias edges with that of the Center.

From the printed side, stitch starting past the outside dashed edge of the Tias and ending past the outside dashes. There's no need to make a job out of clipping these thread tails. We'll get them when we trim the TiaS to size.

Press.

Now add the other Side (or Side.R depending on which you chose to sew first) in the same manner.

Sew again as before.

Repeat for a total of four. Then give each a good press.

At your cutting mat, with the paper side up, line up the 1/4" line on your ruler with one side of the solid line square that goes around the block.

Trim away the excess with your rotary cutter. Repeat for each side of each unit.

Here's the untrimmed versus the trimmed-to-perfection TiaSs.

Mighty nice, aren't they?!!

All the outside edges are on the straight of grain. Since we don't need to worry about the edges stretching, remove the paper pattern now.

Our paper piecing is all done. 

Use this handy chart to check the accuracy of your stitching as you make these units.

After sewing, all units measure...
Finished Block Size	Edge-to-edge Measurement
	#3	#5	#7
6"	1½" x 1½"	2" x 2"	2½" x 2½"
9"	2" x 2"	2¾" x 2¾"	3½" x 3½"
12"	2½" x 2½"	3½" x 3½"	4½" x 4½"
18"	3½" x 3½"	5" x 5"	6½" x 6½"

Remember to press all the seams open after adding each patch.

With RST, stitch each #2 to a #1. 

With RST, add a #3 to each #1/#2. Use the image below to add it to the correct side.

With RST, add a #4 to #1/#2/#3. Double-check your patches as you stitch. It's too easy to get them sewn to the wrong side.—ask me how I know ;).

It helps to remember that after you've added #3:

1. No patch is ever added to the #1 side.
2. It is always added to a side with one seam.

Moving along, add #5 in the same manner. It's starting to look like something now!

Almost there, add #6.

#7 is all that's left to stitch.

One last double check of the edge-to-edge measurements, one final visit to the iron and you've got four perfect little HLCs.

And from the backside to see how the SAs lay.

Step 3: Assemble the Black Magic quilt block

Arrange all your stitched and center cut patch so that the points on your TiaS units are at the outside edge of the block, and the small darkest square of each Half Log Cabins is toward the center.

If these units are accurate, the rest of the piecing is as easy as can be—there's nothing to match except at the four corners of the center patch.

With RST, sew the unit in each row together. Use pins as needed.

Press the SA toward the Half Log Cabin units.

Now, simply sew the rows together. The seams nest to help you match them with the center square.

There's no Black Magic needed to make this block. Simple paper piecing made everything just right.

This is our finished Black Magic.