The center of the block needs to be “sliced” in half. There is a smaller triangle template and a wider one. Sew a pair of the the smaller and wider triangle together. PRESS. (This was my first oops. It was a really hot day, I was sewing upstairs using my Bernina which gives me the most accurate in 1/4 inch seams. The iron was downstairs. I figured I’d just finger press the pieces. NOT a good choice. Each of the seams in this block need to be pressed with a iron. Really!)
Sew 2 sets of triangles together to created half the central octagon. PRESS all the seams in the same direction, as shown in my photo above. This is critical to creating a block that is as flat as possible—not easy as 8 points come together in the center of the block.
Sew the two half octagons together. Then add the small half square triangle to create a square block. Awesome. The hardest part is all done.
Sew together the trio of small triangles that will attach to the central square. Press all these seams in ONE direction, doesn’t matter which way, just be consistent.
Pin the outer triangle sections to the inner square. Check to make sure you have the narrow triangle in the outer section match to the narrow triangle in the central square. It helps to use a dress makers pin to do that. Attach the two pieces, pinning along the 1/4 inch seam (not across it as you would to sew it). Open the block to check for alignment and adjust the two pieces as needed.
That’s it. You should have 1/4 of the background beyond each of the eight points in this block. That allows you to sew this block to another block or sashing without loosing the sharp points.
My center isn’t perfect and the seam allowance beyond the points is better in some places than others. It’s all in the careful pressing…or in my case, the lack of it.
Nevertheless, it was a fun block to make and I learned a lot in the process!