Supplies:
-Sewing machine with neutral thread
-Basic sewing supplies: scissors, pins, seam ripper
-Rotary cutting equipment: medium size mat (a 12” square rotating mat is helpful but not mandatory), rotary cutter, ruler that is at least 12 long, 8 ½” or 9 ½” or 10 ½” or 12 ½” square ruler for trimming blocks
-Layer cake of forty-two 10” squares (the sample uses a layer cake with an equal number of lights and darks. You could supplement lights from your stash if needed. Notice the contrast from block to block; a layer cake of all the same value or color intensity would not show contrast)
-1 ½ yds. accent fabric for star points (the sample uses ¾ yd. blue, and ¾ yd. total of gold fabrics)
-½ yd. for inner border (six 2 ½” strips)
-1 yd. for outer border (six 5 ½” strips)
-½ yd. for binding (six 2 ½” strips)
-4 yds. for backing

Head start:
Separate the layer cake squares into two contrasting groups – lights and darks, or reds and greens, etc.
Pair each light with a dark (or each red with a green, etc.)
Cut two 2 ¼” x WOF strips of accent fabric and sub-cut 2 ¼” squares. (WOF = width of fabric from selvage to selvage)