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When sewing six points together, sew the first three pieces and then the second three, and finally one straight seam will join the two halves together.

Begin by laying out the three pieces for the first half. (Diagram 1.) Pick up piece A and, with right sides together, place and then pin it on top of piece B. Starting at the outside edge and sewing towards the center, sew just to the point of where the seam allowance would cross, and take a small backstitch. Do not break the thread (Diagram 2). Take the pin out, open up the seam and gently finger-press the seam towards the right (Diagram 3.)

Now take piece C and place it, right sides together, on top of piece B. You should be able to feel the "ridge" from the seam allowance with your thumbnail. Carefully bring the needle directly through the end of the last stitch it made and through the base of the seam allowance. Do a backstitch along the "ridge" and then continue sewing this last piece (Diagram 4.) Sew the other three pieces in the same manner so that you now have two halves. Check to make sure that the point in the middle of each half is securely bounded by the points on either side (Diagram 5.) If this point is not neat and sharp at this stage, it will not be neat and sharp when the two halves are sewn together.

Place the two halves together with right sides facing each other, making sure that the points of the center piece in each half meet exactly. Place a pin through the point (Diagram 6.) Sew from the edge towards the center. As you reach the center, carefully pull out the pin, bring all the seam allowances towards the left Sew up to the seam line, making sure not to catch any of the seams in the stitches. Do a backstitch at the center and then pass the needle through the base of the seam (Diagram 7.) Now pull all the seams towards the right, do another backstitch right next to the seam and then continue sewing across.

For machine piecing, before sewing a block, sew a test seam to make sure you are taking accurate ¼-inch seams. Even 1/16 inch of inaccuracy can result in a block that is not the right size. Adjust your machine to sew 10 to 12 stitches per inch. Select a neutral-color thread that blends well with the fabrics you are using.

Join the pieces by sewing from raw edge to raw edge. Press the seams before crossing them with other seams. Since the seam allowances will be stitched down when crossed with another seam, you will need to think about the direction in which you want them to lie. Press the seam allowances toward darker fabrics whenever possible to prevent them from shadowing through lighter ones.

For joining six points, just as in hand piecing make two halves then sew the two halves together with one straight seam. Make sure to exactly line up the points that are in the middle of both halves and stitch across right at the point.