Another finished quilt that I never got to photograph or share with you. This one is a long time in the making, literally. If you’ve been around here for a while, (9 years *ahem*) then you may remember some posts around the Quilt Club Australia Stars Bee. In 2015 and 2016 I was a bee member, which meant that I made and posted off many blocks over those two years, and received a lot in return. I used the same request for both years – ocean colours on any shade of grey solid background.
The quality and variety of all the blocks I received were just mind-blowing. The finished quilt was going to be amazing, but it just didn’t seem to be enough. Big enough, dramatic enough, a good enough showcase.
Step one, I realised that these blocks were really begging to be set on point. To use all of them and make the quilt square, a few extra blocks were needed, but also a LOT of half blocks and four quarter blocks, to fill in all around the sides. So that became a labour of love for a couple of years, sourcing a different pattern for every single one, and then slowly making them, using the deep variety of blue fabric in my stash – lots of it left over from my “Milky Way Quilt” which was an English Paper Piecing project.
This is all of the blocks that I received, plus 3 of my own creation. As you can see, there’s a lot of gaps to fill!! The trick with the half blocks around the edge is that the patterns I chose had to be mirrored through the diagonal. Some blocks were designed in quarters through the sides and centre, which was of no use to this process.
I certainly appreciated the stitching power of my Juki when joining all the blocks together, there was a LOT of bulky seams to work through. This picture also gives you an idea of the scale, as these were not small blocks. They were all made at 12″ finished size, although have shrunk dramatically with a couple of washes. The total quilt size is about 56.5″ square.
Here is the luminous finished product. I love the variety of all the different stars and backgrounds, which create a harmony without being repetitive. I’ve named this one after a line in a classic song by Coldplay. It embodies the human experience, where we are all the same but all beautifully different.
Look at the stars, look how they shine for you….
For the quilting design to finish this beauty off, I chose a swirling circular star edge to edge in a soft grey thread. Dark navy speckled fabric finish off the binding.
All of the stars in this quilt are Foundation Paper Pieced – where a printed paper foundation is used to ensure extremely exact piecing. It can be pictorial, or even used for creating a easily repeated accurate block, for example, flying geese blocks can be FPP, which gives a much greater precision than just a flip and press method.
If you want to learn how to sew this technique, I have a two part tutorial that will walk you through making a basic block. Once you learn the principles, it’s just the scale that changes. I don’t use the “Freezer Paper” method, which has gained popularity over recent years, as what I do has worked for me for some time and I honestly can’t be bothered to try changing it.
From start to finish this quilt took approximately 8 years, although I don’t think it’s my oldest Work In Progress yet….
Do you have any hints to share for motivating us to finish off all these quilt tops hiding in cupboards? How do you decide whether to finish a quilt or rehome it if it’s not inspiring you any more?
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