Catch a Falling Star

Happy Monday (again), friends!  It seems to come around so quickly, doesn't it?  Well, since the weekend is over, we might as well start the week on a high note, with another quilt on the Stash Statement blog hop!  Shades of dark blue, purple, and gray depict the night sky in the Catch a Falling Star quilt.

When I set out to design quilts showing land, sea, and sky for this section of the book, I wanted to show a variety of backdrops in the quilts, and of course, I wanted to be able to use a wide variety of my scrap colors.  The combination of purples, dark blues, and gray blend together perfectly to create the effect.  The night sky is very dramatic, and the subtle color variation in the prints really show this well.

The Kona Corn Yellow and Tangerine star blocks cascade down the quilt, and they pop right out against the sky background.  I quilted this one with Aurifil 50 wt. #2783 (Medium Delft Blue) with a large swirl design, which adds really cool movement to the stars.

When I say that these swirls are large- I mean it!  Some of them are 10-12" in diameter, and the spacing between each line of quilting is about 3/4" to 1", which actually made it more difficult to keep them smooth and even.  This was the first time I quilted swirls, and next time, I would probably make them smaller.  I'm happy with the result, but live and learn!

This light purple pindot balances the darker front of this quilt well, and the navy binding ties it all together.

Anja Quilts and Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework are sharing their own Catch a Falling Star quilts today, so head over there and check out their awesomeness.

You can pick up your very own signed copy of Stash Statement from my Etsy shop HERE.  The book is also available from Amazon, Connecting Threads, ShopMartingale.com, or ask about it at your local quilt shop.

You definitely don't want to miss the rest of the Stash Statement lineup!

4/16- Grand Bazaar    Shelley @ Cora's Quilts

                                      Connie @ Freemotion by the River

4/23- Louvered  Lindsey @ Primrose Cottage Quilts 

                            Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30- Precarious  Jess @ Quilty Habit                       

                              Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

                                                            

5/7- Beach Retreat  Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts                               

                                  Liz @ Savor Every Stitch 

                                                           

5/14- Fire Pit   Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts                                          

                         Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

                                                            

5/21- Detour    Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts                         

                         Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

                                                            

5/28- Murrina    Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl             

                            Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

                                                            

6/4- Scattered    Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal                      

                           Christine @ Triangles and Squares 

                                                            

6/11- Bloom Chicka Boom   Chris @ made by ChrissieD            

                                               Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

                                                            

6/18- Regatta   Susan @ Quilt Fabrication                             

                          Debbie @ A Quilter's Table    

                                                            

6/25- Catch a Falling Star  Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework        

                                              Anja @ Anja Quilts

                                                            

7/2- College Prep   Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan                 

                                Lori @ Crossquilt

                                                            

7/9- Take Flight (free bonus pattern)  Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches 

                                                             Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

 

Sailor's Star Pattern!

Happy almost weekend, y'all!  If you're looking for this week's NTT, it is still going on right HERE!

I don't know about you, but here in West Tennessee, we have been blessed with some truly glorious weather lately.  Those of you who are in Florida, this Louisiana girl feels your pain.  I have lived through my share of hurricanes, and I hope Matthew moves through as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Lately, I've been burning the midnight oil to put the finishing touches on my Sailor's Star pattern, and I'm happy to report that it is now available in my Etsy and Craftsy shops!

The star blocks have the beautiful shape of a compass rose, but one of the best parts of this quilt pattern is the secondary pattern that emerges in the negative space.  The graceful curved illusion is so pretty and fresh, and that space is perfect for showing off your mad quilting skills.  Best of all, this quilt is made with straight piecing only, so it's perfect for all you curve chickens like me.

The pattern is written in Lap, Twin, and Queen sizes, and includes cutting diagrams, as well as full color illustrations for almost every single step.  If you're looking for a star quilt with some pop, give this one a try!

Sailor's Star

Okay, so no Friday finish post for me last week as I had hoped, but a Sunday finish post is almost just as good, right?  My latest quilt is all done, and I'm super excited about how it turned out.

I really pondered over the quilting on this one, and with all of that negative space, I almost pulled the trigger on quilting different motifs, but in the end, I gave into my standby and did an allover tight stipple.  It isn't flashy, but it really is my very favorite for letting the design of the quilt really take center stage, and you know I'm all about embracing what I love!

If you're familiar with my patterns, you know I love to incorporate designs that give the illusion of curves, that are actually created with all straight piecing, and this one definitely does that.

As usual, all of my leftovers were put to good use on the back.  It's hard for me to call them scraps because they are such large chunks.  Most times when I purchase fabric, I buy at least a 1/2 yard, specifically so I can have a piece for the back.

As luck would have it, the remnant bin at my local JoAnn had a 1 yard piece of Cloud 9 Cirrus solid in Amber, and it worked perfectly for the binding, with plenty leftover for another project.  Score!

The pattern for this quilt is already in the works, and I'll be sure to let you know when it is available.

Starfire and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  There has been LOTS going on around here lately, and not all of it is quilting related- my wild thing started middle school on Monday, and I cannot believe it.  There is no doubt about it; in parenthood, sometimes the days are long, but the years fly by in the blink of an eye!

On the quilting front, I have been working like mad and actually have a couple of finishes to share today.  The first is a brand new quilt top in a fiery color palette.  I've always wanted to make a quilt in these colors, and I can't believe it took this long.  I really love it!

The way the reds and oranges twist around the stars is lots of fun, and in my mind, I can already see this pattern in several great color ways.  I'm calling this one Starfire, and I plan to release the pattern for it as soon as I can find the time!

I did finish up one pattern this week though.  I'm happy to let you know that Lavalier is now available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.  If you're looking for a pattern to show off some bold prints with an Art Deco flair, check it out!

I hope you've all had a fun and productive week of creativity as well.  Before we link up though, check out some of my faves from last week's party.  This modern beauty is from Deb at New Creative State

Chelsea at Patch the Giraffe showed off her awesome Starlight quilt.

and this quilt by Dawn at First Light Designs is so soothing in all of those shades of blue!

Time to show what you've got!  Let's party, y'all!

1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!

2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.

3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Kaleidoscope Star

I finished my latest quilt this weekend, and took advantage of the glorious weather for a photo shoot.  I really do love a curvy quilt illusion, and this pattern definitely delivers.

The shape of the stars in this quilt strike me as a little bit retro, almost like they would look right at home on the side of a 1950's kitchen appliance.  As neat as the blocks look on their own, I just love all of the cool secondary shapes created whey they're all together.

I pieced the back with scraps, and used a solid rich shade of plum for the binding.  When I pulled fabric for this quilt, I specifically chose colors that were getting a little heavy in my stash.  Pink is not a color I reach for often, especially the shade of bubble gum pink in this quilt, but the deeper plum, teal, and aqua balance it out nicely.  It's definitely a feminine palette, but not overly sweet.

I'm working on the pattern for this one.  I'm hoping to have it finished up by this weekend, so be on the lookout!  It's definitely a fun one, and the blocks are pretty large, which helps the quilt go together in a flash.  This is the lap size, and it finishes at 60" square.

Pop Star Finish

I finished up my Pop Star quilt this weekend, and I can say with certainty that this color palette is one that I will have to use again.  I love it!

I found the perfect shade of purple polkadot for the backing and added a stripe of the turquoise tile print.  Unfortunately, despite the fact that I thought I measured properly, when I basted it, the backing was about two inches too short.  AARGH!  I had to peel the whole thing off of the floor and figure out a plan.  Luckily I had a just enough of the tile print left to add a stripe to the top to make it long enough.

Basting is absolutely my least favorite part of the quilting process, and I had to do it twice to fix my mistake, but I must admit that it was a bit of a happy accident.  I think the top stripe looks pretty cool!  

One of my favorite parts of this pattern is the cross shape in the negative space.  Plus, the fact that the blocks are 18 inches made this quilt pretty quick and fun to make. This finished quilt measures 54" x 72."  I am madly working on the Pop Star pattern in this size, plus twin and queen sizes, so be on the lookout for it soon!

Unexpected Colors From My Stash

If you're looking for NTT, it is still going on HERE, but I just couldn't wait to share this with you...

When I am choosing fabrics for a quilt, unless I am using fabrics from only one collection (like when I just pull from my stash), I feel like I sometimes get stuck in a rut.  I guess we all gravitate toward our favorite color combos, and my favorites usually involve greens, blues, and aquas.  With my latest quilt, I really set out to try a palette that I've never done before, with colors that I don't often see together, and as the title suggests, I wanted to pull completely from my stash.

When I first pulled these fabrics, I wasn't sure I could get used to them, but the more I work with these rich hues, the more I like them.  Since the prints themselves are all small and tonal, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of interest in the color variation.  I almost substituted the lightest aqua and the lightest orange fabrics, but I wanted to keep the quilt from being too matchy.  I think having the different shades of each color adds depth to the quilt.

The bright sunshine is wonderful for showing off those colors, but it seems to magnify every little wrinkle.  I was so excited to get a photo of the blocks all put together, I didn't even bother pressing the top beforehand, so you'll have to excuse the wrinkles.

This is my latest pattern, and I've decided to call it Pop Star, since the stars literally look like they're popping open.  It's another design that's been hanging around in my sketch book for awhile, and the fact that it is finally taking shape makes me so happy!