Monday 21 May 2018

Wish upon a star





Today is the start of the wish upon a star blog hop being run by Carol from Just let me quilt Thank you Carol for organising these hops as they are such fun to take part in and a great source of inspiration. I love seeing what everyone has made. For this hop we could make whatever we liked but there had to be a star in it somewhere.

My first idea was to make a table runner. I had four lonely star blocks that I'd made for a project a while back and then hadn't used. 




I will use these blocks eventually but as part of a scrappy quilt. I will need to swap out one of the squares in the top block of the picture above as there is too little contrast but that will be easy. Using these blocks up didn't interested me at the moment. Then inspiration came from my students. One of them is pregnant and the baby is due in August. The rest of the group were discussing having a baby shower later in June and so making a baby quilt was a perfect idea. She knows she is expecting a boy so I could go for blue fabric.

The fabric choice took a little while. Everyone had a view on what fabric to use. In the end we went for these three, white, one blue and a cute animal print.



The next job was to decide on the pattern to make or so I thought. However the first choice was to decide on which star to use. I had great fun looking at lots of different star blocks. In the end I pulled these two. They had been part of the Moda Size matters blog hop and they helpfully give you the sizes of the pieces you need for different sized blocks. I decided to use both of these stars and to make 12 inch blocks.


I decided to use a simple 9 patch block alternately with the star blocks. For the nine patch the blue and the animal print was used and for the star blocks it was the blue and white fabric. I also decided not to do sashing all round each block but to use a strip of animal print between each row.

Here is the completed top. No one was around to hold the quilt for me so I had to lay it out on the bed. I tried taking the photo on the floor but where ever I stood I created a shadow.




I'm very pleased that all the points on the stars are nice and crisp or should that be pointy? There is enough contrast between the animal print and the white and generally the pattern works well. The blue is actually darker than it looks in the photo. The animal print is directional but I didn't worry about that I just let the pieces be sewn in any which way. As a result whichever way you look at it there are animals facing you.

I pieced the back from the blue and the animal print. The quilt is now sandwiched and waiting to be quilted. I would have made a start on it but I want to finish the quilting on my compass quilt first. My machine has been a bit temperamental when quilting recently so I didn't want to alter the thread or settings in case it played up. As the baby shower will be in June I have time to get this quilt finished during my weeks holiday.

Here are the blogs posting their projects today. Do pop over and visit them.

May 21
Sew Many Yarns (You are here)

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has made..

Lyndsey

41 comments:

  1. Cute baby boy quilt! I like the four orphan star blocks in the Kate Spain fabrics. Hope you find a use for them someday. Thanks for sharing in the hop ... :-) Pat

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  2. I lov this design, so very soft. x

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  3. This is a lovely project and I am sure that the new mother will be delighted. :)

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  4. What a sweet quilt, it will be perfect for the little guy.

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  5. A cute boy quilt, love the animal print fabric!

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  6. I understand the challenge of getting good photos. It's hard to get enough light but not get shadows. This is a beautiful baby quilt.

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  7. Very nice, Lyndsey...love the colours

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  8. Great baby quilt. The colors are lovely.

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  9. Your quilt is very sweet with those subtle colors!

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  10. This turned out very cute! And just the right size for a new baby.

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  11. This is such a sweet baby quilt, Lyndsey, and the fabrics are a beautiful choice. I love the stars in it! I'll have to check out those Moda Size Matters instructions. They look like something all of us should have sitting around our sewing rooms. Thank you tons and tons for joining in on the blog hop. You are definitely a shining star in my tiny little world!

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  12. I like those scrappy stars. The finished top is so sweet too. Great stars!

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  13. Wonderful quilt for a baby to snuggle up in. I love that you used 2 different stars in its construction.

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  14. Nice baby quilt and I am working on a patriotic quilt featuring the friendship star.

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  15. So sweet that you decided to make a quilt for a student's baby and that you had your students help to choose the fabrics! It's a lovely quilt and will be cherished for a very long time!

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  16. Beautiful! The mom and baby will love it for sure. I enjoy hops as I get to see what others are working on. May the quilting go smoothly.

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  17. Isn't it funny what inspires us and what doesn't. I love the idea of using up scraps in anything and see a great start with your top blocks. Love the baby quilt. Such soothing colors for the little one! Great job!

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  18. love that quilt, great stars, Isn't it terrible how hard it is to keep points

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  19. Such a cute quilt! Great colors!

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  20. Hi Lyndsey,
    What a lovely baby quilt! I love the combination of two different stars and nine-patch blocks. The mom-to-be and the new baby will just feel all the love you have stitched into this project. You took such care and consideration putting it together, too! Nice job. Happy Monday! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  21. Lovely fabrics, and so good to have it ready for quilting in ample time. My teddy bear applique BOM is for a friend's grand-daughter when she is 2 next year. Having someone in mind makes the planning a lot of fun, and easier to sort the colours too.Your stars are so right for the quilt.

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  22. You did a great job ... the star points are crispy and pointy ;) and even if they weren't the loving care you put into piecing this beauty will be very appreciated by the person who receives this lovely quilt. Thank you for sharing with us today,

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  23. What a great baby quilt that turned out to be. Thanks for sharing your thinking process along the way.

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  24. Beautiful job!! Great Baby quilt..& lucky Baby that gets to snuggle with it!

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  25. Love the scrappy look to your quilt... ty for sharing .. happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  26. Terrific quilt. I'm sure you'll get it finished. The colors in both quilts are wonderful. All this star inspiration makes me want to go to the studio.

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  27. Love both of your quilts - the scrappy one is gorgeous and the other is so pretty! xx

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  28. Lovely baby quilt and a lovely blocks waiting for their proper home! Funny how sometimes we just can't finish something.

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  29. Sharp points are always a plus when it comes to stars - yours look great.

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  30. So pretty! I love the soft colors for the baby quilt.

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  31. What a pretty quilt top. Certainly this will be a beautiful gift.

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  32. This is so cute! Definitely makes a beautiful gift.

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