Category: Quilting and Sewing

Lone star quilts are popular right now, and I love seeing them!  It’s a great block for every quilter to master, and the results are always striking.  I’ve been making lone star blocks for several years now, and this is my most recent project, the Lucky Lone Star Quilt.


This lone star was a joy to make!  After writing my lone star quilt block tutorial a few years ago, I’ve wanted to make a traditional lone star quilt.  The challenge was, what should it look like?  I asked myself this question: “If I walked into an antique shop and found the perfect vintage lone star quilt top, what would it look like?”  Then I made it.


The red, white and blue color scheme was an easy decision.  I went through my fabric stash to find prints I liked together in the proper amounts so the star could be made using what I already had (“make it do” seemed to play along with my vintage theme so I ran with it).  I strip pieced my fabrics using the same principles in the basic lone star block tutorial , adding the necessary number of fabrics and strips.


Once the star was pieced, I pondered background options and asked myself, “What would be the surprise about this quilt top that would make it my perfect vintage lucky find?”  The answer was a beautiful royal blue (and the question inspired the quilt’s name).  The bright blue took a bit of courage – I kept wondering if it added a vintage or a modern edge and concluded it was both –  but I took a deep breath and went for it.


I love it!  I added a couple of top and bottom borders and now this Lucky Lone Star Quilt is ready for quilting.   I’ve also written the pattern, which is available here , so you can make your own.

Jennifer

A friend of mine recently went to London, and while she was there, posted a video of the gorgeous collection of tana lawn available at Liberty of London.  London is my dream destination and yet I’ve never been there….


When I saw her video I remembered a project I started last spring at Kathy Doughty’s workshop.  These prints are from the quilting cotton collections that Liberty released several years ago.  I have carefully saved every little scrap and was excited to find I could cut 36 long wedges from my pieces!


For this project I used a ten degree wedge ruler that is 25 inches long.  My fabric pieces weren’t quite that long, and on a few of them I added a strip to make them longer.  The dresden is 49″ across.

I had a number of ideas in mind for the background of this quilt – NONE of which included this purple Mostly Manor Stripe by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  I had a smaller piece on hand and it happened to be sitting nearby when I was selecting the background.  On a whim I tried it out and to my surprise I loved it!


I loved purple as a second grader, but have avoided it since.  I am learning that it has it’s place in design and sometimes is just the right color to complement a project.  The bold navy stripes in this print turned out to be a beautiful contrast to the small scale prints in the wedges.  I waited impatiently for yardage to arrive so I could assemble the top.

I hand appliqued the outer edge of the dresden to the background.  Now it’s just lacking a center, which will be this awesome yellow.  I am currently debating quilting ideas before I decide when to applique the center circle in place.


I love the colors and prints of these designs.

My Fireworks quilt was the original project I made with them.  It am happy to have made another quilt top using leftovers.  This was a refreshing fast project to indulge in and now I want to make more dresdens!

Every year I promise myself a red, white and blue quilt for the summer.  I’ve never made it happen – until now.  I’d like to introduce my Anthem quilt, a vintage-inspired star quilt that is a quick and fun project.

This quilt is inspired by a vintage block I came across a while ago.  I was drawn to the way the stripes rotate around the star, reminding me of festive pinwheels spinning at bike parades on holidays.  Given my love of the lone star block , I liked this variation and decided to try it out.


I chose to play with color just a bit, using both navy blues and royal blues, as well as different reds, to create a slight secondary pattern with the nine blocks.


These blocks come together very quickly (strip piecing and no Y seams) and provide big impact.  I designed the blocks to be large and they finish at 22″.  Nine blocks will make a quilt that measures 66″ square.

The Anthem quilt pattern is for sale in my Etsy store .   Download the pattern now and have a finished quilt top before you know it!


I love history, particularly American Revolutionary history.  These colors are precious to me; I have loved them as long as I can remember.  They stir my heart and I yearn to be better.  I made this quilt to capture those feelings.


I chose simple wavy lines for the quilting to give the impression of stars waving in the air like a banner.  For the backing I selected a multi-colored plaid I’ve been saving for years.  A navy scallop print frames the quilt as binding.  And I end where I began… I finally made myself a red, white and blue quilt!


What will you make with this pattern?

Purchase a copy today. Happy Sewing!
Jennifer