All Star

February 2024

For the past two years, I’ve been making an effort to use only my stash and scraps for making quilts and quankets, as I have no shortage of either! I do bend this self-imposed restriction when my artistic-self tells me that purchasing that ‘just right’ fabric is necessary.

Last month, my design of Homecoming began with orphan blocks and was then rounded out with scraps. This quilt – All Star – also started with orphan blocks that I had received from Jocelyn over at Happy Cottage Quilter. She had given me two blue and two beige/golden strip blocks that got me started. I then made 28 more from my scraps: strip blocks are a great scrap-buster. The darker red border was also inspired from a few random orphan blocks of mine. I dug into my scraps boxes to make enough to complete the border.
TIP reusing dryer fabric sheets works great for backing/stabilizer for strip blocks.

I decided to bend my self-imposed ‘no new fabric’ edict, and purchased a fun dark blue with white stars for the backing fabric. I quilted an echoed star design – done on my circa 1950’s Singer domestic sewing machine. Figuring the math for quilting a star was taxing, but who doesn’t love pentagon geometry with 72 and 108 degree angles! (me, that’s who). I used 1.5″ blue tape as my quilting ruler. The lines aren’t perfectly straight, but perfect is overrated don’t you think? Here’s a look at the back: I quilted one star with a gold thread in the bobbin and all the echoes are done in a dark blue thread in the bobbin.

I have no plan yet for where this quilt will find its forever home. I’m looking into local charities that serve kids in need.