Stunning Stars #3 - "Speak To Me of Love"!

Hi, all!

Welcome to the third week of the Stunning Stars Quilt-Along!  As I was trying to decide on a name for this week's quilt, the only thing that came to mind was "Speak to Me of Love", but I think it's very fitting, since this is the weekend just before Valentine's Day.  I think you'll understand the name of my version of this Stunning Stars quilt once you see it.  So let's get started!

I don't know if this block is original to me - I found it in some old things I did on my EQ7 program back in 2014.  If it's a copy of something out there, please let me know - I'd be glad to give credit for it where credit is due! (UPDATE: Thanks to Kate, who pointed me towards Melissa Corry's 2012 blogpost for her quilt called Starburst.  She has a great tutorial there that has four of these starburst blocks - click here to see it!)

Three (!) borders on this quilt, but I love the finished look it gives to it!

Here, you can see the inspiration for the name.  There are two text prints in this quilt, one which contains the words "peace" "love" and "joy", and the other which says things like "create" "love" "dance" "live" "laugh" and "sing"!  Such a wonderful bevy of "love" words!  Very appropriate for Valentine's Day...

I used a random meander to quilt this, which gives it a lovely texture!

 I think I am especially fond of this quilt!!

(Not least because it is made completely from long-stashed 

fabrics to comply with Sew My Stash 2017!)

And even with all those half square triangles to square up, it's pretty simple to make - particularly if you don't use text prints that you have to worry about running in the same direction!  By the way, I DID manage to get all the text running in the same direction, including on the borders!  Quite a labor of love, that.  

The following is the tutorial for this quilt.  Enjoy!!

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“Speak to Me of Love”

Stunning Stars Quilt #3

Finished quilt size:  approximately 61” square

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS and CUTTING DIRECTIONS:

For center star (red on diagram):  1/2 yard.  Called Fabric A in assembly instructions.

From this piece, you will cut one 12.5” square OR four 6.5” squares, depending on whether you want or need to keep your center in one piece.  You will also cut four 7” squares for the star points.

For the next ring of points out (beige on diagram):  5/8 yard.  (Fabric B)

From this piece, you will cut twelve 7” squares and four 6.5” squares.

For the farthest points and HST border (orange on diagram):  1 yard. (Fabric C)

From this piece, you will cut eight 7” squares and 40 3.5” squares.

For the inner ring and outer border (blue on diagram):  1 1/4 yards.  (Fabric D)

From this piece, you will cut six 7” squares and six 3.5” x width-of-fabric (WOF) strips.

For the star background and HST border (white on diagram):  1 3/4 yards.  (Fabric E)

From this piece, you will cut four 3” squares, forty 3.5” squares, twenty 6.5” squares, six 7” squares, and five 1.5” x width-of-fabric (WOF) strips.

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Begin with the center (Fabric A).  If you have chosen to cut a 12.5” square, this is simple!  Just set it in the center of your design wall.  If you haven’t, sew your four 6.5” squares into a four-patch block.  Set this 4-patch in the center of your design wall.

Next, take the four 7” squares you cut from Fabric A, and pair them with four 7” squares that you cut from Fabric B.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the lighter of the two fabrics, then use the traditional method to create your HST blocks.  Trim the blocks to 6.5” square.  (Don’t skip this step - you’ll be much happier with your final result if you take a few minutes to do this!)

Place the HST blocks you just created on the design wall according to the diagram.  Add the 6.5” squares of Fabric B at the corners.  Sew the right and left-side HST blocks together, then sew them to the center square.  Sew the top and bottom strips together, then sew them to the center square.

Now take four of the 7” squares you cut from Fabric C, and pair them with four of the 7” squares from Fabric B.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the lighter of the two fabrics, then use the traditional method to create your HST blocks.  Trim the blocks to 6.5” square.  (Don’t skip this step - you’ll be much happier with your final result if you take a few minutes to do this!)

Repeat the process with four of the 7” squares you cut from Fabric D and the remaining four 7” squares from Fabric B.   Remember to trim your HSTs to 6.5”.

Finally, repeat the process with the remaining two 7” squares from Fabric D and pair them with two of the 7” squares you cut from Fabric E.  Remember to trim your HSTs to 6.5”.

Using the diagram as a guide, arrange the HSTs you just created on your design wall.  Once again, sew the HSTs adjoining the sides of the center block (there should be four of them on each side) together in a strip and attach them to the center block.  Then sew the HSTs on the top and bottom of the center block (there should be six of them on each side) in a strip and attach them to the center block.

STEP BACK AND LOOK AT YOUR BLOCK CAREFULLY!!!  Do all the points go in the right direction?  Much easier to fix it now rather than after the top is finished (don’t ask me how I know…)

For the final ring of the center star, take the four remaining 7” squares of Fabric C, and pair them up with the four remaining 7” squares of Fabric E.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the lighter of the two fabrics, then use the traditional method to create your HST blocks.  Trim the blocks to 6.5” square.  (Don’t skip this step - you’ll be much happier with your final result if you take a few minutes to do this!)

Using those HST blocks and the twenty 6.5” squares of Fabric E, create the final ring of the center star, referring to the diagram for placement.  Once again, step back and look at your block carefully before assembling the sides and top strips and attaching them to the center block.  

Hopefully you’ve been pressing as you go, but if not, now is the time to give your star block a careful pressing. 

BORDERS:

First Border:

Find the center vertical seam of your star block and measure along it from top to bottom.  This is the length that you need to make your right and left borders.  Take the 1.5” strips that you cut from Fabric E and sew them together end to end. Cut your right and left borders and attach them to the quilt.  Press the seams.

Now, find the center horizontal seam of your star block and measure along it from side to side, including the borders you just attached.  This is the length that you need to make your top and bottom borders.  Take the 1.5” strips of Fabric E that you sewed together in the previous step and cut those borders.  Attach them to the quilt.  Press the seams.

Second border:

Now that you’ve gotten the knack of HSTs, let’s make a lot of them!  Pair up the forty 3.5” squares of  Fabric C and the forty 3.5” squares of Fabric E.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of the lighter-colored fabric, then use the traditional method to create your HST blocks.  Trim the blocks to 3” square.  (Don’t skip this step - you’ll be much happier with your final result if you take a few minutes to do this!)

Referring to the diagram for placement, arrange your HSTs around the sides of the center block.  Use the four 3” squares you cut from Fabric E for the corners.  Assemble your right and left strips (20 HSTs) and attach them to the quilt center, matching up the center seams of the top and the border and the ends, easing the fabric as needed to make it fit.  (Pins help here, a lot!)  Step back and look to be sure you put them on correctly!  Then assemble the top and bottom strips and attach them to the quilt center in the same manner.  Once again, check to be sure they are on correctly.  Congratulations!  You’ve just finished all the hard parts of this quilt!  Give it a good pressing now.

Third border:

You should have six 3.5” WOF strips that you cut from Fabric D left.  Sew them together into a long strip.  Measure along the center vertical seam of the quilt and cut your right and left border pieces to that measurement.  Attach them to the quilt, pinning and easing as needed to make them fit. (This will help square up your quilt!)  Press the borders you just added.

Repeat the process, measuring along the horizontal center seam of the quilt including the borders.  Cut the top and bottom borders to that measurement.  Attach them to the quilt, pinning and easing as needed to make them fit.  Press the borders you just added.

Congratulations!  You’ve just finished your quilt top!

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I hope you love this quilt as much as I do!  And if you're just now finding out about this quilt-along, be sure to check out the previous two weeks...

"Scrappy Stars"

"Exploding Stars"

Hugs!

Sarah

PS If I owe you a response, or if you've made a comment and haven't heard back from me this week, please accept my apologies - I've been under the weather and having a hard time keeping up with things!  I'll get back to you as soon as I can!  😘😷😘