One of my goals for this year is to rev up my Lone Star quilt making skills. Ultimately, I'd like to have a stash of Lone Star pillows to give as Christmas gifts. Most of the intended recipients are residents of the Lone Star State (Texas), hence that specific quilt block choice.
I made one large Lone Star quilt many years ago.
It was a gift for my mom, completed sometime in the mid-1990s. She decided it was "too pretty" to use, so it remained packed away for years until I convinced her to hang it on the wall of her new house. Now I get to pet it every time I visit her!
My guiding star for making that Lone Star quilt was The New Lone Star Quilt Handbook by Blanche Young and Helen Young Frost (1989).
The "new" in their technique was the use of strip piecing, followed by rotary cutting diamonds from the assembled strips. After making that first Lone Star, I knew I wanted to make more. I had no idea it would take so many years for me to return to this quilt pattern.
I have been thinking about Lone Star quilts since January. Searching the internet, saving pictures to Pinterest, returning to my library of quilt history books - all looking for inspiration and motivation.
I already had a fat quarter bundle whispering to me about becoming a practice Lone Star block (Chesterfield by Studio RK for Robert Kaufman Fabrics). And when yesterday turned into Waiting for the AC Repairman Day, I knew it was time to start practicing!
Since I knew I wanted a small-ish, pillow-sized star, I followed an online tutorial from the Hopeful Homemaker which used 1.5 inch strips. The current star measures about 16 inches. I imagine I'll add some type of border, but the general idea is for the finished quilt block to fit an 18 inch pillow form.
I hadn't given a lot of thought to the background fabric for the star, assuming I'd find something appropriate in my stash. This is an off-white Moda Grunge fabric. I'm not crazy about it, especially since there's not much contrast with the light-colored paisley fabric in the star tips.
Then I remembered I had this Color Weave fabric (P & B Textiles - alas, I don't think they're still making this line), which I think will be perfect. Fortunately, I have at least a yard of the fabric, so I should be able to finish an entire pillow.
On a completely unrelated note:
We have a bluebird family in residence at our camp! We haven't had any bluebirds for several years, so we enjoyed watching them build their nest. I'm going up tomorrow to check on the garden, and I'm looking forward to seeing them!
