Happy New Year everyone! What a great time to start a new project (or three)! I hope this Star Hollow quilt by Jolene Klassen of Blue Elephant Stitches inspires you to create and spend some calm winter months stitching. Let’s start now and see how far we get by the March 11th guild meeting.
Jolene Klassen https://blueelephantstitches.com
Although I’ve called it a Quilt Along, there is no registration required, and there are no instructions posted weekly or deadlines to meet. Totally stress and guilt-free!
There are also no fabric requirements listed. Because this is a “build your own adventure” quilt, there are various design options and different fabric variations within them. So lots of ways to organise your colours/fabrics. My hope is that you will join me in a deep dive into your collections and use what you have on hand!
Because this star is pieced a little differently, you’ll also have a chance to work in a slightly improv manner. Your stars can be very wonky or just a little bit “natural” looking, depending on your sewing angle. Plus, your points on this star will never disappear.
Everything you need is on Jolene’s blog –the pattern and instructions are free when you register for her blog updates. The subscription form is on the right sidebar of her website: Blue Elephant Stitches
Your free pattern will be emailed to you. You can also check out her 2023 blog entries of September 19 and 21, and November 9 for more info on her creative process in making the Star Hollow quilt. Star Hollow Quilt (choosing the fabrics), Star Hollow Quilt, Sunset Star Hollow Quilt
I wrote to Jolene explaining our potential project and that we would encourage our members to register for her blog updates directly and not copy or distribute material from her site. She thought this was a fun idea for the guild! In return, I would ask that if posting your progress photos on social media you use the hashtags #starhollowquilt and @blueelephantstitches so that she can see what we are creating!
Please submit your photos to Jan G. at TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com for Monthly Show and Tell – and please include your progress photos. We all love to see the journey and not just the finished quilt.
January Notes
Which pattern setting am I using? Editors Note: You will need the pattern for this to make sense!
– I was immediately drawn to setting #4 since I have a box of 3.5” strips that have been sitting around for many years. I’m using 3.5 strips for the piano key bars (but they can also be 2.5” or any measurement that you prefer). The stars use 3” squares, so half of my cutting is done already!
– I decided to use a different background fabric for each star block in order to use various old taupes that I have. Each block only needs 9 – 3.5” squares. The background could also be various prints of the same colour/low volume.
– Instead of the star middle made from background fabric, you could make it from the star point fabric, or from an entirely different fabric.
– Anyone for crumb or string pieced blocks? The star middles are perfect for them!
– There are lots of options that let you use small bits of fabric!
Size of the quilt? As I am working from my stash, this is determined by the amount of fabric I have available.
Setting triangles? Quilts #1 and #4 need setting triangles. This free chart from the Fat Quarter Shop includes both exact and oversized measurements. https://www.fatquartershop.com/on-point-setting-guide-free-pattern
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Hope this inspires you – see you next month!
Anita
Twilight Quilters' Guild of Norfolk County 