Starry Seas Blog Hop

Welcome to Day 6 of the Blog Hop!

Jennifer of Inquiring Quilter asked if I would like to join the Starry Seas Blog Hop. I was excited to dive in. I immediately opened Electric Quilt 8 looking for inspiration. It’s always fun to explore new ideas when a gorgeous fabric collection is involved.

While browsing blocks, I stumbled upon a blog post from Do You EQ Monthly Projects July 2010 called Starry Summer Sky. The moment I saw it, I knew it was the perfect match for these beautiful Island Batik fabrics. The rich colors and intricate patterns in the collection sparked a vision for how my quilt could come together. I let Jennifer know I was in. I shared what fabrics I needed to bring the design to life.

This collection was designed by Jerry Khiev for Jennifer Fulton of Inquiring Quilter.  The fabric was given to me free by  Jennifer of Inquiring Quilter.

This pattern uses paper-piecing, which made creating the stars a breeze. I especially enjoyed how the stars come together in three separate sections before being sewn as one.

Between each star, I planned to use Half-square-rectangles (HSR). I had a ruler to help. However, the pieces ended up being longer than they were wide. So, I switched to paper-piecing for those as well. There are two different layouts for the HSR, which adds a unique, sparkling effect between the blocks.

For my paper-piecing technique, I like using Freezer Paper. This allows me to press the fabric securely to the paper and easily remove it later without residue. Plus, it’s easy to reuse—just a few printed copies go a long way! I printed four copies so I could chain-piece the blocks efficiently.

Folding the paper back and sewing along the crease helped keep everything precise and in place, and pressing as I went made assembly smooth.

One of my favorite tools for paper piecing is my Oliso mini-iron, which makes all that pressing quick and easy.

With all the blocks finished, I laid them out. I alternated the star layouts. I used the HSR blocks to create an extra layer of sparkle between the stars.

Here are all 20 star blocks and 31 HSR blocks arranged in an alternating pattern.

Once the blocks were sewn together, I added a 1” border of blue center squares to frame the design.

Followed by a 4 ½” border of dark blue fabric from the collection for a bold finish. For batting, I used some leftover Black Hobbs Batting. I quilted the top using a Quilting Pantographs design. It was called Shooting Stars pantograph — perfect for the theme!

The binding featured lighter fabric from the stars, tying the whole quilt together. Here is my completed Starry Night quilt, which finished at 50” x 60”.

If you liked my quilt, make sure to check out the other Starry Seas Blog Hop Posts. Discover how differently this collection can look in various quilt patterns.  Don’t forget to stop by Inquiring Quilter for a chance to win a Fat Quarter Pack from Island Batik!

January 12th – Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter(ENTER TO WIN A FAT QUARTER PACK!)
January 13th – Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing
January 14th – Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
January 15th – Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
January 16th – Laura @ Slice of Pi
January 17th – Lisa @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
January 18th – Gail @ Quilting Gail
January 19th – Sandra @ Textile Time Travels
January 20th – Leah @ Quilted Delights
January 21st – Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter (WINNER ANNOUNCED!)

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