This week I finished sewing my enlarged variation of Kim Diehl's Barn Stars, made with autumn tones for a grandbaby coming in November. They will finish at 12". (Kim's finish at about 4".)
I love everything about these stars. I hope baby's mom will love them, too. (It won't matter so much about baby because he will be too little to notice till he's a little older.)
All along I thought I would use rich autumn colors for the sashing between the blocks, but when I laid them out with using several fabrics in several colors between blocks I wasn't happy with them. So unhappy that I didn't take any photos. (Probably a bad idea since photos often reveal to me what my eyes don't see in real life.)
For this monthly goal finish photo I scooted them close together and suddenly I had a different idea about possibilities. What if I added on-point triangles in the light squares where the blocks meet to repeat the stars' centers? Like this, on the left...
...and this, below? Using all the same fabric? In light, medium, bright, or dark? Or repeating the fabrics of the stars?
Then I started thinking of more possibilities. And then I told myself, "DON'T THINK! Don't think of possibilities. Just make a decision and finish this top. Grandbaby will be here in early November and you want to have a quilt ready for him, right? Just don't think!"
I'm trying to take my own advice but making quick decisions is not one of my strengths. So I'm still considering those on-point squares at the corners where the blocks join. I'm still considering sashing, possibly a light sashing to let the stars shine. I'm still considering border fabric. And backing. Can you see a newborn baby lying on a dark, medium, or bright fabric on the back of a quilt? Can you imagine a baby on a light back?
As much as I love these stars, I just need to decide and get on with it to have a finished quilt! Do you sometimes have trouble making decisions about quilts?
This was my One Monthly Goal for September. Now that it's finished I can link this post to One Monthly Goal - September Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts. Thank you for hosting, Patty.
I'm also linking to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts. Thank you for hosting, Myra.
--Nancy.
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Beautiful blocks, will make a great baby quilt. Really like the idea of using different fabrics for the small squares. And perhaps just a nice wide border of one fabric. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gypsy Quilter. I went with the light squares but I did add a wide border. I'll post photos soon.
DeleteOh, those stars look good. I like the little corner squares. To me, doing them in a little softer tone than the big stars gives more dimension to the quilt. But either way, the baby will be cozy and comfy in that quilt.
ReplyDeleteI can picture a baby on any kind of quilt. With my last grandbaby my daughter told me she didn't want traditional baby quilts. So she got a churn dash quilt in Civil War repros, and a tropical colored batik sampler quilt. She and her daughter love them. :)
Thank you so much, Janet. I like the small light squares in the larger ones, too.
DeleteOh, your quilts for your granddaughter sound wonderful. Quilts she will love even when she's not a baby -- as now when, I think, she's a toddler.
I agree with Janet. You opened my eyes, too, with the idea of a softer corner square. I truly love scrappy collections of fabric, but that bit of stability helps out. Perhaps you could use a narrow band of the softer color as a first border, and follow with a slightly wider one in a darker color to anchor it. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your observations about this quilt, Julie. I agree about the stability of sometimes using the same fabric for certain parts of quilts. I thought small colored squares would detract from the 12 large, bright stars, so the light squares it is. I considered a medium narrow border but chose, after all, just one wide border. There are always so many options when making a quilt and it's hard for me to decide what I will like without sewing it first. (And in the end, I sometimes think the other option would have been better.) But I'm liking this quilt as it is now. I'll post photos soon.
DeleteYour blocks are very pretty! Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patty. And thanks for hosting One Monthly Goal.
DeleteI know it's not funny, but I had to laugh aloud when I read your question about making decisions regarding quilts. It's enough to drive one mad. I don't know why we do this to ourselves. I was just writing a post about my quilting indecision yesterday. I love your stars and I really like the little squares between the blocks. I may lean towards the lighter squares. As for the backing - I usually wait until I finish the top and then poke around in my stash for something suitable. It's going to be a treasure!
ReplyDeleteHi, Karin. It really is funny how much time we take to make decisions about quilts -- if one can stand back and see the big picture. A quilt is such a little thing in all of life and the world, really, and yet I want my quilts to be as near-perfect as possible. It also probably has something to do with my second guessing my decisions and some lack of confidence. Perhaps one of these years it will all go more quickly and smoothly.
DeleteThanks for your kind words about the stars. I chose the light squares between the blocks and since I didn't have any large pieces of fabric that I thought worked for the back, I bought enough to do the border and backing the same. I'm quilting it now and will post photos soon.
Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate it.
What? Me have trouble making decisions about quilts? Surely you jest! 8)
ReplyDeleteI really like those little corner triangles forming squares - terrific idea! (I'd make them scrappy, though, since I'm all about the scrappy look, with a bright back because I always seem to go bright. You should do whatever makes you happy - the baby will automatically be happy!)
Oh, Gayle, I can't even imagine you having trouble making decisions. You finish quilts too quickly to be indecisive.
DeleteThanks for the comments about the quilt options. I finally chose the light squares, though if I make another quilt like this, and I probably will, but larger, I may use scrappy squares. The quilt has a red border and the same fabric for the back. I like it and will post progress photos soon.
I love these Barn Stars--so cute! I think the triangles add a lot--go for it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging comment, Karen. I appreciate it.
DeleteGreat quilt, congratulations on your finish!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Karrin.
DeleteIt's a gorgeous quilt for a baby, and whatever you decide, it will still be gorgeous. I don't dither over these kinds of decisions so much as fabric choices at the start of a project. I can dither a long time on that!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Fabric choices are probably one of the very most important decisions for a quilt. They can make or break even the best quilt pattern, so they're worth the dithering.
DeleteI'm late to the party :( but I love the corner triangles and the way they connect to the stars. Those stars--oh, I LOVE those!
ReplyDeleteNot late at all, Mary. I'm glad you visited and left a comment -- and such a nice one it is. Thank you.
DeleteI don't know how I missed this post but I did. I love the way this quilt is turning out. I love the little squares in between the star blocks. I don't think it matters what fabric you use, it will still be delightful. The colors are rich and bold. I think a light background would get overshadowed. So nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments about this quilt, Robin. I chose the lighter fabric for the little squares and used a red print for both the border and the backing. I'm in progress with the quilting now and will post photos soon.
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