Lately, I’ve been documenting things out of the chronological order in which they were created, so here’s one more to keep it going! Star Pop 2, the second one I’ve made. I made the first Star Pop 2 quilt in the spring, as a baby gift for my American Sign Language teacher, but I kept it under wraps to keep the surprise. My youngest fell in love with that first version and asked me to make another. Of course, the answer was YES. Now, many months have passed and I’ve made a second of this same pattern. It goes together quickly and the structure of the blocks allows favorite prints to shine, as they aren’t cut too small. Also, who doesn’t love stars in a quilt?

Star Pop 2 is a modern sawtooth star pattern. It’s beginner friendly, too. The pattern comes with six size options: baby, square throw, large throw, twin, queen, and king. The first one I made in baby size, this one is the large throw which measures 60″ x 75″.

The Fabric

This quilt is made with some favorite Art Gallery Fabrics I purchased from my friend, Brittany at http://www.whiteplainsquilts.com when she had an online fabric shop. She still designs and sells beautiful quilt patterns, so go give her website a look. She phased out the fabric portion of her business, but when she was in the thick of it, the curated bundles were exceptional. Several of these prints are from my own AGF stash, but they all came together beautifully, in my opinion. I was drawn to the “Willow” fabric collection by Sharon Holland, and most especially, Rosewater Ballet. It truly reminds me of ballet, the days watching my child at the conservatory; the swans also remind me of the Swan Boats in Boston…it was the spark for this particular quilt.

This beautiful Rosewater Ballet print and the stack of white blocks, that will become the stars, makes me smile. I think there’s something really cool about seeing the elements stacked and ready, knowing the end goal.

Piecing

Seriously? How sweet is this? The owl, the flowers, the colors. Let’s all just acknowledge the simplicity of the block too. If you’re one who likes chain piecing and efficiency, this pattern by Emily Dennis, http://www.quiltylove.com , is a good choice.

If you’ve seen many of my quilts, you know I often finish them with a pieced back. I use up all the bits from the front or make duplicate blocks for a section across the center. I am still learning to piece backs with a single fabric, but I knew this one needed no interruptions or other fabrics. It’s not perfect pattern matching, but with only a couple of these under my belt, I’m OK with it. I also know the recipient won’t be judging it harshly. I’ll tell you, it boosted my respect for people who hang wallpaper! Geez. That’s a skill.

Ready for Travel

Here she is, pieced and swirled and ready to be quilted. When the colors and the prints are all tossed into one shot and there’s that exhale of relief that what was in my mind, worked out in the process. Even better, a thumbs up from the one who requested it. That’s all I need.

In the Wild

This summer, my husband and I were in Utah and visited two national parks. Not having been to Zion National Park before, I didn’t really know what all we would see, but I thought this quilt would photograph well in that environment. The rugged terrain and the delicate prints, a perfect balance. If you’ve never been to Zion, ( http://www.nps.gov ), I recommend giving it consideration. The trails were not as crowded as I anticipated and the views were unbelievable. I found myself stopping every few feet because the view was even better and then realized none of the photos were as breathtaking as the real thing. So, it became “take photos, but take it in”.

Is that not jaw-dropping, beautiful nature? I thought my quilt was pretty cool, but the landscape dwarfs it by comparison. I mean, seriously. How is a quilter supposed to compete with the Master Artist and thousands of years of time? Impossible. Just be ok with being second, here.

The sun shifted just a bit as we were walking out of the canyon, across this riverbed. We paused to take a few more minutes to soak it all in, not knowing if we’d be back. The air is so clean; there was hardly a sound even though we weren’t alone, and the scent of the vegetation is unlike anything in New England. I wish I could add sound/scent to these pictures. The quilt draped across this branch, a little airing out, but looking like stained glass windows. I’m always a sucker for quilts in the wind.

Finished

I had this professionally long-arm quilted by Jenn, http://www.knottedthread.com. This is the Macintosh Rose pantograph in white thread. I chose this because it’s sweet and the swirl of the roses is a nice contrast to the larger square blocks and star points. It’s a feminine finish…I love it.

It just needs a quick wash, another hug and then off to live with my youngest. May she feel the love wrapped up in this project.

-Happy Quilting

All photos and content property of Two Terriers Studio and not to be copied or distributed without permission of the owner.