October 24, 2014

New Star Rising

I recently finished a repeat version of a quilt I made a couple of years ago.  The first version was shown at the inaugural Quiltcon, and did well there, which was quite a surprise.  It also sold, which was another surprise.  Since it did so well and was no longer in my possession, I decided to make one to keep.


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I quickly settled on a couple of Parson Gray fabrics for the rust and white stars.  For the background, I decided to try a chambray.  The golden yellow fabric for the transparency, though, took quite a while to find.  I tried out several fabrics in mock-ups (sorry, maquettes) like these:




Some were the wrong hue; some worked to create the transparency effect but the fabric design was not to my taste.  I finally found an In The Beginning fabric that seemed just right (the one on the left above).

The background fabric is Robert Kaufman's Nep Chambray in Indigo.  It is a navy/cream cross weave, with flecks of red and gold here and there.



It has a bit of a loose weave, so I got concerned when I read abour Rachel's experience with Essex linen.  I had already cut the pieces, though, so I forged ahead.  I didn't experience much unraveling until I started sewing rows together, then I got nervous.  I ended up placing dots of Fray Check every few inches along the straight seam allowances.  And as you can see, I quilted it quite heavily too.



I quilted the background in the same design I used in the original quilt, but I did the stars differently this time.  For the white stars, I did a point-to-point design:


For the large star, I marked two consecutive stars inside, similar to a Rising Star quilt block, then used different fills in each area.


I filled the outer section of the star with feathers.


For the backing fabric, I wanted something bright and multicolored, to contrast with the front.  I chose a Laura Gunn fabric, and added some Parson Gray stripes with a little bit of BasicGrey trim.


The colors in the stripes don't really match the rest of the quilt -- what I thought was navy in online images is actually charcoal -- but I think it still works.  The label is pieced in.  I'm quite pleased with how well the stripes matched up.  The binding is a Laura Gunn Painters Canvas.


I finished the quilt shortly before we took a family trip for our school's fall break.  I packed along the quilt and got a few of these photos at a North Carolina campground.



That was a couple of weeks ago.  It has taken a while to get the additional photos for this post, because on the last day of our trip, we went whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River, and I came home with a broken ankle.  That has slowed down both my photography and my quilting.  I am thankful it is a simple fracture with no surgery required.

I was motivated to get this posted in time for Blogger's Quilt Festival; I'm also linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday.


Update 1/30/2018: A pattern for this quilt is now available as a PDF download in my Craftsy shop.

18 comments:

  1. This is so wonderful! I love the concept and love your fabric choices!

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  2. I love the colors in this- the dark and light gold with the dark and light denimy just looks fabulous. Really outstanding design sense.

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  3. Is this your original design and is the pattern for sale? Just love both old and new!

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    1. Yes, it is my original design. I don't have a pattern available -- maybe that is something I should consider. Thanks!

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    2. Yes, please! I'd love to make one like this.

      Carole S.

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    3. A pattern is now available! See the Craftsy link at upper right.

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  4. Beautiful! I love the transparency effect.

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  5. Wow. You nailed it with your choice of fabric for the transparency effect! I really like the quilt, but I especially like the picture that shows the front and back at the same time--so rich! ( I hope your ankle heals quickly!)

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  6. Wow, this is gorgeous! I love the different textures in the chambray and the prints.

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  7. Amazing design! So traditional but so different and original!!
    Wonderful, thanks for sharing!!

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  8. I truly love this quilt! You are a great designer. I am trying to finish a quilt to enter into this category. I hope I get it done tomorrow.

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  9. A fantastic design! The effect is lovely. I love Essex Linen too, but it does fray a good bit. I'm sure your AMAZING dense quilting will do a great deal to stop that, but if you ever use it again and have a serger...I serge all of my seams when I use Essex Linen and it works great. :)

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  10. This is such a effective design. You picked your yellow well to get the transparent look. It was interesting to see difference in your marquettes. I love your quilting too. I hope your ankle heals up soon.

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  11. Love this quilt and the first one also!!! I would also like to have a pattern printed up. Keep up the great work

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  12. Beautiful quilt, you did a great job, love the design, colors and quilting,
    my quilts blog is http://shequiltstoday.com/

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  13. This is stunning. The transparency work turned out great. I like how the big bronze star throws off the ordered nature of the stars underneath.

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  14. Lovely quilts I can make half of of what you do.........

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