Oh My Stars!

A short while ago I showed you the English paper pieced star quilt draped over a chair at the cottage. If you would like to make one too, the only template you will need is a 2” 6 point diamond template and the corresponding papers. Even though I did not take photos of each and every star included in the quilt, I did take a few to share with you to show the different ways you can fussy-cut the fabrics. Also, you will notice that 3 colour ways of the same fabric have been used in the background fabric…Seeds in amethyst, aquamarine and lime on a pale grey background.

Most of the stars include 6 identical fussy-cut pieces of fabric, but there are often times when not enough fabric is available to make all 6 identical. For instance, I often have only enough motifs left in a fat quarter or large scrap that I can get 2 or 3 identical pieces. In this case, some really dynamic designs are achieved by mixing them together. Sometimes they actually are more interesting than having each diamond cut exactly the same.

Below (and right) are a few blocks where each diamond shape is cut from the same motif. This creates a very balanced block with great movement.

Like I said before, after having used up some of our beloved fabrics in other projects, we often have large scraps left over. These are perfect for fussy-cutting for EPP. And, of course, if you’re anything like me, you’re a sucker for fat quarters for rounding out the stash. The problem with fat quarters for fussy-cutting is that depending on the size of the pattern in the fabric there may not be enough identical motifs for the project. The blocks below use 2 sets of 3 identical alternating diamonds creating some wonderful designs.

I’ve made a few blocks without fussy-cutting, and even though they look fine mixed amongst the other blocks, they still don’t give off the pizzazz that the other blocks do. The fun Lego-style fabric below is like that. The colours are gorgeous, but the repeat is so large that way too much fabric would have been wasted fussy-cutting so I chose not to. As a block it’s kind of “meh”, but thrown in the quilt it looks just fine.

The peacock feather fabric is one of my favourites for fussy-cutting, but in the small amount I had left over I just couldn’t get enough repeats in the same colour depth. This particular fabric is like an ombré so the background goes from dark yellow to dark orange. As you can see from the photo, the background changes in each diamond, and if you look really closely the diamond on the right is actually missing the “ribbon” running through it. It’s a really personal decision as to whether or not this will drive you crazy. I can live with that, but you might not be able to. One thing I always tell my students…if that one particular thing will drive you crazy every time you look at your quilt in the future, take it out now and change it to your personal liking.

Once the block has been stitched together the centre diamond papers can be removed. The papers along the perimeter should remain until the block has been stitched to the one next to it. This maintains the shape of the block and results in a more professional finish.

Not only that, but once the papers are removed it’s a chance to give each block a great pressing. Notice on the back that the centre seam allowance “swirls” to eliminate bulk and helps to flatten the block. I’m a real fanatic about proper pressing techniques. Maybe that’s because of my garment making background where I was taught that the inside of the garment should look as neat and professional as the outside.

Next time I’ll have some tips and tricks about fussy-cutting with templates. It’s not as hard as you probably think it is, and it does require a little bit of patience, but I promise that the results are definitely worth it!