First Light Designs

In my last post I showed you my center medallion and first five blocks of Reach for the Stars, the series sampler quilt currently featured in Quilter’s Newsletter magazine. Here’s another look at my blocks:

You may remember that I departed from Terri Krysan’s original design and inserted a circle in the middle of my Block 4. I liked the effect very much but the more I looked at my blocks together on the design wall, the more convinced I was that Block 4 needed an overhaul. The circle needed to be bigger for the block to holds its own next to its neighbors.

I took the block apart and added a new center block, choosing a different fussy-cut image to fill the larger circle. Here’s the old Block 4 . . .

. . . and the new Block 4:

That’s an inset circle, by the way, not an appliqué. Here’s the new block on point, its proper orientation in the quilt:

Now take a look at my center medallion and first five blocks:

Better, yes? It just feels more balanced to me.

I finished Block 5 yesterday of Reach for the Stars, the sampler quilt I’m making in concert with several newfound quilting friends around the country.

(For new readers: Quilter’s Newsletter magazine is publishing instructions for a queen-size sampler quilt in seven consecutive issues. To see a photo of the quilt, comprised of a center medallion surrounded by 14 blocks, see the post directly below this one.)

Here’s my new block, based on the traditional bear paw design:

When the block is set on point, as it will be in the finished quilt, it turns into a pinwheel:

The block contains 24 squares made of Half Square Triangles (HSTs) that finish at 1½”. I toyed with the idea of paper piecing the HSTs until remembering I had some Triangles on a Roll grid paper from a quilt made years ago. Lucky me — the grid paper was for blocks that finish at 1½”.

Each of the four bear paw sections went together beautifully. When I sewed the sections together, though, it was another story: lumps and bumps in four places where six seams (12 layers of fabric) intersect. It’s because I had pressed the seams of the HSTs to one side, rather than open. So what did I do? I took my block apart, of course, pressed the HSTs open, and sewed the pieces back together. I’m much happier with the result.

My progress to date:

Yes, a new member has joined the club of quilters around the country making Reach for the Stars, the sampler quilt pictured below. In addition to Jennifer Gwyn and Jennifer Thacker, both of Houston, Texas, we now have Jennifer Varney of Hudson, New Hampshire. Welcome, Jennifer!

Jennifer V’s palette is pewter, gold, blue, and black. She is using two focus fabrics in her quilt: an ornate border print by Robert Kaufman that she bought recently and a colonial reproduction of silver and gold poinsettias on cream by Windham Fabrics that’s been in her stash for eight years — waiting for just the right project.

Here is Jennifer’s center medallion:

Wow! And now for her beautiful blocks:

Jennifer noted an “oops” moment in Block 5, when she read the measurements without her glasses on. That little strip of dark fabric on each side will disappear when she adds a dark sashing strip to the block.

And now a look at Jennifer’s center medallion with all five of her blocks to date:

And finally, a close-up of some of her fabrics:

Such sumptuous fabrics and rich colors!

Did you happen to notice that Jennifer’s blocks aren’t on point? She’s going to modify the pattern and use a straight setting. Why? As she explains it, “One, I don’t want to make it as big as the designer’s quilt, and two, that is what my fabrics are telling me.” I understand completely!

To see the most recent blocks of the Texas Jennifers as well as Sherri Crisp of Knoxville, Tennessee, check out Jennifer G’s blog, Seams Crazy. And please do check back in with me. I just may have another block to show you myself soon.

It’s official. I have decided to make a second version — along with my first — of Reach for the Stars, the sampler series quilt introduced in the Oct./Nov. 2013 issue of Quilter’s Newsletter magazine. Last week I started playing with fabrics in my stash from the William Morris-inspired lines by Barbara Brackman for Moda and wound up making a sample block, hoping to tempt my friend Colleen into dipping into her stash of Morris fabrics and joining the small band of quilters who are Reaching for the Stars. And my ploy worked! This quilt is now on Colleen’s to-do list.

Once I had one block made, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make another one. Here is my Block 2:

Do any of you recognize that print in the corner blocks? It’s been in my stash for at least 15 years. Here is Block 2 on point . . .

. . . and here are Blocks 1 and 2 together:

The palette is quite subdued, especially compared to the bright greens and aquas in my Version 1 . . .

. . . but I think Version 2 will be very pretty, don’t you?

Perhaps you thought this post would be about Block 5 in Reach for the Stars, the series quilt in Quilter’s Newsletter magazine that I — and a few likeminded quilters — embarked on a couple of months ago. I finished Block 4 last week and intended to start right away on the next one.

Instead I made a new Block 1 . . . out of a completely different set of fabrics:

Am I making a second version of Reach for the Stars? I’m not sure! Then why did I make this block? Well, my friend Colleen has been thinking about reaching for the stars, too. Her stash includes several pieces from the Morris Tapestry and Morris Apprentice lines of fabric, both by Barbara Brackman for Moda. I have a few (ahem) pieces of those fabrics myself. I wanted to see how they would play together in a block, perhaps giving Colleen a little boost to join our party.

Here is the block on point, with those birds of a feather properly oriented:

And I’m not the only one with a new block to show off. Jennifer Thacker of Houston, Texas shared a photo of her Block 1:

Jennifer was able to find most of the fabrics used in designer Terri Krysan’s quilt, which graced the Oct./Nov. 2013 cover of Quilter’s Newsletter magazine. That paisley print in the center of the block — so rich and lush — is a substitute. I think it is even more beautiful than the original!

Before I show you my Block 4, I must confess that I modified the design. I’m making Terri Krysan’s queen-size medallion sampler quilt, seen here in the pages of Quilter’s Newsletter magazine:

(Copyright Quilter’s Newsletter. Used with permission. Photo by Melissa Karlin Mahoney.)

Terri Krysan’s quilt is a vision of loveliness in creams, tans and black fabrics. I’m using greens and blues instead of creams and tans in my version.

Here’s a shot of the original Block 4:

(Copyright Quilter’s Newsletter. Used with permission. Photo by Melissa Karlin Mahoney.)

I just wasn’t loving the center of the block.  I saw that Terri Krysan incorporated circles in two of the 14 blocks that surround the center medallion so I decided to put a circle in the center of my Block 4:

That circle (fussy-cut, of course) is not appliquéd — it’s set in, using my favorite freezer-paper method. You may have also noticed that I changed the fabric placement slightly in the corner blocks to accentuate the solid black star points.

Here is my Block 4 on point:

I hope you’re also following the progress of fellow Reach for the Stars quilters Jennifer G. and Jennifer T. in Texas and Sherri C. in Tennessee. You can see photos of their blocks on Jennifer G.’s blog, Seams Crazy.

And please check back in with me. It’s been snowing for three days — very unusual for Portland, Oregon. We are effectively snowed in — the perfect excuse to hunker down and start working on Block 5!