It started with this, back in July 2015:
You’re looking at the center medallion and first five blocks of Annette Holder’s Reach for the Stars quilt. Annette lives in Jonesboro, Arkansas. We met online as part of a community of quilters making the dazzling sampler quilt designed by Terri Krysan that was featured as a series quilt in Quilter’s Newsletter magazine during 2013 and 2014.
By June of last year Annette had completed her quilt top:
A few weeks ago she sent me pictures of her completed quilt and I am delighted to share them with you. Look what she has the pleasure of sleeping under:
Like many of us who started with Terri Krysan’s sampler quilt design, Annette made some design modifications. She replaced one of the original blocks with this friendship star, whose center square shows off her beautiful paisley focus fabric:
Annette credits “Jana and her elves” at Jana’s Quilting in Jonesboro, Arkansas with the longarm quilting. Here are a few close-ups:
I spy a lot of stitching in the ditch to outline the blocks and give dimension to the quilt:
Annette named her quilt Oh My Stars.
If you’d like to see other versions of this stunning quilt design, take a look at my Reach for the Stars page on Pinterest. If you’ve made your own version, I would love to hear from you! You can email me at dawn (at) firstlightdesigns (dot) com.
Hi Dawn! Annette’s quilt is gorgeous!
I see that you are in a community of like-minded quilters who highly prize precision! Annette did a terrific job and I really really like her focus fabric.
Thanks everyone! I loved the project!
Did most quilters leave out the flange before the binding? I am almost to that point and considering omitting it.
Joyce, there is no flange. Do you mean the narrow inner border? It’s actually necessary to get the checkerboard border to fit properly. Note that I redesigned the checkerboard border on my quilt to make it symmetrical. Here’s a link to the changes I made: https://firstlightdesigns.com/?p=8225
You can also type in “reach for the stars border” in the search box on my blog home page to see the two posts in which I illustrate with photos my very unscientific approach to making the borders fit. — Dawn
PS If you decide not to make a pieced border, you really don’t need the inner border, although it is a pleasing design element.
I am referring to part 7 of Terri K’s pattern. There is a 3/4″ wide strip folded and attached just before the binding is done.
Omigosh!! I just dug my instructions out of storage to look — and sure enough, the instructions call for a flange next to the binding. Missed that completely! I wouldn’t have added it to my quilt in any case because I chose to bind it in the same fabric as the outer border for a seamless look. And really, there’s so much going on in the quilt that it doesn’t really need one more design element. Thank you, Joyce, for bringing this to my attention. By the way, I would love to see a picture of your quilt top!
Thanks so much for your reply. I was beginning to think I made that part up in my mind. Still piecing the borders and on the last side.
All these quilts are gorgeous, and I want to make one!
Question for all you quilters? Where can I find the pattern for this quilt? Not one fabric place has this pattern, and I want to make this quilt, to go along with my BOM to put together! Can anyone help me out?? Thanks
Candie, the directions for Reach for the Stars appeared in seven consecutive issues of Quilters Newsletter magazine, beginning with the Oct/Nov 2013 issue and ending with Oct/Nov 2014. The magazine ceased publication in 2016. Your best bet to find the issues you need is to look on eBay or Etsy for individual issues. I also recommend contacting your local quilt guilds to see if any members have complete sets of the magazine and are willing to loan or sell you the issues you need. Good luck! — Dawn