Weekend with the Stars

I am so delighted to be back baking for Moda. My favourite quilting block is the eight pointed star and I just had to use Oliver + S City weekend to make it shine.

I thought it would be wonderful to make this quilt using only applique in order to give the block a mosaic effect and the illusion that there is sashing between each diamond.

The beauty of this pattern is that the diamonds can be placed in different layouts as long as the design is kept within the boundary of each star point.

1 x City Weekend Jelly Roll by Oliver + S
1 1/4 yards Robins Egg Bella Solid 9900-85
1 1/2 yards White Bella Solid
Fusible Webbing
Ruler with 45 degree marked angle.
Template Plastic

 



Step 1 – Colour Selection.
Divide strips into 6 colourways – Orange / Yellow / Jacaranda Blue / Pink / Pale Yellow / and Pale Green. The turquoise will be used for the binding.


Jacaranda Blue x 8
Orange x 4
Pale Green x 3

Pale Yellow x 4
Pink x 6
Yellow x 6



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Step 2 – Cutting diamonds.

Orange
  • Cut 16” Strips from the 4 Orange strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 16 x 2″ diamonds.

Yellow
  • Cut 2 x 16” + 4 x 9” strips from the 6 Yellow strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 16 x 2″ diamonds.

Pink
  • Cut 22” strips from the 5 Pink strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 24 x 2″ diamonds.
Jacaranda Blue
  • Cut 16” strips from the 8 Jacaranda Blue strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 32 x 2″ diamonds.

Pale Yellow

  • Cut 24″ strips from the 4 Pale Yellow strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 24 x 2″ diamonds

Pale Green
  • Cut 24″ strips from the 3 Pale Green strips.
  • Cut 2 1/4″ matching strip of fusible webbing. Iron to back of strips.
  • Trim strips to 2″ width.
  • Cut 16 x 2″ Diamonds

Trim to 2″ width after fusible webbing has been ironed on.
Cut 2″ diamonds. I used the Jan Krentz Fast 2 Cut ruler
Diamonds ready to go

Place same colour diamonds into separate plastic bags.

Step 3 – Background.

  • Cut 1 x 42″ square from Robins Egg solid.
  • Cut 4 x 5 1/2″ white strips for borders the length of the fabric (1 1/2 yards long ).
  • Measure across the middle of the quilt and add side borders. Then, measure across quilt again and add top and bottom borders.
  • Make sure quilt is square and then fold into 1/4’s. Press. Then, fold on the diagonal. Press. This will give you lines to lay the template on for placement of each star point.

Step 4 –  Make the star point template.

There are 8 points in the star. To make one point take a piece of template plastic (you might need to join two together) and cut out a 45 degree diamond with the following dimensions:

Across the width= 24″, Through the centre 10″ and each side 13″ long.

The picture below shows a paper version of the plastic template.

Each section is a 2 1/4″ 45 degree diamond. A 2″ diamond fits in each section with a 1/8″ border.

 Step 5 – Position the diamonds.

  • After you have pressed guidelines onto the quilt, lay the plastic template with one tip exactly in the centre of the quilt and the other tip lined up with the one of the pressed markings. Trace around the template with something that will wash out.
  • Draw the other 7 points in exactly the same way until you have a completed star.
  • Peel the paper of the fusible webbing and place the diamonds evenly within each point outline. Don’t forget to leave a space of 1/8″ border around each diamond including the outside. (Hint – position four star tips so they overlap the background and border).

Example of the spacing around each diamond

For each point starting from the inside:

  • 1 x Orange diamond
  • 2 x Pale Green diamonds
  • 3 x Pale Yellow diamonds
  • 4 x Jacaranda Blue diamonds
  • 3 x Pink Diamonds
  • 2 x Yellow Diamonds
  • 1 x Orange Diamond

Once you are happy with their placement, press the diamonds to the background and continue with the opposite point. (Hint – Just to make sure that you have accurately placed all the diamonds, layout the whole design before pressing).

    Step 6 – Applique the diamonds.

    • Applique each diamond.

    I chose to machine applique all the diamonds using a matching fine thread and straight stitch.

    Step 7 – Quilt and Bind your masterpiece.

    • Baste your quilt and quilt as desired. I suggest not over-quilting, as the star design should be the feature.
    • Use the remaining turquoise strips and some left over robins egg solid to make the binding. Cut the strips into 22″ pieces and join to make a scrappy finish.
    • The left over strips from the project can be added to the backing or to another project.

    One Razzle Dazzle quilt just made for a weekend in the city.

    Quilt Size : 51″ x 51″

    Here is another one I made using Kate Spains 12 Days of Christmas. The beauty of this design is that you can space the diamonds any way you want to as long as it remains within the boundary of each point.

    Jane Davidson

    City Stops Quilt


    Hello!  I’m Jennifer Jenkinson of That Girl… That Quilt and I’m here to share my very first Moda Bake Shop project today.  I’m so excited to be able to show my City Stops quilt made with the fabulous City Weekend fabric line and show you how to make one of your very own!

    4 City Weekend charm packs {you will have some left over… perfect for adding to the back}
    1 cardboard piece from the back of a charm pack
    2 yards for borders
    3 yards for backing
    Binding will come from your leftover border or backing fabric
    Batting
      
    Take your charm squares and cut them exactly in half.  You can speed this process up by cutting several at once; I could get my rotary blade through 6 at one time without distorting the fabric.
    Once you have cut all your charms, take your cardboard piece from one of the charm packs.  This will be your template for cutting your half hexagons.  How easy is that?!
    Cut your cardboard square in half.  With a ruler, measure a 60 degree angle as shown, mark, and cut the edges on both ends of the template.  Now you are ready to cut your half hexagons!
    Take a few of your charm square pieces and lay your template on top.  Using a rotary cutter, cut very carefully on both sides.  If you have a hard time not cutting the template, you can simply lay a ruler on top of the template and fabric. Then cut along the ruler.  Cut all of your charm pieces into half hexagons.
    Piecing your half hexagons is very simple but you do need to be precise and organized.  Your rows run will alternate directions, so I suggest stitching two pieces together for each direction {A & B} so you have a visual reminder.
    When stitching your pairs, you will need to offset your pieces slightly as shown in the picture.
    For your first row, get 20 half hexagons and sew them into 10 pairs. 
    You can chain piece the pairs to make the process much faster.  Once you have your pairs stitched together, stitch the pairs into one long row.  
    *Make sure you alternate the direction you are piecing your hexagons together!*  
    Repeat this process to make 14 vertical rows of half hexagons.  Lay out and arrange your rows how you like. 
    Now take 7 matching pairs of half hexagons and stitch them to the each of the ends of your vertical rows to give the illusion of whole hexagons at the bottom of your quilt.
    Once you have your rows completed, sew your vertical rows together as pictured.  Pay close attention to your seams matching up and you will have a nice and scrappy hexagon look.  Press your rows as you go, until the center of your quilt top is complete.
    For the two borders, cut two strips that measure 8″ x 62″.  As shown in the picture, sew your first border to one side of your quilt and press open.  Sew your second border to the opposite side and press open as well.   Now it’s time to grab your ruler!

    *If you do not want to do a bias binding and would rather square your quilt, skip this next step and instead square your quilt by cutting a straight line across the top and bottom of the quilt top.*
    To keep with the angles of the hexagons, measure the angle {it should be approximately 60 degrees}.
    Lining up with the last angle, draw a line to the edge of your border.
    With your rotary cutter and ruler, cut along the line to mirror the pattern of the hexagons.  Repeat this step on all 4 sides. 
    Once you have the angles cut, use your ruler and trim the excess border fabric to the same length as the tips of your hexagons.
    Press your quilt top well, baste, and quilt using your favorite method.  I quilted the hexagons following the outline of the shapes and then I free motion quilted the borders with a random flower design.
    If you need a tutorial for binding hexagons, here is one that I wrote a few months ago…
    One very unique 48″ x 60″ quilt
    Thanks for following along with me today!  I hope you will stop by my blog sometime to chat…

    Jennifer Jenkinson
    {That Girl… That Quilt}