Isn’t this a lovely design? I used a pattern from Plains and Pine, in Bozeman, MT, called Big Sky Star to make this quilt – I tweaked it slightly to make it bigger and give some more space around the star points – but isn’t it a striking? The main reason I bought the pattern was to get some words of wisdom on how to arrange the diamonds in the sort of cross configuration that makes this such a unique star. As a largely self-taught quilter, I like to learn something new to broaden my quilty horizons, and reading someone else’s patterns is a great way to stretch my skills.
I’ll be honest with you: I was unhappy with my color choices when I finished this quilt. It stayed folded up in an out of the way corner of my house for months while I found excuses not to use it, or photograph it – too rainy, too cold, too hot… I learned a lesson from that – I love it now that I can see it from a little distance and see the entire quilt as a whole. So never again will I allow myself to make a call on whether or not I like a quilt until I get it photographed, or at least hang it up and take a several steps back. I still do plan to make another Big Sky Quilt in a different colorway, but at least I can look at this version and smile.
I have done lone star type quilts before – click here if you’re interested in seeing my earlier start quilt: https://bluebeaglequiltsblog.com/2021/04/02/rainbow-lone-stars but I really enjoyed making a single large star this time. Challenging but not too frustrating. I have also done a tutorial on making a small lone star quilt here: https://bluebeaglequiltsblog.com/portfolio/lone-star-block-tutorial give it a look, because star quilts may seem intimidating, but they are easier than you think – no Y seams in either my tutorial, or the Big Sky Star pattern.
I chose an all over spiral for the quilt design – I used a light gray in the diamonds and black in the background. Spirals are one of my favorites, they are relatively quick to do and the resulting texture is a delight to run your hands over. I used a ruler to stitch straight-ish lines around the star – black around the outside edge and gray on the inside edge. I like that better than stitching in the ditch, as I never manage to actually stay in the ditch… but I like nailing down the area where two different colors or elements meet, I just like the way it looks. So thankful I have a long arm – this would have been a beast on my domestic sewing machine.
As I mentioned, I kept the quilt folded for months – below you can see the results of that. Note to self: unless you want to try to iron a quilt (*gasp*) don’t leave it folded for months…
Thanks for reading this far! Happy sewing and quilting everyone! Any questions or comments, please feel free to email me: bluebeaglequilts@gmail.com or hit the “contact me” tab at the top of the blog.
Ann and Frankie
Quilty Facts (which I usually forget to post): 100% cotton fabric and batting, Glide thread (top) and So Fine 50 wt thread in bobbin. Roughly 90″ x 90″ even after washing.
Gorgeous!!!