I mentioned here that I made a center block for three different medallion quilts. Two are Marcelle Medallion blocks from the medallion pattern in the Liberty Love book. The third was for the design as you go Medallion project we’re currently working on with the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. For that block I decided to make a lone star [...]
I had a request to show the progress on the FMF Lonestar very belated housewarming gift quilt. I took a break for a while. I've now finish 4 1/4 of the 8 diamonds that make up the start.
Good morning. Here is the latest block for the Series. I’m quite smitten with this one. Click the above photo to be taken to the tutorial document. I think it fits in with the quilt really we…
Blossoming Lonestar. Seriously wish I could find the time to finish this one. I am going to extend the blocks with Alison glass abacus fabric………hopefully soon! lol! Finally I have…
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Blossoming Lonestar. Seriously wish I could find the time to finish this one. I am going to extend the blocks with Alison glass abacus fabric………hopefully soon! lol! Finally I have…
Beautiful Vintage handmade 1960’s Quilt Lonestar pattern with diamond shapes. ALL Handsewn!! And quilted by hand with LOTS of stitching! This is a very old handmade, handpieced, and hand quilted quilt in the lonestar pattern. It has a little diamonds of different kinds and colors of fabrics, all on a white background with white batting in between the layers. This one has no holes or stains! it is a vintage preowned completely handmade item. I see that people are using these to decorate with or to use as fabric for sweatshirts. This is a beautiful quilt that Should still be admired in anyway you decide to use it. I washed it with no problems so it is ready to go to its new home. It is 77“ x 83“. It was probably made to fit a full size bed which is a little smaller than a queen size bed. Would also look great Just folded up at the end of your bed or in big basket or use it on the back of your couch or up when you’re watching television it still has lots of years of use to it. This is a vintage preowned item in great condition. There is a lot of hand quilting, and you can see that on the back of the quilt little teeny tiny stitches that must’ve taken someone a very long time to do. This quilt also has all of the pieces for the top sewn together by hand. I hope someone will fall in love with this quilt and take very good care of it or make something fabulous with it. I think that would be a great way to honor whoever made this quilt. See all my great vintage linens, curtains, and more as well as my hand woven rugs and my mom’s hand quilted quilts at http://VintageYoungun.etsy.com Combine items from my store to receive free shipping on any order over $34.99!! What can I say? I love to shop! I am always on the hunt for great vintage items that I know others would love to have. I have always loved to go to yard sales, estate sales, and auctions. Even when I was very young I did these things with my mother. I watched many live auctions in my day, and I have become pretty knowledgeable about the value of antiques and collectibles. I know that nowadays there are a lot of people like me who enjoy seeing and using once loved things and although antiques are not as popular anymore as they once were, I know that vintage items are. I have made it my mission to find some of these things that I love to put out for the world to see and maybe fall in love with the way that I have. I have a special soft spot for vintage linens like blankets, Sheets, curtains, towels, and vintage fabric. But occasionally other items like glassware or dishes will catch my eye. My mother makes quilts and I make rugs from everything that she cannot use in a quilt. Some things that I find to use in my rugs are just way too nice and way too pretty to cut up. That’s how I got started selling some of the things that I found on my Etsy store. The quality of vintage linens is what draws me to it. Also the fact that I find things that I have never seen before and are so unusual and unique or have a spectacular pattern or feel that it keeps me searching for more! It is nice to have something well made that not everyone else has. Thank you for checking out my items!
If you’re stressed about sewing perfect diamond units, we’re here to calm your nerves with an easy tutorial for strip pieced diamond quilt blocks.
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Blossoming Lonestar. Seriously wish I could find the time to finish this one. I am going to extend the blocks with Alison glass abacus fabric………hopefully soon! lol! Finally I have…
The traditional lone star quilt is the base for Our Song, Your Reflection. This beautiful classic design uses strip sets cut on the diagonal to create a large-scale pattern. Here are…
I mentioned here that I made a center block for three different medallion quilts. Two are Marcelle Medallion blocks from the medallion pattern in the Liberty Love book. The third was for the design as you go Medallion project we’re currently working on with the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. For that block I decided to make a lone star [...]
I have two Lone Star quilts to share with you today and they were made by Florence who will be giving them to her granddaughters for their graduation this June. The first one is made in pinks and greys and the inner grey border has a very pretty feather print. Lots of flowing feathers and CC’s in the diamond shapes to give it wonderful texture. The second one is made in bolder colour palette of blue, green and purple fabrics and quilted very similar to the first one.
While I’m trying to decide what to do with my Scrappy Lone Star from Judy Irish’s class, I decided to make a Mini Star. Most of my scraps are small pieces so this was a perfect match! …
Sue Heinz is the owner of Kismet Quilting LLC, and is the author of two Drawn to Mastery series workbooks, and Fill Harmonics, a background design workbook. Sue teaches quilting classes and sells her books and other tools on her website.
Foundation pieced using quiltsmart interfacing method...
I LOVE lone stars. I love everything about them--their history, the challenge of putting them together, and the stunning beauty of the finished design. When I'm in a sewing rut, or bored with other projects, I always find myself being drawn back into making lone stars. And no matter how many times I've made them, it never gets boring, and I'm always discovering some new technique that works (or doesn't work) for me. Earlier this year I made my Exploding Lone Star, and promised a few people that I would post a tutorial, but I thought it was important that I cover the basics of lone star making first. I have had my share of panic and hysteria during the learning phase of working with diamonds--bursting into tears, ready to scream and pull my hair out, and imagining throwing my quilt into the garbage disposal, then laughing maniacally about it. And then, after I regained my sanity and finished the project, I found it truly a rewarding experience. My love for them is much like romantic love--it can make me blissfully happy, but at the same time, has caused me a tremendous amount of turmoil. There are many wonderful resources available to learn how to make a lone star quilt, and I encourage you to explore as many avenues as possible to learn what methods you like and what tutorials you find work best for you. I used a combination of books, blog tutorials, and videos to learn as much as I could, but the when I encountered problems, there didn't seem to be any guidance on what I could do to fix them or prevent the same problems from occurring again. It seemed like I was running into the same issues over and over again, and even though there is a spreading rumor that "lone stars are difficult", I didn't feel like there was a place to go to find help to questions like "what's the best way to iron diamonds?" or "what do I do if my quilt bows up in the middle?". It seems like many of the tutorials I read provided excellent steps for the process, and provided perfectly-pieced finished quilts, but I was left wondering if the author had experienced any of the frustrations I was experiencing, or was I really just an idiot with a sewing machine? Were the creators of lone star tutorials struggling behind the scenes, or was the process for them just as simple as it appeared to be? I hope through my tutorials, I can try to answer some of these questions I have asked myself and to pass on some of the things I've learned, so that you can experience the joy and beauty of making a lone star, without getting admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Constructing a Lone Star Like many traditional quilt designs, a Lone Star has many names: Bethlehem Star, Morning Star, Star of David, and if you're on instagram, you can find lots of lone star quilts named simply #starquilts. Typically, lone star quilts are made of a single star burst, but it's also very common to find quilts made of several mini-stars. Each is 8-pointed and made of 45 degree diamonds. Traditionally, lone stars were pieced with Y-seams, but somewhere along the way a very smart person realized there was a much easier way to piece the star. In fact, you'd have a hard time finding a tutorial that DOES use Y-seams. Now the most common method is strip piecing. To strip piece a lone star, strips of fabric are sewn together, and then cut on a 45 degree angle to make a strip of diamonds. You sew the strips together to make a larger diamond which becomes one "arm" of the star. The arms are pieced by sewing the strips of diamonds together, as you'll see in the tutorial. Strip piecing is a much easier and faster way to construct the star, and it really is a lot of fun. You just want to make sure you cut and piece as accurately as possible. Working with bias cut pieces can be tricky, so don't get frustrated if everything doesn't go together perfectly. Just have fun, and if you find yourself wanting to rip phone books in half with your bare hands, then remember, I'm here to help! Shoot me an email, and you can gripe at me, and I'll do the best I can to help in any way possible--even if it just means sending you a bottle of the best over-the-counter drugs money can buy:) The tutorial today will make a 20" x 20" star block. What you'll need: For the star: Color A - 1 - 2.5" x WOF Color B - 2 - 2.5" x WOF Color C - 1 - 2.5" x WOF Background: 1 - 7.5" x WOF * Subcut into 2 - 7.5" squares 4 - 7" squares Making your strip sets: Sew B to the top of A, staggering it approximately 2.5" from the end of A. Carefully, press towards B. Now do the same thing with strips C and B. Sew C to the top-side of B, approximately 2.5" from the end. Carefully press towards B. Your strips should look like this-- Flip your strips over and align the 45 degree angle of your ruler with the top of your strips, and use your rotary blade to trim off end. Flip your strip back over, align the top on the 45 degree angle, and measure 2.5" inches on the angle--make sure to keep the left side of your strips lined up the 2.5" line of your ruler. Use your rotary blade to cut your first strip piece. Following the same method as above, continue cutting strip pieces until you have 8 (AB) diamond sets. Repeat with the (BC) strip set. At this point you should have 8 each of (AB) and (BC) diamond strip sets. Making the arms of the star: Arrange 1 (AB) and 1 (BC) diamond strip as shown below. Using the photo below as a guide, draw dots on each of your strips where the two diamonds meet. Now fold one over so they are right sides together. Pin directly through each of the drawn dots and then secure pin in place. Notice there is a 1/4" end point of fabric showing from the bottom strip set--this is a good thing and should look this way on both ends. Align the needle of your sewing machine at the intersection of the two strip sets (where the fabric tip is exposed) and sew a 1/4" seam. Sew slowly and do your best to sew directly over the point where the pin was pushed through the drawn dots. Now when you open it up you should have perfect points. If you don't have perfect points (happens to me about 25% of the time) and it bothers you, you can carefully unpick and try again. Be very careful when unpicking--if you tug the fabric too much it can distort your diamonds. However, when making lone stars one of your best friends is your seam ripper--don't feel any shame in using it!! Once you have it sewn together to your satisfaction, carefully press your seam open on the backside. I use only the very tip of my iron, and it barely touches my fabric. I just want to have it pressed good enough where the diamond doesn't fold closed on me. I always make sure that my iron doesn't touch the end points of my "arm" or diamond because things can get all crazy if your ends get distorted. Then I flip the diamond over, and press once (without moving my iron back and forth) for a few seconds over the middle of the diamond--again being as careful as possible NOT to touch the top and bottom points of my "arm". When your arm is together you can trim the points off (below) where you sewed your seam. You don't have to do this, but it will help reduce bulky seams later. Repeat to make 8 "arms" and then decide how you want them arranged. Note: I couldn't decide if I wanted the aqua in the middle or the white floral, so in the end I chose to alternate every other one (see picture at the very top). Adding the background: The background is made from using half-square triangles (HSTs) and quarter square-triangles. Cut 4 - 7" squares in half diagonally and set aside. Cut 2 - 7.5" squares in half diagonally, and then, being carefully not to move the square, cut it in half diagonally in the other direction (below) and set aside. The background will be added to the star one quadrant at the time. First, lay out two of your "arms". Then arrange two 7" HSTs in the upper right corner (with diagonals in the center to make it look like a square). Add a quarter-square triangle to the upper left and lower right of the "quadrant" with the longest edges facing the inside of the quadrant next to the "arm". Next, fold down a HST and sew it to the arm. Just like when sewing diamonds together, leave 1/4" of the end of the HST to extend past your diamond. After it is sewn on, trim the point that extends past the diamond. Press towards the HST. If you're using a light background and making a dark colored star, you can press open or towards the star. Next, sew the HST onto the arm on the left. Then, using the same method, sew your quarter-square triangles to the arms as pictured below. Make sure the triangles extend 1/4" past the diamonds. Press towards triangles. It always helps if you have a pretty girl helping you out. Fold the two halves RST and pin the seams so they match up. Sew them together and press seam open. Notice on the intersection where my background fabric meets up at the outer point of the diamond--it only met up exactly about 50% of the time. But don't worry--we'll fix this when we square up our block. The seam ripper in the photo below is deceiving--for this problem you don't need to fix anything right now. The next part might not be essential for a lone star this small, but it does become extremely important if you're making a large lone star with lots of rows of color. Sometimes, unfortunately, when you sew your entire lone star together you might have a hump where it bows up in the very center of the star. In order to prevent this from happening, I always make sure my quadrants are have a perfect 90 degree angle on the side where the center of the star will be. Once you've squared your quadrant, repeat the above steps to make 4 total. Assembling and squaring-up your block: Sew two sets of two quadrants together and press seams open. Sew the two halves together and press open to make the completed star. Use your ruler to square up your quilt. I used the points of the star as my guide, matching the points up to the 1/2" mark on my ruler, and trimmed off the excess. Finishes at 20" x 20". And now you're done! I hope this tutorial helps you out, and if you have any feedback, please let me know.
or something like that I've used a rather large diamond for this Lone Star Quilt, and its actually really easy to draw up - even for the mathematically challenged like me (I am incredibly mathematically challenged) It doesn't matter what size diamond you use in this quilt-along/ pattern. If you use a bigger diamond your lone star will be bigger and vis versa. This is the size I will be using draw a short line 6 1/4 inches long one line 6 1/4 inches long mark the middle of the short line, and draw a long line 14 1/2 inches long now you have a t, fill in the sides and presto! one perfect diamond not so hard? any size diamond is fine - as long as all sides are equal. That way when you go joining everything all your seams match up. In celebration of my Maths & my oldest Boy scoring a try in U11 Rugby and today also being the last game of U10 Netball for the year! (not my best idea to coach 12 young girls in netball......) I'm cracking open my tea I bought in Paris last October and I found some dark chocolate hidden on top of the fridge. I was hoping to watch my Audrey Hepburn DVD's specifically Roman Holiday but alas Its no where to be found! I'm off to Rome in Sept!! & Florence & Venice & Paris & London and yes I know - I'm having milk in my earl grey tea!! many a person has scorned me for such habits :) Hope your weekend is looking as good as mine :) Xx Siobhan - After thought remember with quilting especially this kind of large pieced lone star that any fabric is good. I love making quilts out of old sheets or special old kids clothes. Opportunity shops can be great for old dress fabric too. Quilting doesn't have to always be new fabric. I like vintage :)
Blossoming Lonestar. Seriously wish I could find the time to finish this one. I am going to extend the blocks with Alison glass abacus fabric………hopefully soon! lol! Finally I have…
Pieced by JoAnn Kilgroe Quilted by Jessica Gamez
Take a moment each day to visit the Designers Virtual Quilt Show webpage to be introduced to new designers and vendors and see the class schedule. Click here for day five of the show. Click here for the Designers page. Click here for designers Social Media Plateform. I want to share with you my latest E-pattern called Diamond Chain Star. You can order the $5.00 e-pattern by going to Delightful Piecing E-patterns. Diamond Chain Star pieced with Cherrywood Fabric. In September my latest book will be released called Diamond Star Quilts. Twelve terrific projects! Piece diamonds and patchwork stars with no inset seams Learn speed construction techniques to sew eight-pointed stars like a pro Grow your skills as you move from beginner patterns to advanced designs This is the first project in the book for a beginner wanting to learn how to piece 8-pointed stars. By piecing this quilt you learn some of the basics for an 8-pointed star, strip piecing and cutting from pieced strips. Notice the quilting! Easy, easy. easy and done by using the walking foot. To preorder a book send me an email to [email protected] and let me know you want a book when it is released.
I’ve been working a lot of hours lately. A lot. Close to 60 hours a week since September. Ugh. Anyone who tells you that being an accountant is a great career needs to be kicked in a sensitiv…
I made this at a class Tuesday using the QuiltSmart method.
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I mentioned here that I made a center block for three different medallion quilts. Two are Marcelle Medallion blocks from the medallion pattern in the Liberty Love book. The third was for the design as you go Medallion project we’re currently working on with the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. For that block I decided to make a lone star [...]
If you’re stressed about sewing perfect diamond units, we’re here to calm your nerves with an easy tutorial for strip pieced diamond quilt blocks.
My top 10 favorite traditional patchwork quilt patterns. With links to get the quilt patterns for yourself.
... but only for the weekend. :o) (Added Friday, February 3: As busy as I was this week, turns out this is my only finish, so I'm linking up this post today with Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday and TGIFF at Missy Mac Creations.) While they were away, I had a fun night of sewing with my son's girlfriend. Her mom has been planning an outfit for her to dance in a powwow at the end of March, and they want to applique a Lone Star on the back of the dance shawl. Would I mind helping her with it? LoL Silly girl. It was my first attempt at a Lone Star, and I usually avoid sewing diamonds altogether, so I'll admit I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. Still, it couldn't hurt to try. We started out with this photo for inspiration. We both really liked the swirly layout of the colors, even though it would make the assembly a bit trickier. A little more Googling brought us to "The Challenge of a Lone Star Quilt," an excellent tutorial (though slightly intimidating with repeated dire warnings about accurate 1/4" seams!) Completely unsure if we were up to the task (at least I was unsure) -- we started a plan anyway. Tessa drew up and colored a diagram for the layout. (This would not be just a challenge, it would be a MEGA Challenge. LoL) A quick trip to the fabric store, a stop at Subway for dinner, and we were back home cutting up fabric. Tessa laid out the units per her diagram. Ta-daaah! Ready to sew. The piecing went surprisingly well, though I'll admit my seam ripper got lots of use! The process went really fast with me sewing and Tessa ironing. Before long we had half of the units together: So of course, we had to keep on going... By 1:00 a.m. we were done (not to mention tired and silly!) But wait, something's not quite right here... What is that random purple diamond doing in the middle? And those blues in the green row? We almost missed the two rows that were sewn in backwards. I think I wore that seam ripper out by the time we were done, but it's all fixed now. And finished! A few rough spots here and there (curse those inaccurate 1/4" seams!), but not bad at all for a first try. It lays flat, so we're happy. LoL Since I have never been to a powwow, I couldn't quite envision what the shawl would look like, so I did some more Googling this morning and found lots of info at the Crazy Crow Trading Post site, including this video from the Gathering of Nations Powwow: Aren't those shawls beautiful? I'm excited to see Tessa's all finished -- and to see her dance!
I mentioned here that I made a center block for three different medallion quilts. Two are Marcelle Medallion blocks from the medallion pattern in the Liberty Love book. The third was for the design as you go Medallion project we’re currently working on with the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. For that block I decided to make a lone star [...]
