My sewing room has been set up in a small area on my dining room table where I'm able to quilt and finish small projects that have been lingering. One of those is this project 'Evening Star'. An enticing paper pieced block that I've had in my sights for a while now. I saw the block at 'Swim, Bike, Quilt' blog, which was part of a Summer Sampler Series.
Initially I had intended to just make the block. Testing the waters. After deciding on a rainbow theme, my creative spirit took over!
I had just enough white for the background of the star, which will explain why I ended up pulling out my bag of neutral solids for the borders. Normally I mark my fabrics with the color and manufacturer, especially with whites. It still amazes me how different whites can be.
The first border is made of 2 1/2" 45 degree triangles. I could have stopped right there, but darn those scraps! It seemed like the perfect time to use them and do a little improv.
And so it began...the figuring it out as you go, the creative bug, the thrill of using up scraps. I wanted to use little bits of color mixed in with the improv and settled on randomly shaped triangles. It started with small blocks that were roughly 3" square that included a solid color triangle. After I had those finished I made 'filler blocks to add between the squares and extend the border. It took a little finesse, but it worked and was worth it!
At least I think it was worth it! We'll see how the quilting comes together before I start tooting my horn!
The border triangles range in size from 1/4" to 1". Chubby ones, skinny ones, perfectly imperfect triangles.
There are rainbow quilts that call for a whole bunch of rainbow thread! I've done it before and know first hand that changing each color time after time is a pain in the 'bobbin'! Then again I also know that it can be very well worth the headache and time in the end.
This quilt will require my Hera Marker and a big bunch of 50 weight Aurifil thread.
Natural White #2021
Lobster Red #2265
Neon Orange #1104
Canary #2120
Bright Pink #2425
Spring Green #1231
Delft Blue #2730
Jade Green #1148
Medium Lavender #2540
Oh! Let's not forget you have to have a plan! And boy did I have a plan. A long and tedious plan! I won't leave you hanging...I'll leave you with a sneak peek of my very ambitious quilting plans.
Working with one block is a great way to experiment and test a block. You can play with color, add borders, and eventually even practice with the quilting.
Do you make a block for fun? It isn't unusual for us to take our stray blocks and work them into or make them into something else. Were are a clever bunch, don't you think?!
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