Jewel Stars

A few months ago I saw a quilt on Pinterest.  It was a very happy, bright, starry quilt by Leslie Unfinished.  Naturally, I pinned it to my board of "To be Made" quilts.

Jewel Star

Once I finished Homeful, which was a production, I wanted a quilt that could go quickly from fabric selection to a finished quilt.  Meet Jewel Star.  This is just the kind of weekend project that can perk up any child's room.

I wanted bright colors. I purposely avoided blue. Why?
I am not sure. I just was thinking of a girl quilt.

I love the idea of the stars peeping out of the negative space. I decided to go with three stars, randomly distributed in the quilt.

Here is the problem with random - it needs to be planned otherwise there is a danger that it may look too uniform.  I know it sounds counter intuitive. In any case, I decided to sketch it out first.

Rough Sketch Layout

This way I could decide the size and the number of the blocks too, in addition their placement. This pattern is charm square friendly. Since I was cutting yardage and using scraps, I chose a 6" block.

Paul: Who is that for?
Me: Dunno. Just need to make something.
Paul: You are crazy.
Me: Yes. Crazy about you.
Paul: Nah, just plain crazy.
Me: And very busy. Leave me alone!!!

Design Wall

The blocks/squares are arranged 7 by 9 for a total of 63 squares.

Piecing, in process

Stars with starry (white on white) fabric

When the quilt top was complete, I admired it again and again.
And then received an invite for a staff meeting at work...followed by a Sprinkle for a co-worker. Let's call her Julie (not her real name).

A few phone calls later, I discovered the following:
1. It was Julie's third baby.
2. No, she is not registered anywhere...because she has most of the baby stuff already.
3. It is a girl.

Girl!!!
Very quickly, all the dots in my brain connected. Jewel Stars for Julie's baby girl. Perfect.

Here is the backing I chose. Birds and butterflies  - pink, purple and peach = perfect

Backing - Peach, Pink and Purple

I struggled with the backing. Since the top is so bright, I wanted something bright to match those jewel tones.  However, the muted colors in the backing left me stumped.

Finally, I chose a black with white wavy dots and I am so happy with it that I have decided to replenish that fabric so that I can make many more bindings out of that fabric!!!

Binding Success

Don't you just love it when the binding works for both sides of the quilt?
I took a few more pictures in the morning, before I left for the staff meeting/Sprinkle.

I am convinced that morning light is the best for taking pictures.  The colors look so saturated.

Happiness in a Quilt

The finished quilt measures 42 by 54, making it a generous baby quilt or a crib quilt.  Those babies - they grow up so fast. Here is hoping that the generous size would ensure that the quilt is usable for a bit longer.

Ooh, pretty!!!

And there is one more thing about this quilt that makes it a bit more special.  A label which is "oh so professional."  Do you like it?

I found them on Lorna's Sew Fresh Quilts blog. Here is the link. 

On the other side are care instructions.

When Julie pulled out the quilt from the gift bag, her face glowed.

"My girl has a lot of hand-me-downs and there is nothing wrong with that. But this will be her very own quilt. "

And that was the sweetest thing I heard.

It is ridiculous that the first baby is welcomed with a shower and the second and third ones just get a sprinkle. I am sure that by the time it is Baby # 5, the celebration would be reduced to a Raindrop!!!
I believe that every baby should be celebrated, whether they are first or not. I hope this quilt is that celebration for Julie's baby girl!

Happy Mom-to-be and Me

Others oohed and aahed, took pictures, and complimented me on my beautiful work and thoughtful gift.  Mission Accomplished.

Julie is due next month and I am looking forward to meeting her new bundle of joy.

This is my 12th finish of this year. A dozen quilts already???
Paul is right. I am crazy, just plain crazy!!!