First the color, then the idea
I came up with the idea of giving one of my sisters-in-law a quilt, and I wanted an easy, quick pattern. A week earlier I had seen the “Big Wonky Star” tutorial on the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s YouTube channel. I make up a lot of my patterns myself, but every now and then I like to sew a fun one from the big companies.
Whenever I make a quilt for someone, I try to find out their favorite color. This time I asked her daughter Eva. We exchanged a few secret messages, and it was settled: purple it had to be.
Once I have the color, I sit with it for a while. Sit with the idea.
After a while I know which designer or fabric line I want to go with, or I realize that my stash has all I need. This time I decided on Kaffe Fassett’s “Paperweight” fabric in purple. I love the feel of it, its light weight and how well it goes with so many other fabrics.
The fabric for the big star had to be high-contrast and cheerful. I chose “Fairy Dust” by Tula Pink. Luckily I had loads of it, because it makes the loveliest playful yet modern background.
Two afternoons and a warm backing
I cut and sewed the top together in two afternoons. The backing had to be flannel, because the quilt was meant to be really warm and cozy.
Back then I didn’t have a longarm machine yet, so I quilted straight lines on my domestic sewing machine, using the walking foot. I always use it for this: many years ago I quilted my first three quilts without one, and they came out wavy. The regular presser foot presses down on the three layers, and they shift. Even if it’s only slight, it shows on a big quilt. The walking foot distributes the pressure evenly across all the layers.
I gave it to her before Christmas. It has lived on her couch ever since, and I love that.
