Anna's Stars Quilt Along - Week One

QUILT ALONG - Week One

Getting Your Materials Ready:

We are going to start off nice and slow for the first week of the Quilt Along.

Be sure to subscribe to the the QuiltBitz blog for weekly quilt along updates. Enter your email into the box on the sidebar (at right on a computer, or scroll to the bottom on your phone). I do have a couple of ladies that prefer to have a PDF of the weekly update emailed to them .... please email me if you would like to be added to the email list.

The post from each of the 6 weeks will be posted here on the blog as we go along which will also automatically put it up in that tab up at the top of the page labelled "Anna's Stars Quilt Along". You will be able to leave comments and ask questions on any of the posts. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions as you work through the process or if you find something that isn't calculating properly for you. If it isn't working for you, then it might not be working for others either and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

The following is for any new people just popping by the blog for the first time and a refresher for those starting their projects today. It's always a good idea to read through the instructions once or twice just to get an idea of the process.

To participate in the Quilt Along you will need:

Your own copy of the pattern:
Click here to purchase the Anna’s Stars pattern

Fat eighths are approximately 9” x 22”
Definition: *WOF = Width of Fabric

1 fat eighth each of eleven assorted prints for HST blocks
1½ yards background fabric for blocks, sashing, side and corner triangles
First Border: 6” x *WOF
Second Border/Flange Border: 3” x *WOF
Outer Third Border: 10” x *WOF
Binding: ½ yard
1 yard of fabric for backing
37” x 37” batting

Click here to purchase bundles of Fat Eighths for the Anna’s Stars blocks
Click to view and purchase background, border and backing fabric suggestions for the Anna’s Stars blocks

Other recommended supplies:

Spray starch if you choose to starch your fabrics
Rotary Cutter with brand new blade
Cutting mat and a variety of acrylic rulers

Click here to purchase Quilter’s Select rulers

Sewing machine in good working order
Brand new needle
Thread for piecing and quilting
Basting spray if you choose to spray baste your quilt
Hand sewing needle and thimble for binding by hand

Mini design boards. These are not necessary but I have found them to be a great addition to my quilting room toolbox. These little design boards are a huge help in designing small blocks and getting your colour layout perfect. I made two different sizes of these a few years ago following the very detailed instructions by Lori Holt from Bee In My Bonnet and I LOVE THEM! I pull these out and use them for most all of my projects .... you can likely see that they are well used 😃.

NOW LET'S GET STARTED:

For my stars in the quilt along project I have chosen fat eighths from the Reed's Legacy collection by Jeanne Horton for Windham fabrics. I LOVE these fabrics .... the prints and colors are fantastic! The background that I chose is from the Urban Farmhouse collection by Primitive Gatherings for Moda fabrics which plays so nice with the star prints. I can't wait to see what colors everyone else is using! You can use more than eleven prints for the stars, or less, completely up to you.

Remember that the steps that I am showing here are the steps in the quilt making process that I use. As in most quilting processes there are many ways that the various steps can be done and by all means if there is a method that works for you - do it! There are no quilting police here .... what works for you, works for you - go for it!
Preparing the Fabrics

First off ...... I like to press my fabrics to get out the major wrinkles (hot, dry heat is what I use).

Then it’s a good idea to prep your fabrics by giving them a spritz of starch - just whatever you happen to have on hand. This is a personal preference only and it is completely up to you whether you want to do/try this step or not. Starching gives the fabric a nice "stiffness" that reduces the amount of distortion that the fabric may have a tendency to have (especially with smaller pieces), plus it makes the pieces easier to handle.

Some quilters starch their fabrics for each and every project they do; some do it for only projects with very tiny pieces; and some people never do it. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to preparing fabrics .... when I get the sewing bug I just want to sew! BUT, I am doing it this time 😇😇, and this is what I did ....

After pressing my fat eighths I pinned them to either side of my ironing board, spray starched them and left them to dry overnight. You can also spray starch on your ironing board by thoroughly spraying one side of your fabric and letting it rest for a few seconds, then turn it over and press from the other side. Spray this side, let rest a few seconds, turn it over and press from the other side. Basically by doing this process you are not ironing directly on wet starch and there will be less chance of flaking and scorching. This makes for a lovely "stiff" fabric that is so nice to work with. The background fabric is easier to starch after you have made the required cuts as the pieces are a more manageable size to work with on your ironing board.

On a bit of a side note here .... I hope that the starch you are going to use is a newer vintage than mine (I love the bouffant hair on the product model!). I think I inherited this and it has been on the shelf for a while .... what a perfect time to pull it down and make use of it! The price on the top of the can is $1.96 .... no idea what the price is today but it still seems to be working just fine. It's always good to try new things (or old in this case)! You do not need to purchase an expensive starch ... whatever is available in your local store is just fine.

Cutting the Fabrics

If you don't have the pattern it's still not too late to order! It's a PDF, so you will have it in minutes after ordering and then you can get started right away.

This week we will cut the background fabrics.



We will start by cutting the largest pieces ("G" first and then "H") from your background fabric because there will be a large piece of leftover fabric that can be used for some of the smaller background pieces.

Some people say, and I do not listen 😉, that you should never use your cutting mat for making large cuts. I have always used my cutting mat for large cuts .... the widest ruler in my studio is 6" and any cut I need to make that is wider than that I rely on my cutting mat measurements.



The "G" strip is a fairly wide strip to cut and the best way to do that is to have your fabric folded into fourths (selvedge to selvedge and then fold in half), then line up the left edge with the zero line on your mat and using the numbers along the bottom edge of the mat, locate the measurement that you need. Place your ruler on the bottom marking and then find the same measurement at the top edge of the fabric on the mat, and make your cut. (Refer to Photo Above)

Open up the strip so it is now double instead of in fourths, and cut the required squares for "G", set aside.

Now cut the required number of squares for "H".

Following the pattern make any required sub-cuts for "G" and "H".

First Sub-Cut - corner to corner.

Second Sub-cut (if required), corner to corner again.

After the cuts for "G" and "H" have been made from this large strip you will have a large piece left over and instead of setting it aside I proceeded to cut a few of the other background cuts .... following the cutting list I was able to cut some smaller squares and rectangles. By keeping track of the number that you cut you be able to cut a few less strips than called for in the cutting directions. This is completely up to you - the background fabric requirements are sufficient to do it either way.

Following the pattern continue cutting the required background strips for "A", "D", "E", and "F", and then sub-cutting into squares and rectangles as required. It's also a good idea to place a label next to each little stack .... I find it is easier than referring back to the pattern all the time in the construction process.

That's it for this week!

Next week (January 25th) we will continue cutting and start working on the star units.

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If you have any questions please leave a comment or email me.

'til next time

QB