Not a lot of sewing going on around here this week. Mainly because there was a LOT of other non-sewing stuff going on. But I realized I never shared my finished sentimental Liberty Stars quilt that I pieced before Christmas, so that would be fun to share. It's my new favorite winter quilt.
I still promise to write a tutorial for this quilt. I hesitated to share this one now because the tutorial is not ready. But since we're having a snowy day, I thought it would be a good day for capturing and sharing this cozy winter-y quilt.
I'm planning to make a non-winter version of this quilt as well and will share the full tutorial then - probably in the spring. Hopefully. If you're anxious to start something now, you can use the Sawtooth Star tutorial to make 10" x 10" blocks.
POST UPDATE: Sentimental Stars pattern available HERE.
Here is a shot of the full finished quilt. I wanted to capture it with the gently falling snow and snow-covered trees in the background. The pretty falling snow looks more like smudged streaks and fuzzy spots in front of the quilt, so so much for that idea. But shout-out goes to my willing quilt-holder for standing out in the wet snow for this one.
I love how the navy changes the look from specifically a "Christmas" quilt to a quilt that feels perfect for sticking around all winter.
To add some winter coziness to this quilt (and to use what I already had in my stash) I used this navy and green plaid flannel. It matched PERFECTLY. I wish I could remember where it came from - I got it a while back because I loved it - but not sure what I would do with it. I'm so glad it found the perfect home. (My best guess is that it was from the Plaiditude collection at Joann's which are available every Fall.)
The fabrics in the stars from this quilt are from A Festive Collection of quilting cotton prints by Liberty of London. I've still seen them available on Etsy. This quilt does not require a lot of each fabric - a ¼ yard or Fat Quarter would be plenty for the stars. I still need to do work out fabric requirements for the background, sashing and binding, but those are basics that should be around for a while.
The borders are Liberty basic Wiltshire Shadow blender in Indigo and an older Liberty Christmas print, also from my stash. (This one is out of print now and pretty scarce. I haven't been able to find a source. Sorry. But you could use another green print from The Festive Collection. A ½ yard would be plenty.
I love that it looks (and feels) cozy on my blue chair through the winter. (Tartan plaid pillow from Ikea. I got this Union Jack pillow awhile back from Amazon. The one I got is no longer in stock, but I found a similar one here.)
Here's part of the behind-the-scenes of what is going here besides sewing. But first a story about carpet. Last fall we were finally ready to take action on repainting and re-carpeting the four bedrooms on our second floor. It was WAY overdue as the carpet and paint had all been in the house when we moved in over 10 years ago - and it wasn't in the greatest shape then. But the thought of moving everything out of our second floor to be able to re-carpet felt SO overwhelming - especially after having to move everything out of out main floor just a few months before due to a kitchen flood/disaster.
So I came up with the genius plan to do one half of that floor at a time. Right before Thanksgiving 2019, we moved everything out of two of the bedrooms so they could be painted while we were out of town for the holiday and the carpet went in on Monday when we got back. Felt so good to get that done! From there, the plan was to get through the Christmas holiday season and a full house with my two oldest girls home for the break between university semesters, let my hand heal, and then gird up our loins and finish the remaining two bedrooms in January.
The carpet installer left a line in the middle of the hallway where he would pick up a few weeks later.
Little did we know what 2020 had in store...
January was the beginning of our son's mysterious health crash and I was purely in survival mode. By the beginning of March we were starting to figure out what was going on with his health and I thought, "I've got to get this paint and carpet done before my girls move home from school at the end of April."
And then 2020 laughed in my face...
So, needless to say, here we are, February of 2021. We lived with the carpet line of demarcation in the middle of our hallway for a year. But as of this week we are finally DONE with the upheaval of moving everything out our the final 2 bedrooms (including my own), repainting and finally replacing that yucky old carpet.
Also included in the bedroom makeover: a wall of Pax Wardrobes for Quilt (and everything else) storage. I am SO EXCITED.
I promise to show pictures once everything is put together. (Which may take some time. You know how Ikea assemblies go...)
Pati Christian
Love that wintery quilt!
Susan Wilder-Madsen
I thoroughly enjoy your blog. Have used several of your tutorials. Thank you for sharing your talents!
Amy
Thank you, Susan!
cherri urban
I love this pattern! Can't wait for the tutorial.
Little Quiltsong
What a lovely Wintery Quilt - love the star blocks and beautiful flannel on the back. Wishing you all the best with the rest of your renovations. Looking forward to seeing your exciting news. So, so sorry for all the health problems with your son and then yourself. Hopefully everyone is totally on the mend now. Hugs, Amy!
Tanya Mace Mace
Wow... you are SO productive and upbeat with all that going on in your life! I LOVE the quilt, can't wait for the tutorial. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. God bless you.
Margot
We did this trick 3 years ago. It was intimidating but we painted everything after we finished up bathroom remodeling (2 upstairs) and then did the carpet all at once. Our carpet guy was really great about splitting the project up and scheduling it in a couple of days separated by a couple of days. It feels so good to have it all fresh and done - enjoy!
Robby H.
Funny how that border takes you from "Christmas" quilt to "winter" quilt, but so clever. Oh my, you certainly picked the almost perfect awful time on getting that carpet done. But you're on the home stretch now. We're in a similar situation, but I think as soon as the pandemic gets a shade better we will be moving out and doing a bit more work than carpet and paint. You know, every millennium or so you need to update. Ha!
jantaber
I love this quilt, Amy! I bought a bundle of Liberty's Winter Garden prints a couple of weeks ago, thanks to you 🙂 and I've been trying to decide what to do with them. I think this would be just right! I notice that you made one star block in each row with a light center square rather than the print. Was this on purpose, to give it added interest, or were you making the most of the fabric you had? Just curious because I like to "figure out" a quilt and its design. Either way, it just adds to the overall design. Thank you for ALWAYS inspiring me in one way or another.
Amy
That is a great question! I was originally going to make all of the blocks with the "cut-out" center, but changed my mind because I wanted to be able to see and use more of the fabric prints. So I decided to make the rest of the blocks with a 'solid' center. I was going to replace the 'cut-out' blocks, but decided to just throw them in the mix. (Partly, it was just because I was too lazy to make more blocks. 😉 )
Rosemary B
sometimes..... things take foreverrrrrr
other times, yikes we are wading in rapids.
Your house looks great now.
I love this quilt. So pretty and it looks cozy
Amy
Thank you, Rosemary! It feels good to finally make some progress on something that has been on my "to-do" list forever. Hooray!
I hope you are all keeping well where you are. xo
Carol
I love your quilt! This is quickly becoming one of my favorite blocks! Can' t wait for the tutorial and the pictures of the upstairs makeover! We have lots of family visiting after my son's wedding in June. Time for me to finish my upstairs also.
Laurie B
This is quilt is gorgeous Amy ❤️
Amy
Thank you, Laurie. 🙂
Broadway Fabrics
Wonderful winter quilt.