Paperless Piecing Star Quilt

Template

Quilt Top: Before being Quilted

I made this quilt in the winter of 2013 after seeing it demonstrated at Eduquilters.org a group that meets in Satellite Beach, FL. They are a fantastic organization committed to projects like children's hunger, education kids in schools quilting, and donating quilts to homeless children and those less fortunate . Spearheaded by Margie Engel, who is a friendly force of nature and the dynamic Sheryl Milner together they hold a torch for educating the art of quilting. What a Blessing they are! I was welcomed into their group and this was one of the first projects I worked on there and it came out spectacularly. Being a novice quilter, it was gratifying to learn some techniques in a very positive way with a demonstration and then time to work on the project. I adore fabric and color.

You fold a pattern and stitch along the sides as a template

Stitching along fold

Lining up the fold of pattern with pieces of cloth

The Blocks!

An Idea I never ran with!

Stitching along fold line

Variations of what you can do with this Template!

Lining things Up!

Variations

Cutting out the block after stitching together the pieces that are sewed together along fold lines

You assemble 4 of these stitched patter pieces to create a star. Ingenious!

This is Sheryl Milner stitching along the fold

This is the Quilt after I had it quilted out and it looks fantastic. I had it professionally quilted at www.thequiltplace.com . The Quilt Place is a state of the Art Quilt Shop in Rockledge, FL run by a wonderful woman named Theresa. Not only do they have several long arm quilting machines constantly working, they have over 12,000 bolts of fantastic quilting material. I think they did a fantastic job!

These are the Quilts I made in the winter of 2013

I really loved making this series of quilts and it was a fantastic learning experience for me!

Template - Measures 6"x6"

Sheryl Milner's Instructions: 

RST=Right Sides Together

The Numbered Side of the Pattern is the WRONG side of the block. This is the side all the sewing is done.

The back side of the pattern is blank, it is the RIGHT side of the Block. This is where the fabric will show.

1. Fold the line between #1 and #2. This will be your sewing line.

2. Lay fabric for #2 Right Side Up on the Table

3. Lay the fabric for #1 Right Side down on top of #2 (basically RST with fabric #1 on top)

4. Lay paper pattern with it folded back on fabric leaving 1/4" of fabric beyond the paper. Space #1 on paper will be lid back on fabric. Pin or hold in place and unfold the paper over so you can see the sewing line.

5. Sew on the Line. You can take a couple of stitches beyond the end of the line.

6. Turn over to the fabric side and finger press the seam.

7. Fold back the paper between #2 and #3

8. Trim off the excess fabric of #2 so only 1/4" shows beyond the fold line.

9. Lay Fabric #3 with RS (Right Side) up on table.

10. Lay your pattern on top of #3 RST matching the edge of the fabrics.

11. Unfold the paper so you can see the sewing line. Sew on line.

12. repeat, repeat, repeat until all pieces are sewn on. 

13. Trim block to size leaving a 1/4" all around

14. Paper is removed after all the pieces are sewn together.

Happy Quilting,

Melissa

Seashell Strata Quilt - Using Stonehenge Fabric - Uses Jelly Roll 2.5 inchesx45inches - Fabric Strips

Finished Quilt

Seashell Strata Quilt 

Using 

Stonehenge Fabric 

 Jelly Roll 2.5"x 45" 40 Fabric Strips

I gave this Quilt to Emily because she is expecting a baby
and I am hoping she will use the quilt as a
 floor quilt this summer for the little one.
Emily loves the beach and likes things clean and simple. I thought she would like this and get a lot of use out it.

How I did it:

Quilt in Process 

pinned on an old vinyl tablecloth design wall

The Top sewed together

Supplies:
128 2.5"x45" strips of 8 different fabrics
12.5 Square Ruler
Sewing Machine and Quilting Supplies

1. Make 4 stratas (strip Pieced unit). A strata is made by sewing lengthwise 9 different strips together. Sew each strip together by sewing in a different direction each time you add a strip, this will insure a Flat strata, not curved. Must measure 18" x 45"

2. With the 12.5 Square, lay it on the strata, as shown above, cut two squares out on a diagonal, centering each and you will get a diagonal square as shown (below)

3. Now separate the seam between strip 4 and 5, of the leftover inside pieces as shown (above), turn these pieces upside down and sew strips 1 and 9 together to form another 12.5 square. Square it off with ruler and cutter.

4. Repeat this strata process 3 more times for a total of 12 blocks. Take the 12 blocks and arrange as desired

5. Take the extra pieces of sewn together state and sort them by the way the diagonal strips go together. Sew them together to make long lengthwise borders. Extra strips can be cut in half lengthwise to make the inside border of 1.25 inches and they arrange the diagonal pieced strips around the inner border for the outer border. This way you use up all your material to get the quilt top.

Note the 1.25 inch inner border
and the diagonal pieces outer borders

I had the quilt professionally quilted at The Quilt Place in Rockledge, FL. I also bought the fabric there too!I decided on a a sea shell motif quilting pattern and I used Stonehenge fabric for the Backing and Binding. I also used a variegated red, orange, and yellow thread for the Quilting. The Quilting came out wonderfully!

The effect is a strong beach motif on what looks like sand and stone. I imagined this being a quilt used on the floor for a baby and the idea is a day at the beach.

Quilt Top Measures 44" X 54" so its a good size
for a Babies floor quilt or for a small child's bed.

The Backing looks like Sand and 

with the Shell and 

Starfish Designs 

it really feels like the beach! I used a darker brown

binding fabric to frame the whole thing and I think it came out well. I think if you wanted to make this a King Size Quilt, you could use 4 of these panels sewn together or 4 jelly rolls. The effect would look more balanced in a larger quilt.  This was a good project for me to practice my skills and I also just fell in love with the Stonehenge Fabric and this was a design I had learned and wanted to try my hand at making on my own. I am happy with how it came out and I hope it gets years of love and use with the new baby.

Happy Quilting,

Melissa