Friday, March 2, 2018

3D Groovy Wrapped Star Finish


Wrapped Star


I have been buried deep in books about making 8 pointed stars. Construction methods, math, templates, names, and yes, new quilts I want to make this year! I think I'm in love with these versatile blocks! Technically, my 3D Groovy star is a Wrapped star as it has 4 strips to each star point, and perhaps also because of the 4 patches in the corner. I could not tease out if the pattern would still be called 'wrapped' without those, or if there were variations related to how the colors/values were used. It's nitty-gritty, but good to know.

You can see the first post about this project Star Quilt from Strips: 3D Groovy



Last weekend I needed a shift from sewing and piecing to longarming. It felt good to pin in a few quilts one after the next, and lighten the rack heavy with tops and backs. This was my first pick.




The batting is Warm & Plush, and quilting thread So Fine 50# by Superior Threads. The backing is a 44" lightweight cotton from my stash, which just squeaked by with enough room to accommodate the square top.


I used ruler work for orange peels in the 4 patches, and also for stitching in the ditch for the star stripes.



The background between the star points was stippled.


I looked down at the backing while I was photographing, and thought, "You forgot to quilt two star points!" Nope. They're hidden in the stripes, but it does create the illusion.


While I usually fuss with the borders to make sure the whole pattern is visible, this looks just as good tucked into the binding. If you need to jump in and out of a border like this, just come from the outside edge, and it will be invisible.

One or Two Borders?

I thought I was going to add an additional dark border past the aqua, but as I worked it felt too heavy. I thought the same about the binding until I reached the end of the quilting. Matching it to the backing lightened the whole appearance, and this is meant for a baby quilt. 


One last thing. This quilt feels heavenly! I'm sold on less quilting vs. more for luxurious drape and texture, but I do know that it may not last as long as one with heavier quilting. There is a trade off. I would rather a sweet quilt like this was a lovey to a baby than an heirloom, though. Now someone just needs to add a baby. 

Come on, Doxie girls.

Let's go sew.


Linking up with~




11 comments:

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That is really pretty.

Lynette said...

Heee :) I have a couple of quilts just waiting for someone to add a baby. Nice finish here, Julie. Thanks for sharing at TGIFF

Quilting Babcia said...

This is a very lovely finish. You achieved something we sometimes try but seldom succeed - mixing design/colors/patterns soft enough to serve beautifully as a baby quilt without it screaming "Baby"!

Angie in SoCal said...

Excellent! Love how your quilted the negative space and made the star 3-D like. Will save this quilting pattern for another preemie quilt.
Blessings,

Stitchin At Home said...

Love it Julie and the quilting is fab!!!

Crafty Ashley B said...

So lovely! Colors are gorgeous together.

Sandy Panagos said...

What a beautiful finish. On baby quilts do you make the binding smaller than you would on a larger quilt? It looks really tiny, but I like it.

KaHolly said...

My goodness, look at that perfect quilting!

Barb Neiwert said...

I'd loan you a baby, but I don't have one either. Yikes! I agree that a baby quilt needs to be used and loved and decimated to within an inch of its ever-lasting life! Other quilts can be made to hang on a wall; baby quilts are for comfort. And joy!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

The quilting is great. Well done. I finally found a ruler foot and purchased a couple of rulers. Now to play with them.

Christina said...

Your quilt turned out beautifully! I love the strips in each point of the star, and your longarming job was wonderfully done. Congrats on a finish!