NEW Strippy Improv Stars Pattern

This quilt has been a long time coming, and I'm glad it's finally out in the world! 

Introducing Strippy Improv Stars!  

Strippy Improv Stars uses my strippy improv technique, combining strip piecing improv-style on a foundation background with reverse applique. Get the pattern here (currently on sale!).

What adds to the fun with these stars? Gradated fabric! 

I used an Moda Ombre Galaxy Metallic jelly roll (all those gorgeous gradations in a rainbow of colors!) with four values of Moda Grunge as the background. Both the star blocks and the background move from dark to light. 

Here's a look at blocks in progress. If you don't have a gradated jelly roll, no worries! You can create the same look with your scraps. Just look for five different values for each star. 

And all my blocks, before applique: 

I use Thermoweb's HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive for my blocks - I love how easily the paper peels off and how well it adheres. (Full disclosure - I'm on the Thermoweb design team, but I loved their fusible before I joined the team!). 

Here's another look at the quilt - don't you just love how those stars pop off the various backgrounds?!?!

The Strippy Improv Stars pattern is now available in my Etsy shop. And through 6/22, the pattern is $2 off using code STAR2OFF. Get yours today!

Here's a look at the fabric requirements:

And one more beauty shop of the ombre stars:

Star Crossing QAL: Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the Star Crossing QAL!
I'm so glad you've decided to join the fun!

If you still need to purchase the pattern, you can find it here. 

Week 1 is all about fabric selection. 

Sometimes I design a quilt with fabrics in mind, and sometimes I design a quilt and then find the perfect fabric. When I saw these rainbow prints (Over the Rainbow by Ampersand Design Studio) from Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, I was smitten. I knew they'd work perfectly with my Star Crossing design. 

Sidenote: Isn't that selvedge adorable?!

I started with the prints--I knew where the stripe would go, but needed to figure out spots for the large and small rainbows and the dots. I really wanted to use the tiny rainbow stripe on the quilt front, but it was too busy for a background and didn't have enough contrast for the stars. So it became the backing. 

Next came selecting the solids for the medium and small stars. I passed on blue, since already had a blue in the dot fabric. I chose four main rainbow colors featured in the prints. I knew they'd pop against the white background, and I liked that they were two sets of complementary colors. I paired them up like that in the design as well--the purple and yellow are adjacent to each other, as are the red and green--for maximum pop. 

Painter's Palette Solids: Lipstick 121-066, Lemon Ice 121-087, Jade 121-039, Purple 121-047

A suggestion about background fabric choices: Consider carefully if you want to use a directional fabric. If you're using a solid or a non-directional print, there's no extra thinking required. If you choose a directional print, you have two options: 1) ignore the directionality (works well with something like at newspaper-style text print), or 2) do careful cutting to keep your fabric "face up." I'll talk more about this during cutting next week, but i wanted to point it out this week. 

Here's my completed fabric selection:

What fabrics will you choose? 

Leave a comment below or post on IG using:

 @lisaerin1121

 #starcrossingquiltalong 

#starcrossingweek1

Quilt Along schedule:

March 12: Fabric selection
March 18: Cutting

March 25: Small and medium stars

April 2: Center star and assembly (I can't promise there won't be some April Fool's jokes...)

April 9: Machine quilting

April 22: Binding

The downloadable version of the Star Crossing pattern is on sale in my Etsy shop, so grab your copy today!

Purchase the pattern (currently 20% off!) here.

*Bring a friend deal: Get a friend to sign up for the QAL and purchase the pattern, and you'll receive 20% off an additional pattern of your choice! 

Simply email me your friend's name and I'll email you the coupon.

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In addition, Pam and Diane, the lovely ladies at Piece, Love and Quilting, are offering a special deal to QAL participants:

25% off computerized edge to edge long arm quilting 

(including batting) for Star Crossing quilts

Contact them via FB or IG to take advantage of this discount!

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Over the Rainbow fabrics

If you'd like to use the same fabrics, here are some shops carrying them (please contact me if you know of any others and I'll add them in!):

Sewcial Stitch

Fabric.com

Fabric Bubb

The Stitching Post

OMG: Time for some machine quilting!

I was searching my computer this morning for a photo of the quilt top that I'm planning to quilt in July as my One Monthly Goal. And I couldn't find it. Which made me realize that I hadn't shared it yet here on the blog!

Love the stained glass effect from the light shining through.

This quilt is another made from my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. In addition to the 25-patches, I sewed a 12-1/2" square of made fabric in each month's color. My plans for these squares changed several times until I saw this quilt by Rachel from In Color Order. 

My version uses black as the background--there was enough going on in the star that I didn't need more color! Once I finished the made fabric squares, this quilt went together really quickly. Using sixteen 12" square blocks will do that for you! 

So my July goal is to quilt this quilt! I'm thinking straight lines. Thanks as always to Heidi at Red Letter Quilts for hosting this monthly kick-in-the-butt!