I’m really excited to introduce our 2014 Block of the Month quilt, called Starstruck, and thought I’d share how this particular quilt came to be.
Designing my quilts is an iterative process. Often, what I envision at the start takes on a life of its own, and by the time my design is completed it looks very different from how I thought it would look. I enjoy the journey, and when the design is finished I have learned along the way.
When I first created the blocks for Starstruck, I wanted 12 star blocks alternated with a “setting” block. The setting blocks were completed filled in. The blocks looked lovely by themselves but when I put them together with the stars in a repeated pattern, they looked choppy.
- Original setting block
- Original setting block with star blocks
Wanting more flow to my design, I changed the alternate block. I experimented with different options and finally took some of the small squares away from the setting block so that more background showed. That improved the design tremendously.
- Final setting block
- Final Setting Block with Dark Quilt
Next I changed the dark background to a cream to give you variety. But when I added the light background I lost the design continuity I had with the deeper color, and the blocks again looked too “individual” and static.
- Quilt with light background loses continuity
This time I consulted with my staff, and together we added small dark corner triangles to each of the stars.
- Adding corner points to the stars is a subtle but effective change.
What a difference! Now the squares harmonize and look great together and the overall effect is just what I had hoped for.
- Light quilt with revised corners has continuity
What makes this quilt so enjoyable to make is that each alternating block is different to give you added variety and a new challenge each month!
In my next post I’ll talk about how the Starstruck quilt’s color ways came to be.
Happy Quilting!
Lapis & Jade is a new Jinny Beyer quilt featured in the March/April 2014 issue of McCall’s Quilting magazine.
Jinny recently responded to questions from the folks at Fat Quarter Shop about her design process and her first batik fabric collection.
Jinny has been piecing on the go for decades so she has all of this down pat. Here’s what she always carries:
I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Indonesia. The trip was in two parts. First I visited the company in Solo that is printing my batik collections. I was able to see the entire process from start to finish. Everything is done by hand and it is amazing to watch the process. I came away in awe that we pay so little per yard for the amount of labor that goes into each pattern.
