Midnight Starflower Quilt

This is another of the quilts I made for my local gallery.  I think it may be one of my favourites, ever.  But definitely not more favourite than Katie's Sunshine Quilt.  I'm not sure that one will ever move from top spot.

I've had this giant star tutorial pinned for quite some time and had always planned to make one.  Then I saw this one on I'm A Ginger Monkey recently and suddenly I knew what to do with the little bundle of fabric I impulse bought at John Lewis a few weeks ago (I think being in John Lewis, on my own, with five children had something to do with the impulse purchase!  Although, actually, they were all very good.  Usually, on In Service days, especially if I have my niece too, we will head as far away from other people as possible and go for a walk but that day I really had to go into town.......and we had quite a lot of fun despite my pre-trip nerves!).  

So, I had a little pile of Amy Butler and Ty Pennington fabrics which I had bought because I loved them, even though they possibly aren't quite my usual style.  As soon as I associated them with a giant star quilt I knew I wanted to pair them with some of the blue prints from Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury Gardens.  I didn't really take to the Bloomsbury Garden prints too much except for Copeland Pale Blue, the print which Jo Bearpaw (Avery Homestore) highlighted as being her favourite from her stock.  I had spotted it amongst the other blues in the set which Alice (Backstitch) had chosen to sell.  So I picked out the four I though would combine best with other fabrics.

I decided to shrink the star a little so that I could add a border  - I imagined it shining in a midnight sky.  The Plain Indigo Blue by Westfalenstoffe from Dragonfly Fabrics was exactly what I had in mind for the solid border.

 And for the back I used an Ikea print which I bought ages ago.  It is such a pretty little print, I've used it to make a top for Islay, and it goes well, I think, with some extra pieces from the front.  The binding is the same plain indigo so as not to disrupt the front, but if frames the back nicely.

I have quilted it quite sparingly.  This was deliberate, I really just wanted to highlight the star and not play with it too much.  So I have quilted either side of each seam line which makes a flag-like pattern on the back.  The batting is light weight cotton giving the quilt a lovely drapey feel.  The finished dimensions are around 120cm square (or 37 inches square).  Hopefully it will find a good new home.........but if not I'll be very tempted to keep it just for me!

In other news we've been back up to Sick Kids with Angus, again - this time for a broken collar bone.  Almost 2 weeks in and he's getting on well, his left handed writing is coming on a treat!  Poor boy is being very good about it all.  The follow-up appointments seem fall on the most inconvenient days and at the most inconvenient times, but they have to be done.  Most of us have had a yucky bug which is making us fevered and tired - I'm on the mend but still very head-achy and tired.  Not fun but I guess it is the time of year for it.

Looking forward to a quiet weekend before the madness of Christmas school activities, Islay's birthday, my Grannie's birthday and so many other things start to kick in.  What are you looking forward to?!