The Slashed Stars Quilt

I ordered some Essex yard dyed fabric in Steel the other day, but it wasn't quite right for the project I had in mind. I set it aside for a a few pondering what do with it. At some point in the course of shuffling things around, my Must.Stash bee blocks from last year fell on top of it. The bee blocks were made by eight Australian girls along with myself working from our stashes and using my free tutorial for the block. The block design is one of the outcomes of Quilt Design A Day.

I'm fortunate to know (or virtually know) each of the bee members quite well. I know what their stashes look like and I know they each have similar taste in US- and Japanese-designed fabric - albeit not usually this bold. For color reference, I pointed them to my version of the Anna Maria Horner feather quilt - loud pinks, bright corals, screaming oranges and a bit of brown. I asked that the stars and their slashes be done in any sort of charcoal.

I was giddy with the arrival of each envelope. Cherry, Melanie, Leah, Belinda, Lorena, Jenna, Kylie and Jeannette each hit the mark with their pairings. They used a combination of familiar, rare and new-to-me prints to make bright bold blocks that literally sear in person.

Because the Essex hasn't been purchased for this project, there wasn't much wiggle room in sashing and border sizes. I'd decided early on that the blocks needed some breathing space to manage their intensity. I spent a bit of time with pencil and paper plotting out how to fit everything into my cut of background fabric.

I conferred with girls in my modern quilt guild about the layout and decided that a staggered setting worked best for the stars. The shifted arrangement and the intentionally chaotic direction of the slashes helps your eye bounce from star to star. The Melbourne MQG girls helped me organize the blocks to ensure common colors and prints were separated. Of course, when I started sewing this well-planned layout went out the doors and a few were shuffled in the process. I made sure to keep the bright starting star and the dark brown coda.

I'm not sure that I'd buy Essex yarn dye fabric again, as it's a bit heavy and coarse for taste, but it does provide a nice visual texture which balances the intensely saturated blocks. I'm really happy with how this project is coming together. If you'd like to make your own slashed stars, you can find the instructions on my tutorial page.

I'd, of course, need to shout out to the Must.Stash bee members for their effort and generosity. Top work, girls!

Like many of my projects I'm not sure when it will get quilted; but Craig has assured me that when it is finished, it will be very much enjoyed.