I'm a Cover Girl for APQ

My project is featured on the cover of June 2016 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine! See my project, as well as other featured projects from this issue.  Wow, do they ever make my quilt look good.  Just pinch me!!!

Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2016 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. 

It's currently hanging up at a LQS in my area,  Fabric Etc, in Bellingham, WA

Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2016 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. 

Here is the quilt when it was just a top.  I love pinning them to my old weathered fence for photo shoots.  This top was finished in July, what a surprise.  I always seem to be inspired by holidays or events and feel the urge to start something new.

I'd purchased the templates for this star block in late June and after making one star, I made another and another, varying the prints and color placements.  Just like potato chips, I couldn't stop after one!

Then came the secondary block. I originally thought these pieced star blocks would be set on point, but after playing around, I liked the idea of adding some appliques to lighten up the whole piece.  The background fabric is Primitive Muslin - color 22 by Primitive Gatherings for Moda.

Plus it was a great way to use up the scraps that were left over from the piecing.  I used every patriotic print that I had, and I think this one was from the very first quilted piece I made.  A red, white, and blue table runner for my mom, and I even hand quilted it with red thread.  What was I thinking?  But I digress........I love using the blanket stitch for my machine applique, and you can enlarge all these pictures.

Here is the piece on my long arm while I did the quilting.  Batting is Hobbs wool, one layer. A lot of ruler action going on.

The back looks pretty good too.  Solid light backing makes for a great secondary pattern on this piece.  I love running my hand over the backing to feel the texture.  Using wool really enhances the quilting. 

Hot off the machine, not even trimmed or bound at this point.  My quilts get washed and blocked out before sending them off for photo shoots, it just makes them look that much better.
 

It has been such a great experience working with Elizabeth at American Patchwork and Quilting.  She keeps me in the loop, gives me plenty of time to get the quilting and binding done and has been so professional with all my dealings with her.  They send me proofs of the layout so I can double check things, they pattern test and truly do a fabulous job.  Hats off to them.

So if you haven't got this delivered to your door, please take a look at it when you see it at your LQS or on the news stand. There are great quilts in this issue, and the secondary color choices might surprise you. We gravitate to our favorite colors and sometimess it's the "other" option that sings to us.

I will be posting a detailed, step by step tutorial on the star block, Give it a Whirl, so stay tuned.

Keep stitching,
Sharon