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| Midnight Stars Quilt |
When you are in love with star quilts and strong contrast, the Midnight Stars Quilt which is made by Heather Kojan is such a project that reveals well the dramatic effect of light and dark fabrics. This quilt was designed on layer cakes, so the nighttime look of the block is bold, and the four oversized star blocks would make a 72" x 72" lap - or throw-size quilt.
The reason that Quilters Love Midnight Stars:
The Midnight Stars Quilt will be remembered due to the simplicity of its piecing half-square triangles and considered use of dark and light fabrics. This contrast makes the stars look glowing like it was like twinkling in a midnight sky.
The design also has only four big star blocks as opposed to dozens of smaller stars in the design, and is therefore easier to sew without losing the visual effect. It is perfect to quilters who may be not fond of new piecing methods but desire a quilt with a dramatic design.
Materials & Preparation:
You will need to make the Midnight Stars Quilt and you will need:
- 2 Layers Cakes(r) of fabric that you prefer (e.g. the original was made out of Little Black Dress 2)
- Lighter contrasting background fabric.
- Accent fabric (a small print of black may be used to add some depth)
- Batting sized to at least 80'' x 80''
- Supporting cloths amounting to 4 yards.
Sort out your squares of layer cake before sewing, into light and dark piles, keeping the richest of the dark prints to the star points, and the lightest to the background. One may use medium prints in the background or to accent.
Construction Highlights:
1. Half-Square Triangles (HSTs):
Half and quarter 32 dark and light squares to form HST pairs. Place them on a design wall so that you have lights and darks. Apply to the diagonal, sew seams to the darker cloth, and cut to 91/2 blocks.
2. Block Layout:
The four large stars are made of trimmed HSTs and 10 sq. cut down to 91/2. Placement is paramount - be slow about positioning stars so that the contrast would be even throughout the quilt top.
3. Assembly:
You may sew the quilt in rows or construct individual large units of the star, and assemble them subsequently. When pressing, remember to smooth the seams, pin the intersections particularly where star points are, in order to maintain sharp points.
Quilting & Finishing:
After the top is finished and covered with backing and batting quilt as you desire. The free-motion or straight-line quilting can be used to give texture that embellishes the star shapes. Complete with your favorite binding - the original one has a plain frame framed with a black dot on cream.
Design Tips:
- Bold Contrast: The most noticeable thing about this quilt is the bold contrasts; select lights and darks in such a way that there is an obvious definition of the shapes of the stars.
- Layout First: Take time at the design wall - any time wasted at the design wall can be saved at the sewing machine.
- Bias Edges: long diagonal edges of HSTs are stretchable, therefore sew and press carefully to keep their shape.
The tutorial with the step-by-step instructions and photos of Midnight Stars Quilt is presented on the blog of Midnight Stars Quilt by Heather Kojan:
Visit the Moda Bake Shop site and get Free Midnight Stars Quilt Tutorial.
Midnight Stars Quilt is a vintage star quilt with contemporary appeal, ideal to be used as a throw or even as an eye-catching quilt in a living room or bedroom. It is a delight to work at, and to show; and with its broad contrasts and plentiful star-shapes is a pleasure.
