Color Your Stars

Inspired by: Simply Bold from designer Krystina Hopkins

Quilt tester: Colleen Tauke

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

• 3⁄8 yard gray print (blocks)
• 1⁄4 yard yellow print (blocks)
• 1--14" square each of red, blue, pink, turquoise, black, light blue, and purple prints (blocks, inner border)
• 1-5⁄8 yards solid gray (blocks, inner border, outer border, binding)
• 3-1⁄8 yards backing fabric
• 55"-square batting

Finished quilt: 46 -1⁄2" square

Finished block: 10" square

Cut pieces in the following order.

From gray print, cut:

• 8--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 16 small triangles total

From yellow print, cut:

• 4--7-5⁄8" squares

From red print, cut:

• 4--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 8 small triangles total

From blue print, cut:

• 3--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 6 small triangles total

From pink print, cut:

• 3--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 6 small triangles total

From turquoise print, cut:

• 3--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 6 small triangles total

From black print, cut:

• 2--57⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 4 small triangles total

From light blue print, cut:

• 1--7-5⁄8" square

From purple print, cut:

• 3--5-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 6 small triangles total

From solid gray, cut:

• 5--3-1⁄2×42" strips for outer border
• 5--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips
• 2--11-1⁄4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for 8 large triangles total
• 4--7-5⁄8" squares
• 4--5-1⁄2×10-1⁄2" rectangles
• 4--5-1⁄2" squares

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric.

1. Referring to Diagram 1, sew gray print small triangles to opposite edges of a yellow print 7-5⁄8" square. Add gray print small triangles to remaining edges to make a yellow block. The block should be 10-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four yellow blocks total.

2. Using two red print small triangles, one blue print small triangle, one pink small triangle, and one solid gray 7-5⁄8" square, repeat Step 1 to make a blue-pink block (Diagram 2).

3. Using two red print small triangles, one blue print small triangle, one turquoise small triangle, and one solid gray 7-5⁄8" square, repeat Step 1 to make a blue-turquoise block (Diagram 3).

4. Using four black print small triangles and light blue print 7-5⁄8" square, repeat Step 1 to make a black block (Diagram 4).

5. Using two red print small triangles, one pink print small triangle, one purple small triangle, and one solid gray 7-5⁄8" square, repeat Step 1 to make a pink-purple block (Diagram 5).

6. Using two red print small triangles, one turquoise print small triangle, one purple print small triangle, and remaining solid gray 7-5⁄8" square, repeat Step 1 to make a turquoise-purple block (Diagram 6).

7. Referring to Diagram 7, sew together a blue print small triangle and a solid gray large triangle. Add a second blue print small triangle to make a blue Flying Geese unit. The unit should be 5-1⁄2×10-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second blue Flying Geese unit.

8. Using remaining pink, turquoise, and purple print small triangles and remaining solid gray large triangles, repeat Step 7 to make two pink, two turquoise, and two purple Flying Geese units.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram for color placement, arrange blocks in three rows. Join blocks in rows. Press seams in one direction, alternating direction with each row. Join rows to make quilt center; press seams in one direction. The quilt center should be 30-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

2. Again referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram for color placement, sew together two Flying Geese units and a solid gray 5-1⁄2×10-1⁄2" rectangle to make a short inner border strip. Press seams open. Repeat to make four short inner border strips total. Add solid gray 5-1⁄2" squares to each end of two short inner border strips to make two long inner border strips.

3. Join short inner border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add long inner border strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward inner border. The quilt center now should be 40-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

4. Sew together solid gray 3-1⁄2×42" strips to make:

• 2--3-1⁄2×46-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--3-1⁄2×40-1⁄2" outer border strips

5. Sew short outer border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add long outer border strips to remaining edges to complete quilt top. Press all seams toward outer border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2. Quilt as desired. Handi Quilter Educator Marie Eldredge echo-quilted triangles in each star point and black print small triangle (Quilting Diagram). She machine-quilted a grid pattern in the light blue square and each solid gray square, rectangle, and large triangle. She outlined some of the grids with a vine-and-leaf pattern. In each yellow square she quilted a flower on a grid background. In each gray print small triangle, she quilted a half-circle filled with straight lines and leaves. To finish, she created a diamond design in the outer border.

3. Bind with solid gray binding strips.