Nautical Stars

Inspired by Picking Violets from designer Nancy Rink of Nancy Rink Designs

Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

Machine quilters: Marie Eldredge and Vicki Hoth of Handi Quilter

• 1 yard solid white (blocks, sashing)
• 1⁄4 yard each blue lighthouse print and cream sailboat print (blocks)
• 1⁄2 yard solid dark blue (blocks, sashing)
• 1⁄3 yard solid light blue (blocks)
• 2⁄3 yard solid red (blocks)
• 1⁄3 yard red stripe (inner border)
• 1 yard blue sailboat print (outer border)
• 3-1⁄8 yards backing fabric
• 55" square batting

Finished quilt: 46-1⁄2" square

Finished blocks: 12" square

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

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.

Cut pieces in the following order.

From solid white, cut:

• 64--2-1⁄2" squares
• 1--1-1⁄2×29" strip
• 2--1-1⁄2×15" strips
• 2--1-1⁄2×14" strips
• 24--1-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" strips
• 4--1-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 20--1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangles

From each of blue lighthouse print and cream sailboat print, cut:

• 10--2-1⁄2" squares
• 1--1-1⁄2×14" strip

From solid dark blue, cut:

• 24--2-1⁄2" squares
• 2--1-1⁄2×29" strips
• 12--1-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" strips
• 1--1-1⁄2×15" strip

From solid light blue, cut:

• 16--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 8--2-1⁄2" squares
• 4--1-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 4--1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangles

From solid red, cut:

• 5--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips
• 16--2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles
• 16--2-1⁄2" squares

From red stripe, cut:

• 2--2×36-1⁄2" inner border strips
• 2--2×33-1⁄2" inner border strips

From blue sailboat print, cut:

• 5--5-1⁄2×42" strips for outer border

1.    Sew together a solid white 1-1⁄2×14" strip and blue lighthouse print 1-1⁄2×14" strip to make Strip Set A (Diagram 1). Cut strip set into eight 1-1⁄2"-wide A segments.

2.    Sew together a solid white 1-1⁄2×14" strip and a cream sailboat print 1-1⁄2×14" strip to make Strip Set B (Diagram 2). Cut strip set into eight 1-1⁄2"-wide segments.

3.    Referring to Diagram 3, sew together a solid white 1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangle and an A segment to make a blue corner unit. The unit should be 2-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make eight blue corner units total.

4.    Repeat Step 3 with B segments to make eight cream corner units (Diagram 4).

5.    Referring to Diagram 5, lay out a blue corner unit, two solid white 2-1⁄2" squares, and a blue lighthouse print 2-1⁄2" square in pairs. Sew together pieces in each pair. Join pairs to make a blue Four-Patch unit. The unit should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make eight blue Four-Patch units total.

6.    Using cream corner units, two solid white 2-1⁄2" squares, and a cream sailboat print 2-1⁄2" square, repeat Step 5 to make eight cream Four-Patch units (Diagram 6).

1.    Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of remaining solid white 2-1⁄2" squares, all solid red 2-1⁄2" squares, and 16 solid dark blue 2-1⁄2" squares.

2.    Align a marked solid white square with one end of a solid light blue 2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangle (Diagram 7; note direction of drawn line). Sew on marked line. Trim seam allowance to 1⁄4" and press open attached triangle.

3.    Align a marked solid red square with opposite end of Step 2 rectangle (Diagram 8; again note direction of drawn line). Stitch and trim as before to make a light blue unit A. The unit should be 2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

4.    Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make eight light blue A units total.

5.    Referring to Diagram 9 for placement of squares, repeat steps 2 and 3 to make eight light blue B units.

6.    Using solid red 2-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles, remaining marked solid white squares, and 16 marked solid dark blue squares, repeat steps 2 and 3 to make eight red A units and eight red B units (Diagram 10).

7.    Sew together a light blue A unit and a light blue B unit to make a light blue star point unit (Diagram 11). Press seam open. The star point unit should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make eight light blue star point units total.

8.    Repeat Step 7 using red A and B units to make eight red star point units (Diagram 12).

1.    Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of remaining solid dark blue and all solid light blue 2-1⁄2" squares.

2.    Sew solid light blue 1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" rectangles to opposite edges of a blue lighthouse 2-1⁄2" square (Diagram 13). Join solid light blue 1-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles to remaining edges.

3.    Align marked solid dark blue squares with opposite corners of Step 2 unit (Diagram 14). Sew on marked lines. Trim seam allowances to 1⁄4"; press open attached triangles. Repeat with remaining corners to make a dark blue center unit. The center unit should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

4.    Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make two dark blue center units total.

5.    Using solid white 1-1⁄2×2-1⁄2" and 1-1⁄2×4-1⁄2" rectangles, cream sailboat print 2-1⁄2" squares, and marked solid light blue squares, repeat steps 2 and 3 to make two light blue center units (Diagram 15).

1.    Referring to Diagram 16, lay out four blue Four-Patch units, four light blue star point units, and a dark blue center unit in three horizontal rows. Sew together pieces in each row. Join rows to make Block A. The block should be 12-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make two A blocks total.

2.    Using cream Four-Patch units, red star point units, and light blue center units, repeat Step 1 to make two B blocks (Diagram 17).

1.    Referring to Diagram 18, sew together two solid dark blue 1-1⁄2×29" strips and one solid white 1-1⁄2×29" strip to make Strip Set C. Cut strip set into eighteen-1-1⁄2"-wide C segments.

2.    Sew together two solid white 1-1⁄2×15" strips and one solid dark blue 1-1⁄2×15" strip to make Strip Set D (Diagram 19). Cut strip set into nine 1-1⁄2"-wide D segments.

3.    Join two C segments and one D segment to make a sashing square (Diagram 20). The sashing square should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make nine sashing squares total.

4.     Referring to Diagram 21, sew together two solid white 1-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" strips and a solid dark blue 1-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" strip to make a sashing rectangle. The sashing rectangle should be 3-1⁄2×12-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make 12 sashing rectangles total.

1.    Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out sashing squares, sashing rectangles, and alternating A and B blocks in five horizontal rows.

2.    Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward sashing rectangles. Join rows to make quilt center; press seams away from block rows. The quilt center should be 33-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

1.    Sew red stripe 2×33-1⁄2" strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add red stripe 2×36-1⁄2" strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward inner border.

2.    Cut and piece blue sailboat print 5-1⁄2×42" strips to make:

• 2--5-1⁄2×46-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--5-1⁄2×36-1⁄2" outer border strips

3.    Sew short blue sailboat print strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add long blue sailboat print 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. To give the quilting depth, Handi Quilter Educator Marie Eldredge and Handi Quilter Education Coordinator Vicki Hoth used two layers of batting-Hobbs 80⁄20 on the bottom and Hobbs wool on top. Marie first stitched in the ditch to stabilize the quilt top (Quilting Diagram). Then Vicki used the HQ Pro-Stitcher on the HQ Infinity machine to stitch an anchor motif in each block corner and tumbling along the outer border. Vicki used a ruler to stitch angled lines in the star points, parallel rows in the sashing strips, and short straight lines following the inner border stripe.

3.    Bind with solid red binding strips.