Rising Star Wall Hanging

Inspired by: A Star Is Born from designers Jo Kramer and Kelli Hanken

Quilt tester: Diane Tomlinson

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

• 18×21" piece (fat quarter) each mottled red and red print (block)
• 1 yard cream print (block, inner border)
• 1/2 yard total assorted prints in red, white, tan, and blue (outer border)
• 1 yard mottled blue (outer border, binding)
• 2-7/8 yards backing fabric
• 51"-square batting

Finished quilt: 42-1/2" square

Finished block: 18" square

Cut pieces in the following order.

From each mottled red and red print fat quarter, cut:

• 2—5-3/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 4 triangles total
• 2—5" squares

From cream print, cut:

• 4—5-3/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 8 triangles total
• 4—5" squares
• 2—4×25-1/2" strips
• 2—4×18-1/2" strips
• 42—3-3/8" squares
• 4—3×5-1/2" rectangles
• 4—3" squares

From assorted prints, cut:

• 42—3-3/8" squares

From mottled blue, cut:

• 4—4×42" strips for outer border
• 5—2-1/2×42" binding strips

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. Sew together a mottled red print triangle and a cream print triangle to make a mottled red large triangle-square (Diagram 1). The large triangle-square should be 5" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four mottled red large triangle-squares total.

2. Repeat Step 1 using red print triangles and remaining cream print triangles to make four red print large triangle-squares.

3. Referring to Diagram 2, lay out large triangle-squares, cream print 5" squares, mottled red 5" squares, and red print 5" squares in four rows. Sew together pieces in rows; join rows to make a Star block. The block should be 18-1/2" square including seam allowances.

4. Referring to Diagram 3, sew cream print 4×18-1/2" strips to opposite edges of block. Join cream print 4×25-1/2" strips to remaining edges to make quilt center. The quilt center should be 25-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on one side of each cream print 3-3/8" square.

2. Layer a marked cream print square atop an assorted print 3-3/8" square. Sew together with two seams, stitching 1/4" on each side of drawn line (Diagram 4). Cut pair apart on drawn line; press open to make two small triangle-squares. Each small triangle-square should be 3" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 84 small triangle-squares total.

3. Referring to Diagram 5, sew together four small triangle-squares in pairs. Join pairs to make a border unit. The unit should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 20 border units total.

4. Referring to Diagram 6, sew together a small triangle-square and a cream print 3" square. Add a cream print 3×5-1/2" rectangle to make a border corner unit. The unit should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four border corner units total.

1. Referring to Diagram 7, lay out 10 border units in two rows. Sew together units in rows to make two short inner border strips. Each strip should be 5-1/2×25 -1/2" including seam allowances.

2. Referring to Diagram 8, lay out 10 border units and four border corner units in two rows. Sew together units in rows to make two long inner border strips. Each strip should be 5-1/2×35-1/2" including seam allowances.

3. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew 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 should now be 35-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Piece and cut mottled blue 4×42" strips to make:

• 2—4×42-1/2" outer border strips
• 2—4×35-1/2" outer border strips

2. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, 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. Johnny Barfuss, Handi Quilter studio educator, used two layers of batting, an all-wool and an 80/20 blend, for this project. To complement the red, white, and blue palette, Johnny filled the open spaces with a combination of several Americana-theme machine-quilting patterns from Wasatch Quilting Designs (Quilting Diagram).

3. Bind with mottled blue binding strips.