Star Crossed

Inspired by "Sea Glass" from designer Nancy Mahoney

Quiltmaker: Laura Boehnke

• 1/3 yard pink floral (A blocks)
• 1/4 yard green polka dot (A blocks)
• 2/3 yard green print (A and B blocks, middle border)
• 1/3 yard yellow tone-on-tone (A blocks)
• 1/8 yard turquoise floral (A blocks)
• 9x22" piece (fat eighth) red floral No. 1 (A blocks)
• 3/8 yard pink-and-green stripe (B blocks, border corners)
• 18x22" piece (fat quarter) yellow polka dot (B blocks)
• 1/2 yard brown polka dot (B blocks, inner border)
• 1 yard red floral No. 2 (outer border, binding)
• 2-3/4 yards backing fabric
• 50" square batting

Finished quilt: 43-1/2" square

Finished blocks: 10" square

Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics.

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

Cut pieces in the following order.

From pink floral, cut:

• 10--4-3/4" squares

From green polka dot, cut:

• 5--4-3/4" squares

From green print, cut:

• 4--1-3/4x33-1/2" middle border strips
• 8--1-3/4x10-1/2" rectangles
• 8--1-3/4x8" rectangles
• 5--4-3/4" squares

From yellow tone-on-tone, cut:

• 5--6-1/4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an x for 20 medium triangles total
• 20--2-1/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 40 small triangles total

From turquoise floral, cut:

• 20--1-3/4" squares

From red floral No. 1, cut:

• 5--4" squares

From pink-and-green stripe, cut:

• 2--8-3/4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an x for 8 large triangles total
• 4--5-1/2" squares

From yellow polka dot, cut:

• 2--8-3/4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an x for 8 large triangles total

From brown polka dot, cut:

• 2--2x33-1/2" inner border strips
• 2--2x30-1/2" inner border strips
• 16--3" squares

From red floral No. 2, cut:

• 5--2-1/2x42" binding strips
• 4--4-1/4x33-1/2" outer border strips

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each pink floral 4-3/4" square.

2. Layer a marked pink floral square atop each green polka-dot 4-3/4" square. Sew together each pair with two seams, stitching 1/4" on either side of drawn line (Diagram 1). Cut each pair apart on drawn line to make two triangle units. Press triangle units open, pressing seams toward green polka dot, to make 10 green polka-dot triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should be 4-3/8" square including seam allowances.

3. Referring to Diagram 2, cut each green polka-dot triangle-square in half diagonally to make 20 green polka-dot triangle units total.

4. Using green print 4-3/4" squares instead of green polka-dot squares, repeat steps 2 and 3 to make 20 green print triangle units total (Diagram 3).

5. Referring to Diagram 4, join a green polka-dot triangle unit and a green print triangle unit to make a small hourglass unit. Press seam in one direction. The unit should be 4" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 20 small hourglass units total.

6. Join yellow tone-on-tone small triangles to two adjacent edges of a turquoise floral 1-3/4" square to make a corner unit (Diagram 5). Press seams toward triangles. Repeat to make 20 corner units total.

7. Lay out four small hourglass units, four yellow tone-on-tone medium triangles, and one red floral No. 1 -- 4" square in diagonal rows (Diagram 6). Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams away from hourglass units.

8. Join rows; press seams in one direction. Add four corner units to make an A block (Diagram 6). Press seams away from corner units. The block should be 10-1/2" square including seam allowances.

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 to make five A blocks total.

1. Referring to Diagram 7, sew together two pink-and-green stripe large triangles and two yellow polka-dot large triangles in pairs. Press seams toward pink-and-green stripe triangles. Join pairs to make a large hourglass unit. Press seam in one direction. The unit should be 8" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four large hourglass units total.

2. Sew green print 1-3/4x8" rectangles to opposite edges of a large hourglass unit (Diagram 8). Add green print 1-3/4x10-1/2" rectangles to remaining edges to make a bordered unit. Press all seams toward rectangles. Repeat to make 4 bordered units total.

3. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each brown polka-dot 3" square.

4. Align a marked brown polka-dot square with one corner of a bordered unit (Diagram 9; note direction of marked line). Sew on drawn line; trim excess fabric, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle, pressing seam toward brown polka dot. In the same manner, add marked brown polka-dot squares to remaining corners of bordered unit to make a B block (Diagram 9; again note direction of marked lines). Block B should be 10-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four B blocks total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out A and B blocks in three rows, alternating blocks and positioning B blocks as shown.

2. Join blocks in each row. Press seams in one direction, alternating direction with each row.

3. Sew together rows to make quilt center. Press seams in one direction. The quilt center should be 30-1/2" square including seam allowances.

1. Join short brown polka dot inner border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Sew long brown polka dot inner border strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward inner border.

2. Aligning long edges, sew a green print middle border strip to a red floral No. 2 outer border strip to make a border unit. Press seams toward outer border strips. Repeat to make four border units total.

3. Sew border units to opposite edges of quilt center. Press seams toward inner border. Sew pink-and-green stripe 5-1/2" squares to ends of remaining border units. Press seams toward pink-and-green stripe squares. Join pieced border units to remaining edges of quilt center to complete quilt top (Quilt Assembly Diagram). Press seams toward outer border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste. Quilt as desired.

2. Bind with red floral No. 2 binding strips.