Need suggestions to put blocks together

Joanna,

I love your star blocks! As soon as I saw them, my brain automatically said to find two coordinating fabrics, a lighter one and a darker one. Use the darker one for sashing between the blocks and an inner border of equal size, then use the lighter one for a slightly larger border, then the darker one again for a final border and for binding. Needless to say, you need more yardage of the darker fabric than the lighter....but I bet it would look fantastic! No need to make more blocks either!

Great job on those stars! They look fantastic!

Dannielle

A sashing between the blocks will make your top bigger. Then add one or more borders around the quilt. You could add a frame about an inch wide to each block and then do the sashing. This would add even more to the size. Then borders to make it as big as you like.

Or you could try something other than the simple 3x4 setting. For example, I used a layout from Katie Pasquini's book "Design and Make Your Own Contemporary Sampler Quilt" to make a queen sized quilt using

Julia > Need suggestions for putting this one together. I'm thinking a lap quilt

What about getting a fabric that you like and cutting alternate squares? That makes for a bigger quilt easily.

I saw a pretty quilt where the maker didn't want to go that big so she cut rectangles instead of squares - same width as the block but only half as high. A vertical row went

rectangle block rectangle block rectangle block

Then the next vertical row started with a block and ended with a rectangle (no pesky intersections to match that way) and it looked really cool.

marcella

Love those stars Joanna! Quite alot more detailed and interesting than the BOM I completed

-- Cheers Bronnie

I'd add sashing around the blocks. There is an easy sashing and corner stone pattern that forms little stars at each corner of the sashing that would look really nice. If you need it a lot bigger you could also add whole cloth alternating blocks using a star print fabric.

And if you need it a great deal bigger you can also add a frame around each block to make them bigger.

You can do one, two, or all three of these and then decide if you want to add a border. Debra in VA See my quilts at

How big are the blocks?

My BOM Applique quilt had 8" blocks, each with a 1" frame, making them

Its more or less the same size as the BOM pieced quilt which had 12" blocks with just 1" frames and no sashings. The quillow I did for my DSis in law is 44" x 62" with 9" blocks and 4" borders with no sashings or frames.

I used Sharyn Craigs 'Great Sets' book for the Applique quilt, and also for the Christmas Tree Quilt. It has brilliant ideas for expanding blocks so that it looks as though you had planned the clever setting from the beginning. Her 'Settings Solutions' is good too. They are two books I wouldn't be without.

I second the suggestion to look at Sharyn Craig's Setting Solutions.

You can get it at the library--if it's not in the local collection, then by interlibrary loan. And you can put it on hold from your home computer!

Nann Official librarian of RCTQ

one thought that occured if you wanted it siginificantly bigger, would be to do a diagonal set, using plain fabric for alternate blocks, no need for sashing, if I've counted right, you'd need 8 plain squares the same size 10 quarter square triangle with the short edge the same as the block size and 4 half square triangles with the long edge the same as the block size. The add a border, possibly a narrow inner border as well and it would look great.

Anne

I like. :) I did a monthly Thangle sampler at an LQS about 3 years ago but not stars. Wish they had used the same patterns yours did. How about setting them on point with sashings and a border or alternate the stars with solid squares.

Joanna,

I can't add to all the great suggestions you've already received, but wanted to tell you how pretty your star blocks are. :-)

One thing you should consider is putting the blocks on point and alternating with a plain square of background fabric (to show off your quilting) or a simpler block that would compliment the stars using scrappy fabrics. then add a not so huge border and voila, you'll have a decent sized quilt.

Musicmaker

I love those settings challenges!! Here are some solutions I have made myself --

Anne > Need suggestions for putting this one together. I'm thinking a lap quilt