I have always loved quilt tops and have collected them for many years from thrift stores and yard sales. The problem with these beautiful hand-sewn tops is that it is impossible to use them until they have been quilted as the delicate woven fabrics fall apart when washed. Not so with our 100% Organic Cotton Jersey, Alabama Indigo and Faded Leaves Jersey fabrics.
Our quilt this month is inspired by one of my favorite antique quilt tops and sewn to be the perfect lightweight cover. Made with our cotton-jersey in a single layer and a range of our Indigo, the quilt is sewn with our floating seams – described in both
Alabama Stitch Book and
Alabama Studio Style which give the effect those antique quilt tops. However, this technique eliminates the need to finish raw edges which will roll beautifully with the first washing.
The back of the is also very beautiful with the clean finished edges:
You can purchase one of our Indigo Star Quilts by contacting
steven@alabamachanin.com or make your own by following the instructions below.
Instructions for the Indigo Star Quilt:
Finished quilt measures: 57" X 72"
Supplies:
5 yards in color Organic
1/2 yard in color Midnight
1/2 yard in color Wild Dove
Patterns: Note that these patterns are based on a 3” side for the diamond shaped Pattern A, a 2 1/2" square for Pattern B and the triangle shaped Pattern C is 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" x 3 3/8"; however, you may choose to make a larger quilt by enlarging these pattern pieces. We have included a 1/4” seam allowance in our pattern and followed all of the rules for threads and stitches from our
Alabama Stitch Book and
Alabama Studio Style.
Print and trace patterns A, B, and C onto pattern paper, heavy cardstock or cardboard.
Diamond shape measures 3” finished at each edge,
Square measures 2 1/2" at each finished edge.
Triangle measures 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" x 3 3/8"
Cut out your pattern pieces.
Using your
Tailor’s Chalk, trace pattern A on your Midnight, Wild Dove, Denim, and Faded Leaves fabrics. You will need 64 pieces of each color.
Hint: Cut the fabric 2 thickness at a time for a quicker result.
Design Details:
The stars are made up of 8 blue/grey pieces. We only use 6 blue/grey colors so each star has two pieces of the same color; we suggest keeping the colors randomly dispersed so each star is unique.
We chose to add a border to our quilt. It is optional, but we love the finished look. The instructions are at the bottom.
Block Construction:
- With wrong sides together, cream thread and 1/4” from the raw edge, stitch the diagonal edge of a cream C piece to a blue/grey A piece as pictured in the illustration below.
- Make 4 pieces this way.
- With wrong sides together, cream thread and 1/4” from the raw edge, stitch the diagonal edge of a cream C piece to a blue/grey A piece as pictured in Sketch 2.
- Make 4 pieces in this way.
- With wrong sides together, and 1/4” from the raw edge, stitch together a piece made like Sketch 1 to a piece made like Sketch 2 along the long edge as pictured in Sketch 3. Stitch the cream pieces with cream thread and the blue/grey pieces with grey thread.
- Make four sections in this way.
Assemble Block:
- Layout the 4 sections made in Sketch 3 as shown in Sketch 4.
- With wrong sides together, grey thread and ¼” from the raw edge, stitch A to B and then C to D and then stitch all 4 sections together along the diagonal from point 1 to point 2 as pictured in Sketch 5.
- With wrong sides together, cream thread and 1/4” from the raw edge, stitch a cream B piece to each corner of the star by starting at the outside edge, stitch toward the inner corner of the cream B piece and continue stitching toward the other outer edge. This is quilt block.
- Make 48 quilt blocks this way.
Join Blocks:
- With wrong sides together, cream thread and 1/4” from the raw edge, stitch 2 blocks together along the right side edge as pictured in Sketch 6.
- Make 8 rows this way.
Join Rows:
- With wrong sides together, cream thread and ¼” from the raw edge, stitch the bottom edge of the first row with the top edge of the second row as pictured in Sketch 7.
- Join all 8 rows this way.
Measure for Border Pattern:
- Measure the finished width and height of quilt. The width will be used for border pattern A and the height will be used for border pattern B.
- For border pattern A take the width measurement and this will be the length of your top edge. Then measure 7” down and draw a parallel line to create your bottom edge.
- At both ends of you bottom edge measure out 7” then draw a diagonal line from the ends of the top edge to the ends of the bottom edge to create a mitered corner. See Sketch 8.
- Add ¼” seam allowance around every edge. See Sketch 9.
- For border pattern B take the height measurement and this will be the length of your top edge. Then measure 7” out and draw a parallel line to create your bottom edge.
- At both ends of you bottom edge measure out 7” then draw a diagonal line from the ends of the top edge to the ends of the bottom edge to create a mitered corner. See Sketch 10.
- Add 1/4” seam allowance around every edge.
Cut Border:
- Using tailor’s chalk trace around your border patterns onto cream fabric. Remove your pattern and cut out the border pieces along the inside line of the chalk.
- Cut out 4 border A pieces and 4 border B pieces.
Construct Border:
1. With right sides together, cream thread and ¼” from the raw edge, stitch 2 patterns A pieces together along the bottom edge.
1. Repeat for the other 2 border A pieces.
2. With right sides together, cream thread and ¼” from the raw edge stitch 2 pattern B pieces together along the bottom edge.
3. Repeat for the other 2 border B pieces.
4. With right sides together stitch the mitre edges of border pieces together to form the rectangular shape of the quilt.
5. Then fold all the seams to the inside. Trim the corners and press seams. The outside edges are now clean finished.
Attach Border:
- With top border edges and the raw outside edges of quilt, cream thread and ¼” from the edges stitch the quilt to the border on side at a time. Seam allowance should be outside and floating to match the rest of the quilt.
- Press finished quilt with warm iron and sigh.
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