I am excited to share with you my newest Meadow Star quilt today! We launched our newest pattern, Meadow Star, in September and for the release we made three samples - the Cover Quilt, the Veranda Quilt and the Speckled Quilt. All three of these samples showcases our Mix + Match design style using either Half Yards or Fat Quarters.
Our pattern also includes an Alternating design that uses yardage for a more cohesive look and I had yet to make a sample of this design.
I had been waiting for this gorgeous dragon fruit gingham print to arrive from Robert Kaufman and when it came in, I knew I had to use it in a project. Here are the two mock ups I created - both using a blue for background but one was a little deeper and linen so it had more depth. The other blue was a quilting cotton that was more tonal and subtle and it was Alysson who sold me on using the linen because she thought the added weight would be beautiful. She won. And was right.
Subtle blue quilting cotton for the background:
Linen deeper blue for background:
I love how glowly this quilt was looking. I think by having the stars and the immediate color surrounding it be in the same color family adds to that depth. Here are the colors we used:
Block A: Color 1 - Kona Gold, Color 2 - Bella Geranium, Color 3 - Dragon Fruit Kitchen Window Wovens Gingham
Block B: Color 1 - Kona Grapemist, Color 2 - Chartreuse Kitchen Window Wovens Gingham, Color 3 - Bella Electric Lemon
The colors are so vibrant and yet soothing in real life. They speak to each other in a real lively way.
Cutting this quilt out went quick and sewing it up is amazing because it is chain piecing heaven. Because there are only two repeating blocks, you can batch sew all of them at one time or break them into sections of 4 or 5 blocks. Either way, it makes the cutting and sewing process enjoyable and quick.
I am not sure which block I like more - the red and gold one or the acid lime and soft blue?
I do enjoy the way they are contrasted from each other but also bounce off each other.
Once all the blocks were sewn, the quilt top assembly went fast. There is no hemming and hawing over layout because there is only one layout, an alternating black and forth of each block.
I knew while I was making this quilt that I would definitely be keeping and taking it home with me. I love interiors and home decor, I went to school for visual merchandising with an emphasis in interiors. But so much of my work is sewing for patterns and projects that I don't usually sew often for personal reasons. But as I was working on this one, I realized the pop of red and acid lime would be beautiful in our living room. I have heard that every room should have one pop of red to inject life and vitality.
I sent this quilt quickly off to Emily of So Sunny Quilts to longarm quilting. I chose the Wavy Seas pantograph because I wanted soft movement throughout the quilt that mimicked a breeze or leaves bustling in the wind. It turned out better than I could have hoped.
I spent awhile trying to decide on what fabric to use for my binding. I thought about using one of the ginghams in the quilt top, using solids maybe but I couldn't make up my mind. I kept going back to my classic black and white gingham but I couldn't move fully past this taupe and red gingham. I decided I would use mostly the black and white with one strip being in the red gingham for a pop of something different. Sometimes it's not about all in or all out when making a design decision but figuring out how to pair the best of both options.
