Welcome to Week 2 of the Star Adventure SAL! Last week we talked about different design paths you can take on your own Star Adventure, the type of Stars you can create, color palettes and lots of mock ups! I hope you found some inspiration.
If you are just joining, welcome! Be sure you have grabbed the Star Adventure Quilt Pattern, signed up for the weekly reminder emails (this goes out on Saturdays), picked your fabric and read the Week 1 blogpost. Also, there is a Star Adventure SAL general information blogpost to read as well.
For Week 2, we will be cutting out all of our fabric and mixing our blocks together. This is one of my favorite weeks!
POST TO INSTAGRAM
Week 2: Post a photo of your cut fabrics or your mixed + match block piles. Be sure to use the #staradventuresal hashtag to be entered into this week's giveaway.
You must post by Thursday October 5th at 11:59pm PST to be entered into the Week 2 giveaway. Each week starts fresh on Fridays and the previous weeks post won't count for the next week's prize.
The weekly prizes will include a custom 12 piece FQ bundle curated by Meghan, Ponderosa Thread Gloss kindly provided by Paige Anderson, and one other notion gifted by Then Came June! You will be contacted when you win and then you get to let me know the color palette you are interested in - all blues, neutrals, rainbow, etc. And I will take your idea and build you a bundle! You get to also tell me if you want all solids, all prints or a mix. I can't wait to specially curate a new bundle each week! And yes, this is open to International participants.
INSTAGRAM LIVE THIS WEEK
This week, we will be hopping on an IG LIVE at 11am PST Wednesday, October 4th. We will chat about mixing + matching fabrics and a general Q&A about the SAL for anyone with questions. Once the IG LIVE is over, it will be posted onto my permanent grid for rewatching at any time.
BEFORE WE CUT
Before we get into cutting, I have a few suggestions to note.
1. Be sure to organize your fabrics. If you are doing Adventurous Assembly, that means you will have two main fabric piles to cut - Stars and Backgrounds. If you are doing the Alternating Assembly, you will prioritize Dark and Light Fabrics into their piles before cutting.
2. I recommend starching your fabrics, especially if you have some deep wrinkles in your fabrics AND if you are using wovens or any fabric that isn't quilting cotton and has a looser structure. Starching equalizes the integrity of the fabrics , making it easier to cut and keep from shifting. It's not required but I do recommend it.
3. I would also start with a fresh rotary cutting blade. It helps make the cuts smooth and crisp.
AS WE CUT
1. If you plan on making your quilt top using scrappy sashing and are using FQs, you will need to pay attention more closely to your Background Cuts. NOTE: It is only when using FQs for the Background Cuts that you can get scrappy sashing. This applies to both Alternating and Adventurous Assembly. You will need to cut the "OPTIONAL" strips first off your FQ before you make any of the other cuts.
2. As a reminder, between Adventurous Assembly and Alternating Assembly, there are different cutting guidelines.
If making the Adventurous Assembly:
(1) F8 = 1 Star OR 1 Background Cut
(1) 1/4 yard = 2 Stars OR 2 Background Cuts
(1) FQ = 2 Stars OR 2 Background Cuts with the optional scrappy sashing from the BG cut FQs
Yardage = all the cuts are the same depending on if you are using yardage for Stars or Background Cuts or both.
If making the Alternating Assembly, you first organize your fabrics into Dark and Light and then:
(1) F8 = 1 Star OR 1 Background Cut
(1) 1/4 yard = 1 Star AND 1 Background Cut
(1) FQ = 1 Star AND 1 Background Cut with the optional scrappy sashing from whichever color way you are making the sashing from - the Dark or Light Fabrics
Yardage = It will be a mixture of cuts to accommodate the alternating look of the Dark and Light fabrics
3. Once you have finished cutting each precut (F8, FQ, 1/4 yard) keep them together. You will want to keep all of your cut fabrics together by fabric NOT by cut yet. When we get to mixing + matching, we will start dividing out our fabric cuts.
4. Sashing strips can be kept together and set aside as they are not needed until Week 8 of the SAL.
MEGHAN'S CUT PILES
ALYSSON'S CUT PILES
ORGANIZE YOUR FABRICS + MAKE YOUR BLOCK PILES
Now that all of our fabrics are cut out, it's time to organize them and make our piles according to the design path we are taking and whichever Star Style we are sewing.
ADVENTUROUS ASSEMBLY
If you are sewing your quilt with Solid Stars, you will have only TWO fabrics in a single block. One fabric makes the Stars and the other fabric makes the Background Cuts.
If you are sewing your quilt with Mixed Stars, you will have THREE fabrics in a single block. One fabric is the Background Cuts, one is the Star Points and one is the Center Star Square.
If you are sewing your quilt with Scrappy Stars, you will NOT make block piles yet. You will prioritize mixing + matching all of the HSTs cuts between Star and Background cuts. You will need to make all of your HSTs first, then when those are sewn and trimmed, you will go back and make your scrappy block piles.
ALTERNATING ASSEMBLY
The Alternating Assembly is meant to highlight the bold contrast between Dark and Light fabrics. The best way to highlight the contrast in the quilt top is by using the Solid Star Style. You can still use the Mixed Up Star Style too, it creates a slightly less bold look but still very fun!
MEGHAN'S BLOCK PILES
I am making the Large Throw in the Adventurous Assembly with Mixed Up Stars. So I laid out all of my Background Cuts and then added in a HST square and a center square from two different fabrics. And then our sashing is cut from yardage in Kona Roasted Pecan.
ALYSSON'S CUT PILES
Alysson is making the Medium Throw out of FQs, using the Solid Star Style and scrappy sashing. Again, we laid out all of our Background Fabric cuts and then paired each one with the same fabrics for the Star Cuts. And the sashing for this quilt will be scrappy and cut from the Background Fabrics.
TIPS + SUGGESTIONS FOR MIXING + MATCHING
My general rule of thumb for mixing + matching fabrics throughout a Star Adventure quilt top is pretty simple. I like the rule of thirds.
1 third of blocks should be a bit bolder - say a very saturated blue and pink - two fabrics that really pack a punch. This works well for three colors (Mixed Up Stars), make sure you add another impactful color.
1 third of blocks should be more muted - lower volume, more similar tones - soft pink and soft peach. Again, when mixing 3 colors, keep them all similar in their softness.
1 third of blocks are a combination of bold and muted. Pair a more saturated fabric with a more muted fabric.
The combination of all three of these blocks adds a great depth and variety to the final quilt top. It also helps lessen the stress of trying to "equally" divide colors, hues, saturations and tones.
I also think the rule of thirds can easily apply to mixing prints. And instead of just looking at the color of a print fabric, I look at the scale of the print. Is it a large scale repeat? Medium? Small? Mix them all up!
I would not overthink the mixing + matching. If you love all your fabrics you've picked, then you will love the final quilt.
STAR ADVENTURE SAL SHOW + TELL EVENT
We are excited to host an in-person community event for those who are participating in the Star Adventure SAL! Come to our studio to partake in a Star Adventure Show + Tell. The studio will be open exclusively for SAL participants and a sign up form will be sent out next week hopefully. Stay tuned!
WEEK 1 WINNER
The Week 6 Winner of a custom made FQ Bundle by me, thread gloss by Ponderosa Thread Gloss and a Grab It Magnetic pin holder is @sarahb_sews!! Please email us at hello@thencamejune.com so we can start working on your bundle!
