swoony stars for a Star

Can I just say - I love this quilt (top)!!

Love it!!

It turned out even better than I imagined,

due, of course,

entirely 

to the addition of the 60-some 3 and 4 inch stars.

Even though there were no new skills in this quilt,

I feel like I really mastered a consistent 1/4 in seam

on this baby

(though there are still a few not *quite* pointy points...)

and
 I cut fabric in eighths of an inch, 

which is something I never thought I'd do.

Of course,

I never really thought I'd sew 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch flying geese either...

Most fabrics were chosen primarily for color,

(as a reminder, 

my 'color story' fabric for this quilt was 

Budquette in Nightfall from Art Gallery's Emmy Grace collection)

though some were chosen especially for Jordan.

I shared a few of those choices before,

and here are a few more:

Jordan loves to read,

so I used lots of text prints.

Normally I love Lecien fabrics,

but I'm not as crazy about their text prints.

The looser weave makes the letters not line up real nicely

even with tons of starch.

She also likes to camp

and travel

and she loves animals

big cities

this is the fabric that Sally gave me

and music.

I actually bought that fabric for the treble clef,

but ended up sprinkling other bits here and there,

because they were so perfect

These
 I added because Jordan is a really great friend,

so the girls playing together

made me think of her.

Jordan got engaged

during the making of the quilt,

so it seemed fitting to give that momentous occasion

 a little nod,

so I made a little teardrop diamond.

I'm not totally crazy about it,

so instead of using it as the center of a star,

I stuck it in a filler spot.

A friend had suggested I replace the surrounding fabric

with something with more contrast.

I'm sure that would have looked nicer,

but I stuck with my original plan,

because I thought the fabric I chose was opal-ish,

and she got engaged in October....

(opal is October's stone) 

Silly; I know. 

These fabrics don't look like much,

but they're actually pretty special.

I needed something to fill a 2x10 space,

and I didn't want to use just a strip of fabric.

I also didn't want to make 5 2" stars ;-)

but I really couldn't think of another option,

so as I worked on filling all the other holes,

I prayed that I'd come up with the perfect solution for that one.

I remembered that I had a pile of pre-sewn 

red and white HSTs

that I didn't end up using in Any Which Way.

My 'reds' ranged from pink to orange,

so I thought I just *might* find something that'd work.

And wouldn't you know it - I did!

But then I heard my husband's voice,

reminding me to give the quilt what it deserved;

not to skimp or compromise.

I wondered briefly if I was.

But I knew that I wasn't.

You see,

Jordan was here with her dad that day.

The day I was showing him Tyler's quilt,

and my current project,

which led to me sharing my dream.

First with him and Tyler,

and then you all.

Jordan was excited about

and interested in my current project that day, too.

That project - was Any Which Way.

So it was absolutely perfect

that I use a piece that was originally intended for that quilt,

in Jordan's.

Ah.

This one makes me smile.

I'd ordered the ballerina girls when I found it on sale last Spring,

not knowing if Jordan had ever done ballet or not.

I figured I could use it for another quilt if she hadn't...

When I started pulling fabric for the quilt,

I texted her mom and asked.

She told me that when Jordan was little

she'd signed her up,

but when she took her to class

Jordan would just stand there (or cry).

Then she told her momma that she didn't 

need to learn how to dance;

she already knew how!

So I had to add some,

for the little girl who has always known how to dance,

and the beautiful young woman she became

who has more charm and grace

than just about anybody I know.

I wish I could send this one off to Carole to quilt.

I'm a little afraid I'm going to ruin it...
I'll just have to take it super slow.
Good thing I'm ahead of schedule :-)

linking up with crazy AmandaJean
and Main Crush Monday over at Beth's