stellar mosaic, squared

I got to pattern test for Fran of Cotton and Joy Patterns

(this is actually my second time testing for her;

the first time I never posted about it here...

but you can find quite a few photos on Instagram)

I've been on a mission to create lots of Christmas / Winter quilts

for our home for a while now,

and I knew this striking design

 would be perfect for Brandon's/the guestroom's bed.

I started with a fat quarter bundle of Alison Glass' Holiday fabric

and 

of course

added more,

because we all know

 I am just not a '1 fabric line' kind of girl.

I reeeally wanted to use the gray metallic brushed fabric

from Ruby Star Society

as my background.

I thought it was just enough 'directional fabric' 

to be a challenge,

but there weren't actual stripes to have to try to line up.

The gold would add a festive bling

without being too feminine on that steely background.

I was worried about it matching

(grays can be tricky)

but didn't really have time to order a fat quarter

and wait for it to arrive

 (after paying exorbitant shipping costs)

check it

and order the yardage I needed,

so I reached out to the 2 Etsy shops I found

that carried both fabric lines.

They were both unwilling to assist,

so I bit the bullet and ordered 3 yards from a different shop

(no way those gals were getting my business!)

and it turns out it goes perfectly

and created the perfect bold and glittery backdrop,

and I want to order more and make something else with it

because I love it so much!

I wasn't able to get started on it before Christmas,

except for getting my fabric pull finalized,

but I started cutting my fabrics after presents had been opened

 and brunch was made and consumed

Christmas Day

and I spent the next week

slowly turning them into a stunning quilt top.

Even though I made the top in a week

(which, in my opinion, is pretty darn fast!

but - I had lots more sewing time than usual

thanks to a houseful of miserable sick people 

who didn't need much food)

I worked slowly and methodically,

never had the pedal to the metal,

and just really

thoroughly enjoyed the process.

I did have a bit of trouble on my first few blocks

with my points,

but once I figured out what my seam allowance

needed to be for sewing on those corners

to make the diamond in square components,

everything was golden

and I had sharp point after sharp point.

If you make this quilt

(and you should! It really makes a striking quilt!)

I'd recommend that

before you 'batch sew' your components,

you make 1 block at a time

until you're pleased with your points,

just in case, like me, 

you need to stitch that portion 

with a little bit of a different seam allowance.

Although - I do seem to be the only tester

who had this difficulty 

so 

there's that, too.

(In case you're wondering 

I sewed the corners on with a .2mm wider SA

than my normal 1/4" seam allowance)

Since I did figure out my points

(by the 3rd block)

I am thoroughly thrilled with this pattern!!

So much so,

that I made a second one

so I could test and see just how quick it'd be

if I wasn't incorporating directional prints

or (much) fussy cutting.

Pretty darn.

The pattern is now available 

and, thru Sunday the 19th,

 is 20% off when you use code STELLAR