Oh, Fransson!

Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along: Making the Quilt Back

This post is part of the Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along. If you have questions that aren't answered in this post, please check out the others, which are linked on the main page, here.

Read about Mo’s Sparkle Punch quilt here.  

Gather Your Materials

To make the quilt back, you'll need 4 different pieces of solid fabric, each 1-1/4 yards. Each of these pieces will be used to make one quadrant of the quilt back.

Each quadrant will also include a star similar to the ones we made for the front of the quilt. For each star, you'll need a set of 5 squares, each 3-1/2" x 3-1/2". The stars will appear to be floating on a solid fabric background, so I recommend picking star fabrics that contrast with the solid fabric with which they'll be paired.

(If you're keeping score at home, you may have noticed that I subbed out the Kona Stone I had originally planned to use for Kona Thistle.)

Cut the Solid Fabrics (follow these instructions for each of the 4 solid fabrics)

1. Cut 1 strip 31-1/2" x width of fabric and trim to 31-1/2" x 34-1/2".

2. Cut 2 strip 9-1/2" x width of fabric and trim to 9-1/2" x 25-1/2".

3. From remaining fabric, cut 8 squares 3-1/2" x 3-1/2".

Note: All seams are sewn with a 1/4" seam allowance and pressed open.

Make the Stars

Follow the instructions from two weeks ago to make 4 sets of Whole Star components. Make one set for each quadrant of the quilt back, using 4 of the 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" solid fabric squares in place of the negative space fabric that you used on the quilt top.

The stars on the quilt back aren't going to be nestled together. Instead sew the components you just made and the 4 remaining solid fabric squares together like a conventional star block (in a nine-patch formation with the solid squares in the four corners).

Repeat this process to make 4 star blocks, each with a different solid background.

Make the Quilt Back

Arrange the 4 star blocks in 2 rows of 2, as you would like them to be arranged on the quilt back. 

From here, we'll sew the rest of the solid fabric onto each star, creating a quadrant of the quilt back.

(Note that the position of the stars in the bottom row in the photo above is different than my finished quilt back. I sewed my pieces together in the wrong order, but decided that I liked it better. It was, as Bob Ross would have said, a "happy accident.")

Sew the 9-1/2" x 25-1/2" strip of matching solid fabric to the left side of the star block in the upper left of your arrangement. Sew the 31-1/2" x 34-1/2" piece of solid fabric to the top, matching 34-1/2" sides.

This is the Upper Left quadrant of your quilt back, but the star should be in the lower right corner.

Sew the 9-1/2" x 25-1/2" strip of matching solid fabric to the right side of the star block in the upper right of your arrangement. Sew the 31-1/2" x 34-1/2" piece of solid fabric to the top, matching 34-1/2" sides.

This is the Upper Right quadrant of your quilt back, but the star should be in the lower left corner.

Sew the Upper Left and Upper Right quadrants together, matching star blocks along the 40-1/2" sides.

This is the Upper Half of your quilt back. The stars should be next to each other at the bottom center.

Sew the 9-1/2" x 25-1/2" strip of matching solid fabric to the left side of the star block in the lower left of your arrangement. Sew the 31-1/2" x 34-1/2" piece of solid fabric to the bottom, matching 34-1/2" sides.

This is the Lower Left quadrant of your quilt back, but the star should be in the upper right corner.

Sew the 9-1/2" x 25-1/2" strip of matching solid fabric to the right side of the star block in the lower right of your arrangement. Sew the 31-1/2" x 34-1/2" piece of solid fabric to the bottom, matching 34-1/2" sides.

This is the Lower Right quadrant of your quilt back, but the star should be in the upper left corner.

Sew the Lower Left and Lower Right quadrants together, matching star blocks along the 40-1/2" sides.

This is the Lower Half of your quilt back. The stars should be next to each other at the top center.

Sew the Upper and Lower halves together, matching star blocks at the center. 

Your finished quilt back should measure approximately 68" x 80".

***

The next quilt-along post, Finishing the Quilt, will be on February 1.

Octagonal Orb Block Tutorial

The Modern Quilt Guild's blog has a new post today (part of the ongoing 100 Days of Modern Quilting feature) with my tutorial for this lovely block, which was adapted from this lovey pillow by Heather Bostic.

Here's a peek at a project I'm working on using the blocks. Most of these were made with assorted orange and gray scraps from my stash. The background is Kona Charcoal.

Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along: Making the Quilt Top

Find the Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along main page here.

 Read about Mo’s Sparkle Punch quilt here. 

Now that you have all of your star components made, it's time to sew them together to make the quilt top! 

Start by clearing a design wall or clean floor area at least 70" x 84".

Before we start, I just want to give a quick reminder that we're still working with 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" star components (center squares and points units). Making the quilt top will result in their being sewn together, but they should not be sewn together yet.

Download Sparkle Punch Quilt Top Layout

Use the Quilt Top Layout as a guide to arrange your sets of star components as you would like them to look in your finished quilt top, creating 24 rows of 20 components each.

The sets of components for the three-quarter, half, and quarter stars will end up around the edges of the quilt top, making the whole thing rectangular.

When I was arranging my block components, I found it helpful to start near the center and work my way out to the sides until my composition was 20 components wide x 24 components high. 

If you want to create more negative space in your composition (i.e. not fill it in entirely with stars) you can replace as many as you want of the star components with 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" squares of your negative space fabric. Just keep in mind that, if you want your quilt to finish at 60" x 72", you'll need to create a grid with 24 rows of 20 squares each.

Once you're happy with the layout, pull aside the 30 star components (5 wide x 6 high) in the lower right corner, making sure not to disrupt their arrangement.

Note: All seams are sewn with a quarter inch seam allowance and pressed open.

Sew the 5 components in each row together, and then sew the 6 rows together to make a block. This is Block 4D.

Repeat this process with the remaining star components, creating a total of 16 blocks, and making sure not to lose track of each block's placement in the overall composition. You may find it helpful to label the blocks 1A, 1B, 1C, and so on, as shown above.

Sew Block 1A to Block 1B to create a row. Sew Block 2A to Block 2B to create a second row and sew this row to the bottom of the first to create the Upper-Left Quadrant of the quilt top. 

Sew Block 1C to Block 1D to create a row. Sew Block 2C to Block 2D to create a second row and sew this row to the bottom of the first to create the Upper-Right Quadrant of the quilt top. 

Sew Block 3A to Block 3B to create a row. Sew Block 4A to Block 4B to create a second row and sew this row to the bottom of the first to create the Lower-Left Quadrant of the quilt top. 

Sew Block 3C to Block 3D to create a row. Sew Block 4C to Block 4D to create a second row and sew this row to the bottom of the first to create the Lower-Right Quadrant of the quilt top. 

Sew the Upper-Left Quadrant and the Upper-Right Quadrant together to make the Upper Half of the quilt top. 

Sew the Lower-Left Quadrant and the Lower-Right Quadrant together to make the Lower Half of the quilt top. 

Sew the Upper Half and the Lower Half together to finish the quilt top.

And that's it! Your quilt top if finished.

***

The next quilt-along post, Making the Quilt Back, will be on January 25.