Hello quilting friends! One of our greatest joys as a quilter is gifting a finished quilt to someone who truly appreciates it . . . those people in our lives who understand the effort, time and love that we pour into our handmade projects. I recently finished a Christmas version of my Banded Stars pattern, and this past weekend I gifted it! Here’s the finished quilt.
And here’s the happy recipient, my mom! I began this quilt last year, but I had to set it aside several times to finish other projects on a deadline. Whenever I shared progress photos of this Christmas Banded Stars, my mom gave it extra love in her comments. It seemed only fitting that Banded Stars should go to live with her.
In my original Banded Stars, I used two values of blue (a navy and a chambray). This Christmas version features festive red and green prints atop a cool gray and white background. (It’s awesome when you only have to make four fabric choices for your quilt top!)
The fabrics in Mom’s quilt are all from Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics. These prints are from past collections and some of them can be hard to find. But if you love Lella Boutique, there is great news! She has a new collection called Berry and Pine coming out this summer.
- Red: Holly Berries (Christmas Eve collection)
- Green: Large Floral (Christmas Morning collection)
- White/Snow: Merry Dot (Christmas Eve collection)
- Silver: Merry Dot (Christmas Eve collection)
- Binding: Red Strip (Christmas Morning collection)
- Backing: Merry Text (Christmas Morning collection)
Once again, the lovely machine quilting you see was done by Katy at Woods Edge Quilting. She used a panto called Holly Hop, which fills the space nicely without being overwhelming. This is a great winter panto that I am sure I will use again!
Banded Stars finishes at 74” square. The blocks themselves are oversized and fun to make, while the sashing creates the illusion of a secondary block, adding visual interest. If you would like to purchase Banded Stars, it’s available as a PDF pattern on my Etsy Shop.
My good friend and fellow quilter, Sylvia, was with me this weekend when the gifting of Banded Stars took place. Both Mom and Sylvia did my heart good, as they “oohed” and “aahed” and fully appreciated the finished quilt. We topped off the day by going out to lunch and shopping at some Christmas boutiques.
Photographing Banded Stars really put me in the holiday spirit. I ran to the quilt cabinet and grabbed two of my other quilts which also feature Lella Boutique Fabrics. (You can read more about these patterns here: Star Crossed Pines and Journeys.) Don’t they all look pretty together?
Thanks for stopping by! I wish you all well as we move into the holiday season! And may all of your gifted quilts be properly loved!
~Taunja
