I am thrilled to present Altair, my new design for Island Batik’s Quilt Modern Blog Hop. Be sure to visit their blog each week in May 2021 to enter the giveaways.
Introducing the Harvest Blue Collection
I got to work with the new Harvest Blue collection designed by Kathy Engle. It is shipping to stores this month, so use the Island Batik store locator to find the nearest shop and add to your stash.
Harvest Blue has a variety of blue and yellow shades, with fun prints including corn on the cob, pumpkins and poppies. (See the full collection here) Tying everything together are some wonderful checked plaid-type fabrics in both a bright and subtle yellow, along with one that mixes both blue and yellow. So many great choices for a summertime quilt!
For the Altair quilt, I chose a range of blues to create an ombre background, as the lighter blues deepen into a darker night sky. This gradient is the perfect background for streaking stars. Some internet research taught me that Altair is the name of the 12th brightest star, and it is part of the Summer Triangle.
The Accuquilt GO! helped me quickly cut and piece the star blocks from half- and quarter-square triangles. I needed a paper foundation to get the star’s trail exactly right. Everything else is plain squares so your color choices can really make this quilt a work of art.
Watch this short video to see the quilt in progress:
Many thanks to our industry partners Schmetz needles, Aurifil thread, and Hobbs batting. Their products are staples in my quilt studio and help bring all my projects to life.
Quilting details
For the Altair quilt and its modern design, I decided to take a minimal approach to the free motion quilting. Each star got a flame stitch in the center, and there are long wavy lines throughout the quilt to signify the star’s path through the heavens. I had fun with a zig-zag motif in the large star’s tail.
Quilt Modern Blog Hop
Be sure to visit Island Batik’s giveaway post, and see the beautiful work by other Island Batik Ambassadors:
May 3:
- Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts
- Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
- Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
May 4:
- Joanne Hart, Unicornharts
- Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights
May 5:
- Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
- Pamela Boatright, PamelaQuilts
May 6:
- Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts
- Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
May 7:
Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway
May 10:
- Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
- Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
May 11:
- Megan Best, Bestquilter
- Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
- Jennifer Eubank, Archipelago Quilting
May 12:
- Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
- Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
May 13:
- Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
- Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
May 14:
Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway
May 17:
- Sally Manke, Sally Manke Fiber Artist
- Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
May 18:
- Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs
- Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter
May 19:
- Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts
- Janet Yamamoto, Whispers of Yore
Island Batik Fabric Giveaway from True Blue Quilts
I’d love to share some fat quarters from the Harvest Blue Collection with one of my blog readers. Please leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite star quilt block. A winner will be chosen by random draw on May 30th. I am happy to ship internationally.
I like lots of stars. I want to make a Hunters Star and a Carpenters star. Pondering a lone star quilt too.
Hunter’s Star is on my list too! I’ll probably get the Accuquilt die to make cutting faster.
Your quilt turned out great! It reminds me of blocks that I exchanged on the internet many years ago when Hali-Bopp was visible. Someone came out with a small block version of a comet with a tail. I am fond of the Friendship star block as you can do so much with secondary designs. Thanks for sharing!
Friendship Stars are one of my favorites too! Take a look at my Big-n-Bright pattern 😉
https://truebluequilts.com/product/big-n-bright-digital-quilt-pattern/
Lovely, Andi!!! I really like how the star shines!
Island Batik fabrics have such great colors! <3 <3 <3
Love blue and yellow quilts! Always a great color combination! Ohio Star is one of my fav quilt blocks!
And so many fun shades of blue and yellow to play with.
The Ohio star is my favorite. Thank you for sharing your beautiful quilt.
Thanks for visiting the blog hop!
The quilt is beautiful. The colors of this collection are perfect for that design.
I really like the Ohio star, but I like so many others too.
Hard to choose just one favorite!
I love feathered stars!
Agree, so pretty!
Fabulous quilt. I like sawtooth stars.
Can’t go wrong with the classics!
I am a star addict but Hunter’s Star is my favorite. I made a King size for my bed.
Sounds amazing! What colors did you use?
I love the Hunter’s Star and the Lone Star. They are so pretty. Thanks!
I could make stars all day! So many fun options.
Stars are such a versatile element in quilting. I really love the traditional Sawtooth Star block. You can create so many fun variations with it. Love your quilt! Have a fabulous day.
Changing the center block is a fun way to create star variations!
Mariners Compass is my favorite Star block.
Wow, those are a fun challenge to make!
That quilt is so striking … love it. A carpenter’s star is on my to do list!
Carpenter’s Star is on my list too!
I really like the Ohio Star, for its balance and simplicity. Love these Kathy Engle blues and yellows! I’ve been gathering them to make a quilt in honor of a song we loved when I was a kid, by John Denver. The chorus includes the words, “…joy was just the thing that he was raised on, Love is just the way to live and die, Gold is just a windy Kansas wheat field, And blue is just a Kansas summer sky.”
John Denver…what a great talent. I haven’t thought of that song in years, but it does fit this quilt! Thanks for reminding me!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the blues and yellow! Exceptional!
Thank you so much! I had fun with it.
Your quilt is gorgeous! I want to make an “Oh My Stars” quilt.
Sounds fun!
Beautiful! I like the Ky star quilt block. It’s been on my bucket list for years!
Great choice!
I love star blocks. I like a lonestar quilt. And lately I’ve been partial to a scrappy inverted star. I finally made one a few weeks ago: https://craftsandmath.blogspot.com/2021/05/sewing-spectacular-part-2-covid-quilt.html
Good choices for stars. I love your inverted one with the big stitch quilting!
I will echo a lot of the other commenters and say the Hunter’s star is a favorite of mine. I like most any star in a quilt, though!