When I decided to design a quilt specifically for kids in need, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of rough trauma or unpleasantness they had felt or seen. Hopefully, not much, but, sadly, that just isn’t how the world seems to work.
So I thought. I hemmed, I hawed, and I thought some more. I trashed design after design because it just wasn’t right. I was finally inspired by a feeling I had the summer before my Sophomore year of college. It was time in my life that I was struggling- I was just barely 20 and fighting a bought of depression, feeling a little lost in my life and soul. My summer job abruptly ended, leaving my in a financial bind for the upcoming college school year, most of my friend had not come home, and I was feeling the first pains of the loneliness of early adulthood. I was called by a college friend, who was working at a summer camp on the other side of the state and they’d had an sudden vacancy.
I ended up a lifeguard at a church camp, while questioning my own faith and place in the world. After a whirlwind of a first day, I found myself alone on a dock in the middle of the woods, looking up at more stars than I could count, shining down from a perfectly clear navy sky, listening to the wind rustle the leaves and slap gentle waves against the dock. It was the most peaceful I’d felt in years, and is still my happy place when I close my eyes.
Long story short, I designed something that I hope will be with the child that receives it until they, themselves, are able to find the peaceful bliss I was able to finally feel that summer.
Without further ado, let’s start our first week! Our Week #1 pattern is Star I. (I know, I got very creative with the naming process on this quilt!) This star is very simple and goes together in 3 sections. The largest section of this block has 15 pieces.
Take your time on this block, even with filming, it was less than 3 hours from start to finish. That being said, there are lots of sharp angles, so double check yourself before you sew pieces on, or you may come up a little short.
This block is the perfect time to start honing your skills when it comes to pinning sections together- if things turn out a little wonky, it will still look great! Remember- kids don’t notice misaligned corners, they notice that someone did something special for them.
The entirety of this pattern took me less than 3 hours, and that included filming!
Here are a few versions of Star I sewn by some stupendous pattern testers who helped me get this pattern ready. You’ll see that some of them decided to keep the stars as only 3 colors, while others used 10+ different fabrics, and they all turned out great!
There are a few tips for you in the video, however having already put out my Learn Foundation Paper Piecing segment I am trying not to repeat myself 30 times each week. If you aren’t sure how to get started, that’s the place to go! For everybody else, enjoy this simple block, and please share photos of your finished block so we can build our quilt along community. #StarsoftheForestQAL #QALforaCause20 #StarsoftheForest
If you are joining after the Quilt Along has already gotten started, you can purchase your copy from Etsy or Payhip.
Shaley Quilts 