Barn Star Sampler BOM – Month #5

Just when you thought the Barn Star Sampler blocks could not be any prettier, I present to you Block #5 in Shelley Cavanna’s book, “Northern Star.”

This gorgeous block measures 16″ finished. If you are making the throw size quilt, you need to make one block; make two blocks if you are making the queen size quilt.

Click here to watch Shelley’s YouTube video which details the construction of Northern Star.

Once you have made your block(s), please email me a picture: aby.quilts@gmail.com. I would love to share your block to inspire other BOM participants.

ilts@gmail.com. I would love to share your block to inspire other BOM participants.

Checkerboards, Potato Chips, and BOMs – Blog Readers Share

Today’s blog post is a veritable smorgasboard of quilts and quilt blocks submitted by blog readers. Enjoy feasting your eyes!

First up is a Checkerboard quilt made by Becky B. She used scraps of brown, green, and blue fabrics, making the project appropriate for a man. Becky has a charitable organization in mind that will welcome her donation.

Karlene made her Checkerboard from a half-jelly roll of Kim Diehl’s “Quiet Grace” line. She paired each 2 1/2″ x WOF strip with an off-white background strip, and, after sewing and pressing them, cut them in 2 1/2″ increments. She sewed the resulting sixteen two-patches into two Sixteen Patch blocks, keeping the same color in each block. This idea for constructing a Checkerboard quilt appeals to me just as much as the random blue and white quilt I made. (Click here to view it again.)

After completing my Checkerboard quilt which used most of my blue scrap 2 1/2″ squares, I began making Potato Chip blocks from 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ scrap rectangles. When I showed my blocks to Colleen, she jumped on the bandwagon and cut rectangles for a boy’s quilt and more rectangles for a girl’s quilt. She has already completed the boy’s quilt top. The novelty prints she used make it a fun “I Spy” quilt.

Jan emailed me a picture of her Tulip Star, April’s assignment for the “Barn Star Sampler” block of the month. I love the subtle shading of the fabrics she selected from her fat quarter stack!

I am also facilitating the “Blushing Blooms” BOM at Sew There! Quilts and More in Angier, NC. Perhaps you have noticed the picture of the pink and burgundy quilt in the header of this blog. The header picture shows some of the blocks included in this sampler quilt designed by Kaye England. The assignment for April was making five Tulip blocks, and Terry did a wonderful job sewing hers. (Click here to see a picture of the entire quilt. Bonnie at Sew There! has month-by-month kits if you are interested in making this gorgeous quilt.)

Thanks, ladies, for sharing pictures of your quilts and blocks. Seeing your progress and creative ideas inspires us!

“Barn Star Sampler” BOM – Month #3

We are “marching along” with our Block of the Month, following Shelley Cavanna’s book, “Barn Star Sampler.” (Click here to order the book from Amazon.com.)

This month we are working on two blocks for our quilts. First up is Block #13, Weathervane Star. Click here to watch Shelley’s tips for constructing the block on YouTube. My friend Karen made the blue and green Weathervane Stars pictured below. Last fall I wanted to ascertain if a fat quarter pack plus background fabric would contain enough fabric to make all the Barn Star blocks for a throw size quilt, but I realized I would not have enough time to make all the blocks before the January QAL start date. I asked my friend Karen to work with me in making blocks to test my theory. She made all the blue, teal, and green blocks while I made all the red, pink, and yellow blocks.

After making Weathervane Stars, “forward, march” to Block #14. The red and burgundy stars pictured above are Pinwheel Stars. Click here to watch Shelley’s video for step-by-step instructions.

Once you have completed your blocks for Month #3, please send a photo to aby.quilts@gmail.com. If you are a new blog follower and want to join the Quilt Along, click on “Barn Star Sampler QAL 2024” in the menu. This links you to a page of introductory info. You need to purchase a “Barn Star Sampler” book as measurements and instructions will not be given here on the blog.

Happy Quilting!