Get ready for time in the wilderness with this free star quilt pattern! Make it for your home or your animal-lover friends.
Are you ready for a new, easy project? Then, download Magic Under the Stars – a free pattern I designed for Studioe Fabrics’ Woodland Magic collection by Ashley Satanosky. Owls, deer, foxes, bears, and rabbits bring their magic from the woodlands into our homes in this quilt where stars light up the sky, under which all is quiet and asleep!
The quilt measures 51″ x 51, and the blocks finish at 8″. Only the alternating star/chain blocks are pieced, so Magic Under the Stars comes together quickly.
The star points are paper-pieced and measure 3″. If you wanted to try paper piecing but were afraid, this project is the perfect one to ease you into it, as you will repeat the same steps a few times and become a paper-piecing pro in no time!
Print the templates on computer paper, cut them apart (there are six on the page), cut the fabrics and sew the first and second pieces of fabric to all the templates, then add the 3rd piece to all of them. For templates with more sections, this process guarantees you won’t mess anything up.
Speaking of paper piecing, take a look at this fun pattern, Victorian Fans. Once you are finished with Magic Under the Stars, try your hand at curved paper piecing!
Ahhh, yes! Panel queen here! I used 2 of these panels for the blocks and featured the print with foxes on the remaining squares for contrast. I did not think I needed to frame the squares with anything, as I wanted our eyes to focus on the panel squares and not block piecing.
No color would look good as sashing, in my opinion, other than white. Otherwise, the quilt would have been too dark. I worked with Pigment White from Studioe‘s Just Color! collection. Just Color! has a fantastic texture, and it is one of my favorite go-to Basics collections. I like it so much that I designed a quilt just to feature its cool colors – click here for the post and link to the free quilt pattern.
The white brightened the design and tied in well with the dots in the center of the stars. My goal is to make every fabric shine, and I thought that the green, although light, would drown the fox fabric and the star points, so I saved it for the cornerstones and binding.
That mushroom print!!! I want to make a tote bag using the dotted fabric as an accent. What do you think? How about lounge pants and the dotted fabric on a top? I need to get back into garment sewing…
I do not usually place directional fabrics on the back of a quilt because it may be challenging to match the print at the seam, and… since I am not too crazy about piecing backings anyway, that would add insult to injury as far as I am concerned. My idea for this fabric is…
… throw pillows! Can you imagine it against a blue or tan upholstery fabric? If placed opposite to the quilt, they would bring the colors to the other side of the room and add harmony to the layout. You could also use one of the blocks of this free star quilt pattern to make one side of the pillow and this fabric on the back.
When I began quilting 20 years ago, I could not imagine using quilt fabric for anything other than quilts. That idea, along with ‘no mixing collections in one project,’ has long been left by the wayside. This is one of the great aspects of sticking to a hobby for a long time – you develop your talent, learn new techniques, and improve/change your style.
Studioe Fabrics’ Woodland Magic collection is already in stores, so look for it in your area or online, download the pattern, and stitch away!
Have a great week,
Thank you always Denise.
Your pattern is great. I will print it out and I have some great fabric to make this one
Cool! Have fun!