Star Sampler Block #1

Connie from Free Motion by the River kicks off our Star Sampler Blog Hop with a star-in-a-star design using three Venetian Glass prints on a background of white. The block is made from half-square triangles--nice and easy with great results! 

Connie: I was asked to make up a 12 inch finished star block and here is what I came up with. The beautiful fabrics used are Marblehead Venetian Glass by Ro Gregg for Fabri-Quilt. Fat quarters work perfectly for this!

Here is my star block and the cutting directions:

I like to stitch my HSTs (half square triangles) as shown. It is also a good idea to trim them and make sure they measure 2 1/2" inch square after you have stitched them.

The diagram shows where the pieces will go in the block.

Placement of the corner sections.

This shows you the way I sew the sections together and then the rows.

Completed block. I hope you enjoy this block!

Here it is again!

I can't wait to see the finished quilt after all the blocks have been shared!

Connie


For a chance to win one of 3 fat quarter bundles of Marblehead Venetian Glass, sign up to follow Inspired by Fabric (using the "follow" button or the "follow by email" button in the right hand side bar) and leave an email letting us know you did, as well as telling us which Venetian Glass print is your favorite (see them all here). You can leave a comment to enter once for each post during the Star Sampler hop (9 entries total). The giveaway will be open through Monday, March 17th at 11:59 EST, and we'll randomly pick 3 winners on Wednesday of that week. 

Make sure you catch the tutorials for all the blocks in the sampler!

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis
     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Star Sampler Blog Hop

We are so excited to kick off the Star Sampler Blog Hop here at Inspired by Fabric!

We sent Marblehead Venetian Glass fabric to seven different designers who each created a star block using these gorgeous prints and solid white (optional). Each day for the next two weeks we'll be sharing a star block tutorial with you, and then we'll finish up with assembly directions to put together a table runner or quilt. Throughout the blog hop, you'll also be able to enter to win one of three Marblehead Venetian Glass bundles for yourself! 

So please, follow along! 

Grab some Marblehead Venetian Glass fabric and sew stars with us!  

The line-up:

     Star #1: Connie of Free Motion by the River

     Star #2: Joanne

     Star #3: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #4: Dawn from Spring Water Designs

     Star #5: Heidi from The Whimsical Workshop

     Star #6: Fabri-Quilt blog team

     Star #7: Shanna from Fiber of All Sorts

     Star #8: Tammy from Tamarinis

     Star #9: Monica from Diary of a Quilt Maven

Be a Star! (or just make one)

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming next week:

Like stars in the sky, there are almost too many star block varieties to count! Do you have a favorite? Want to try your hand at sewing multiple different stars?

Starting next week, we'll be hosting a Star Sampler Blog Hop here, where some of our designer friends will share tutorials for their favorite star blocks. After all the tutorials are all posted, we'll offer ideas on how to put the blocks together and complete your sampler! We hope you'll grab some fabric and play along!

The designers will be using the Marblehead Venetian Glass fabrics by Ro Gregg--vibrant pops of color in so many different textures! 

Stop back Monday for the details! 

Planting a Seed

If the seed packets at garden centers are calling your name but the ground is still frozen in your neighborhood, might we suggest Ro Gregg's Block Party collection? These fabrics will warm your heart for spring!

Name your favorite flower; you'll likely find it on the panel of blocks, ready to be fussy-cut, or the all-over floral print with a textured, scrapbook-like layered background. 

If you love this collection, you'll be thrilled to know that Cathy Miles has created a free quilt pattern called "Block Party."

Don't you love how Cathy used the floral blocks as a fussy-cut border? 

Find the free pattern for Cathy's Block Party quilt here. 

See larger images of all the fabrics here.

Spring is right around the corner! 

10 Signs of Spring

March is around the corner, hopefully bringing some signs of spring with the flip of a calendar page. Just in case the new month doesn't cooperate, here's a top ten list to get ready for spring--some of our favorite warm-weather-inspired fabric!

1. Block Party by Ro Gregg

2. Cosmopolitan

3. Hannah

4. Garden Paradise

5. In the Tropics

6. Cherry Blossoms

7. Lagoon

8. Summer Breeze

9. Harbor Point

10. Calypso Goldfish by Ro Gregg

**Watch for more on this brand new collection (available in stores in March) soon!

How to add pop to a panel

1 focal panel + fussy-cut blocks + multiple borders = 

the Deep Sea Pals quilt by Heidi Pridemore!

"Deep Sea Pals" by Heidi Pridemore; featured in McCall's Quick Quilts Feb/March 2014

It's no secret that we love quick and easy kids' quilts, and McCall's Quick Quilts has a great one in the current issue. Heidi's Under the Sea prints shine in this ocean-themed quilt that little ones will love, complete with blocks reminiscent of submarine portholes. 

How do you add pizzazz to a panel? Borders! Heidi mixed simple strip borders with a wide pieced border to make this cheery quilt.

The look of applique without the work: Fussy-cut squares from this Under the Sea print create easy blocks full of favorite ocean-swimming friends.

See the Under the Sea collection here.

Find the kit for this project here.

Find McCall's Quick Quilts here. 

Top 10 Two-Color Designs

Two-color quilt designs face an extra challenge--with a monochromatic palette, the design really has to pop. But when it works, it works well. Here are 10 of our favorites (many of them free patterns!), including links for where to find them yourself. Enjoy!

#1: Junctures quilt by Tony Jacobson; featured as a Web Bonus project for Easy Quilts magazine, made using the Black & White collection

#2: Roses Are Red by Tammy Silvers; featured in the October-November 2013 issue of Quilt magazine, made using the Roses are Red collection

#3: Winter Blues free quilt pattern by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar; featuring the Winter Blues collection

#4: Seaquarium free quilt pattern by Terry Albers; featuring the Coral Sea collection

#5: Cool Blue by Dawn Stewart; featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting July/August 2013 issue, made using the Indigo Blues collection

 #6: Red Rose designed by Diane Arganbright and Patricia Sue Nelson; featured in February/March 2014 issue of The Quilter magazine, made using the Roses are Red collection

 #7: Indigo Blues free quilt pattern designed by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar; featuring the Indigo Blues collection

#8: Black Tie Affair by Cathy Miles; featured in Simple Quilts & Sewing Spring 2013, made using the Black Tie Affair collection

#9: Two-Color Quilt tutorial by Rebecca of Our Busy Little Bunch; featuring Lady in Red

#10: ...a sneak peek at a brand-new quilt, which we'll be featuring here on the blog soon: Pane by Pane by Tony Jacobson; featured in the March/April 2014 issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, made using the Marblehead Northern Woods collection

(Okay, you might have noticed a tiny hint of blue in this quilt...technically it's not quite a two-color quilt...but we loved it and had to include it in the list, perhaps with an asterisk?)