Sawtooth Star Quilt Blocks (with Pieced Centers)

The Sawtooth Star quilt block is one of my favorite quilt blocks.  So when Jessica at Quilty Habit announced the Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long, I wanted to participate.

My One Monthly Goal for August was to piece the 6 large Sawtooth Star blocks.  Since I was trying to work from my stash and had limited cuts of some fabrics, I decided to include a pieced 9" block in the each center of the 18" Sawtooth Star blocks.

My favorite is the dark blue block with a Single Irish Chain in the center.  It almost glows with the Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids in Sailor and Wave.  Also included are two prints, one is a print from True Colors by Tula Pink and the other is an Alison Glass print from the Sun Print 2015 collection.

Sawtooth Star quilt block with a Single Irish Chain center

For the light blue block a Diamond Star was chosen for the center.

Sawtooth Star quilt block with a Diamond Star center

I chose Spinning Star or Double Friendship Star for the center of the dark purple block.  This is made from more Alison Glass, Kona solids and a Northcott print from the Artisan Spirit collection.

Sawtooth Star quilt block with a Spinning Star center

The center of the light purple block contains the Frayed Four-Patch. Again, this Sawtooth Star is made from Alison Glass prints, Kona solids and a Northcott print from the Artisan Spirit collection.

Sawtooth Star quilt block with Frayed 4-Patch center

To represent the setting sun, this Sawtooth Star contains a micro dot from Blank Quilting and an unknown lighter orange.  The 16-Patch center is made from one of the new Uppercase prints from Windham and a Cotton & Steel print.  Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts has a great tutorial for making the St. Louis 16-patch quilt block.

Sawtooth Star quilt block with a 16-patch center

Wanting to incorporate some yellow with the orange, I actually unsewed this Double Sawtooth Star quilt block and added a Kona solid in Corn Yellow and this Dazzle print in Marigold.  This turned out to be my least favorite.

Double Sawtooth Star or Rising Star quilt block

I think more time was spent selecting fabrics than the actual piecing.  Here are all six Sawtooth Star blocks together with the light blocks on left and dark blocks on the right.

Sawtooth Star quilt blocks for the Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long

Related posts:

• August 2016 One Monthly Goal
• Fabric choices for Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long
• Mid year review and 2016 goals

I'm linking to Jessica at Quilty Habit to share my progress on the Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long.

And I'm sliding in under the wire to link to Heidi at Red Letter Quilts for the completion of my August One Monthly Goal.

Also linking to Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, Fabric Frenzy Friday and Scraptastic Tuesday.

One Lovely Blog Award

I have been nominated not one, not two, but three times for the One Lovely Blog Award. First from Abigail at Cut & Alter and second from Sophie at Luna LoveQuilts and third from Jen at A Dream and a Stitch. All of them do amazing work! Thank ya'll so much!

The Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and give a link to his/her blog.
• List the rules.
• Display the image of the award on your post.
• List seven facts about yourself.
• Nominate (up to) 15 bloggers for this award, and notify them.

Hmmm seven facts about myself...How about a few brushes with fame?

1.  The first song I remember memorizing as a child was, Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on my Head.  I remember playing that 45-rpm over and over again.  It's a wonder there was any vinyl left.  Many years later I saw B. J. Thomas in concert and got his autograph.  He even named his first daughter Paige! (I don't think I had any influence on that though.)

2. While my favorite quilt, Grandmama's Legacy of Flowers, was hanging at the AQS Grand Rapids show in 2012 I had it appraised.  I was pleasantly surprised when I received the appraisal back in the mail and it was appraised by none other than Gerald E. Roy.

Gerald E. Roy at Dallas Quilt Show with Moravian Baskets Quilt, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, c. 1880
Photograph by Jennifer Campbell Kirk used with permission (Vintage and Floral.com)

3. Two years later, in 2014, I again attended the AQS Grand Rapids show.  When I was leaving Grand Rapids and while at the airport waiting for my flight, Gerald E. Roy sat down, practically beside me in the terminal.

Grand Rapids sunset over the Grand River

4.   But my greatest brush with fame is within my own family.  My Aunt Debs, and my mom's sister, Deborah Jo Billingsley performed as "Jo Jo Billinglsey" with the band Lynyrd Skynyrd in the mid 70's.

Jo Jo Billingsley standing on the far right with Lynyrd Skynyrd band 

She passed away in June 2016 with cancer at the age of 58.  She's now singing with the angels in heaven.  I recently found this picture in my grandmother's photo album of her taken around July 1978 after she had left the band.

Deborah Jo Billingsley July 1978 taken at my grandmother's house in Senatobia, MS

Now, I would like nominate the following 2016 New Bloggers for the One Lovely Blog Award.

• Amista at Hilltop Custom Designs
• Marla at Penny Lane Quilts
• Sharon at Yellow Cat Designs
• Laurel at Quilts by Laurel
• Jamie at Small Town Stitchin'

Linking up to Main Crush Monday with Beth at Cooking Up Quilts.

August One Monthly Goal: Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long

I'm participating in the Star Light, Star Dark with Jessica at Quilty Habit.  You can find all the details including the schedule and link ups in her post here.

Since I'm working with limited fabrics, trying to pull from my stash, I decided to nest a sawtooth star within the large stars.  This is supposed to be my dark orange star, but I'm afraid my fabric choices in the center may have 'lightened' it too much.

First large star for the Star Light Star Dark QAL

Here's what the block looks like from the Karen Combs Value Viewer.  I simply held the green value viewer over my phone's camera lens and took the picture.  I definitely should have used a darker center for the nested star.  Maybe this star should now be my light orange star.

Evaluating value using Karen Comb's Value Viewer

I have debated what to do for the other 5 star centers.  Should I piece the same sawtooth star for each block or possibly include a variety of star blocks?

Related posts:

• Fabric choices for Star Light, Star Dark Quilt-A-Long
• Mid year review and 2016 goals

I am linking to Heidi at Red Letter Quilts in hopes of completing the other 5 large stars for my August One Monthly Goal.

And I'm also linking to Oh Scrap!,  Main Crush Monday, Scraptastic Tuesday and Let's Bee Social.

 

Throwback Thursday #6: Frames

Where did the week go?  It's the first Thursday of the month and time for Throwback Thursday!

I'm sharing a quilt I made in February 2012 for the arrival of the first grandchild in my husband's family.

Frames baby quilt by Paige Alexander

The pattern is called Frames by Elizabeth Hartman and came as a trio of patterns, More Simple Modern Baby Quilts published in 2010.

The original block size was 8" and I enlarged them to 9".  I included a column of blocks on the back so I could still get the backing from from length of fabric.

Back of Frames by Paige Alexander

The main fabric was Zoology in Sea by Michael Miller.  I fussy cut the elephants, hippos, giraffes, frogs and trees for the center of the blocks. Every other block was framed in the same fabric, Scatter Square in Beige from the Mini Mikes collection also by Michael Miller.

Fussy cut giraffe framed in Scatter Square by Michael Miller

The rest of the blocks were made from coordinating fabrics in gray, beige and aqua.

Frames baby quilt by Paige Alexander

Frames baby quilt by Paige Alexander

I printed the label and incorporated it into one of the blocks on the back. No hand sewing on a label, Yay!

Label included in a block on the back of the quilt

I quilted it in an all over stipple design and pieced some random scraps together to practice the scale first and check the thread color.  I know it's a gray by Auriful.  This is the practice piece I still have.

Sample quilt sandwich to practice quilting motif and check thread color

From the leftovers I'm making another baby quilt.  The shower is Saturday and still need to sew on the binding.  I better get busy!

Quilt Stats:

• Finished size:  45" x 45"
• Pattern:  Frames by Elizabeth Hartman
• Fabrics: Zoology, Scatter Square and Baby Dumb Dot by Michael Miller; Kona cotton solids and various prints
• Thread: Aurifil 
• Quilting design:  All over stipple meander
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: February 2012

Linking up to the 1st Anniversary edition of Throwback Thursday with Jenn at A Quarter Inch from the Edge and Needle and Thread Thursday with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation.

12 Days of Christmas in July WINNER

Thank you to everyone who stopped by during the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop and commented.  Silent Night was the favorite Christmas song with O Holy Night close behind.

Since everyone loves presents for Christmas there was a giveaway.  This is my quilt, The Greatest Gift, which was blogged about here.

The Greatest Gift made from sister's choice quilt block

Congratulations to my fellow 12 Days of Christmas in July blogger, Soma of Whims and Fancies who won the Heather Bailey True Colors charm packs.  Soma, they are on the way to you!

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict did an amazing job hosting the 12 Days of Christmas in July. My Blue Christmas machine applique pillow tutorial is here along with a list of other stops on the hop for some great Christmas inspiration.