My "Summer Stars" Wallhanging

I just hung my new summer wallhanging above our mantel! 



"Summer Stars" has been perking along in my brain for a while now and there's nothing as satisfying as seeing your idea come to life.  (Except Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Or peaches warm off the tree.  Or holding the grandbaby.)  I stepped off that stool, turned on all the lights in our north-facing family room and grabbed my camera.

I started collecting fabric with the idea of a red, white and blue version of my "Christmas Star" wallhanging.  But the reds would be cherry reds and the blues would be a medium clear bright tone that I mentally catalog as "soldier blue."  They've been waiting for me for a few years now.   (Don't inquire as to the definition of a "few", please, because I might have to fib a bit.)

As I sewed, I quickly realized that I'd been including some patriotic flag material in soft tans and they weren't fitting in with my vision at all.  I think I was getting too influenced by the Fourth of July when I really wanted something brighter, more summery.  Subconsciously, this jigsaw puzzle that I liked enough to frame was inspiring me.  

 

Not a bit of tan in sight, is there?  It's pure summer! 

I tossed out the drab tans and pulled bright whites, strong yellows and medium greens from my stash.  There are strawberry and butterfly and bunny fabrics to add to the summery feel of the patriotic flags and stars. 

My dining table has been piled high with material for a week while I've been cutting out three-inch squares and piecing the star blocks.  Why does quilting take up some much more time than a major project involving wood and power tools?  I can't express how nice it was last night to gather all the fabric into neatly folded piles and carry them up to the craft closet.  Because I'd sewn the last of the twenty-five blocks sometime after eleven p.m.  Hallelujah!

I love auditioning the individual blocks and figuring out a pleasingly random arrangement.  (And then changing ten times because my least-favorite block was in a way-too-prominent place that was going to annoy me for years if I left it there.)  I always take a photo before I sew them together since I'll never remember what goes where otherwise.

 

Good thing too because even though I chant things like "green block on the upper outside," I get sidetracked by making sure the star points stay pointy and the seams match.

It's not perfect, but it's DONE.  Well, not done in the sense of batting and backing and binding--but that's the easy part now that the quilt top is finished.  I'm one happy camper!

Off to style the mantel and then shop the stash for backing material.

Relieved, happy, satisfied,