I had this brillant idea one day to make my SIL a green quilt, since that's her favorite color, for Christmas. I decided to make it out of 8 Point Stars done in different colors of green.
Thus began my most confusing quilt. I worked on it and made several 9" blocks and it looked great! Until... When it started to get big, it was too busy. So, I had another brillant idea! I'd make 6" 8 Point Stars (all the same) and put in as alternating blocks. Yeah! It looked great! Until.... When it started getting big, it was too busy too! There was just too much there!

So, I started messing around with different layouts, trying to figure out what to do. The colors in these pictures is awful, except for the little 6" star. It's the material used for the lattice, cornerstones and border. It shows the real colors.

I also had to decide on the background material. I loved the aqua, it looked really good in the 'true' colors. But, since the quilt was for my SIL and her favorite color is green, I went with the green. I finally got it all figured out and got the top made.
It turned out beautiful. On Christmas, my SIL was so happy!
She loves it. She deserves it. I also made her a little quilted bed pillow. By the way, the finished King size quilt is 110" x 110".

Sorry this is so long and that there are soooo many pictures, and this isn't even all of them! I learned alot doing this quilt. One thing that I learned is that if you really want to do something, just keep trying and eventually you'll get it right. Just never give up.

I like the first of the possible layouts. The cornerstones tie it all together.

Beautiful quilt, pays to hang in there and keep going sometimes.

what did you do with the other star blocks?

this turned out gorgeous. I have some of the same green fabric.

I still have them stuffed in a drawer with other left overs and WIP for someday. I love the different fabrics.

I like the finished product a lot!
I'm with you on the first being too busy!
I'm glad you hung in there and fixed it so she will like it.

I love green too, so it would fit perfectly here. You did a very nice job. 'Looks very well made. I know your SIL was pleased.

Beautiful quilt. It was fun to see your progress/decision pictures!!

That is stunning. I do not think busy at all in all the other pictures.

Love how you finished it!!

Beautiful!! Loved seeing your decision process.

Absolutely awesome!!!!!!! What is the name of the block you used in the final quilt. Your SIL is one lucky lady!

Thank you very much! The block I used in the final quilt is just an 8 Point Star, done in 6", then framed to make it a 9" block.
You need the pattern, PM me. Again, thanks alot!
Marilyn

Thank you everybody for the interest and compliments on my quilts. I appreciate it alot. It makes taking 100 pictures worth every minute.

The 8th picture down is an exciting blue/aqua that would have been an excellent looking quilt! You did a great job! It looks fantastic. The green is ok but the blue far more exciting to me with the aquas and tints mixed in! Love it! :D :D

They are all so beautifal. I love stars. :thumbup:

That was my favorite background too! It was sooo pretty. But since it wasn't for me and Janet likes green, I made it with the green. I told her at Christmas that I almost made it with the aqua and she said she was really glad that I went with the green. I guess I made the right decision, but the aqua..... :lol:

It's beautiful!
You did a great job!

Wonderful quilt and I love your story, sometimes it takes numerous tries to get it just right and it sounds like you did

Absolutely a beautiful quilt. I love the green, and the way it all went together for you.

Oh wow that came out really pretty!!! She's gonna love it for sure. Way to press on.

Thank you! Yes, it was quite a job. I didn't know how to make the border like I wanted it, so I took it to my 'friends' to see if she could help me. I was told then that you can't make the quilt the way I wanted. I could either set the blocks 'on-point' OR I could use the sashing/lattice between them, but you don't do both. I had it laid out on the floor to show her how I wanted it to look when I was finished.

I didn't understand why I couldn't do the quilt On-Point and with the lattice. Then I asked her how would be the best way to make those little squares for the border. She said she had no idea. I came on home. She wasn't much help bless her heart, but I appreciated her trying to help me.

I still really liked the layout though, so decided I'd just make it the way I wanted anyways and I'd figure out how to make the little squares and get them in the border. It was funny because I brought home one of my friends quilt block books to check out, and guess what was in it!!???! The pattern for EXACTLY what I wanted!! It was just a row of squares, on-point, about 4" wide! I couldn't believe it! That border was meant to be.

Here's a close up of the border squares that I used.

After all your work and confusion that quilt turned out great. Beautiful. I bet she loves it.

Marilyn I really enjoyed the story of this quilt. Love your determination girl! You go! You knew what you wanted after trying diff. settings and you made it work. Pays to not give up. This is a stunning quilt. Janet is a very lucky person to now have this awesome quilt. Thank You so much for the pics & story.

Love, love, love the quilt just as it is. Great decisions.

It came out beautiful!!!

All of your hard work and tenacity paid off-it is beautiful.

That's such a pretty block. My guild did it as a BOM a couple of months ago.

It's amazing how different the stars looked when turned on point. The finished quilt is beautiful, love the matching pillow.

I don't think the 1st layout was too busy. The subsequent ones seemed busier. If you use the extra blocks and do the 1st layout, I'll take the finished quilt :D

Beautiful finished quilt and fascinating to see your design process. Thanks so much for sharing, plus i love the pic of Skinny 'helping' you!

Thank you k3n! Skinny is always helping me. She is like my shadow. It can be a pain sometimes though, like when you are trying to sew and she lays as close to the sewing machine as she can possibly get without being on it. I love her to death though.

I love them All. Looks like your cute quilt helper dose too. Great job. It truned out beautiful.

Yes, my Barney Cat sleeps on my sewing chair and there am I perched on the very edge! Then he pushes and even digs his claws in if he thinks I'm taking too much room! :mrgreen: If I leave blocks or fabric laid out on the desk, the next morning I'll find that he's rearranged them for me and annointed them with a light sprinkling of hair! SO helpful, aren't they! :lol:

Wow that turned out great and I really did love the first one that you said was busy. hahahah Simply put stunning on how you showed your process.

What an amazing gift. I think she will be flabbergasted at the gorgeous gift. I mean who gets something that special as a gift.. wow. It turned out beautiful. I love how you do your photo shoots of the works in progress. Do you ever go back and flip through them later? a nice way to keep your quilts with you even after they are gone to new homes.

Thank you very much! I got my first digital camera, thanks to my daughter's insistance, in Nov. 2008. Once I learned to use it, I became addicted. I have always liked to take pictures of the different things that I've made, whether it was knitted, crocheted, macramed, a cross stitch, etc. I do "Photo shoots" of all of my projects now, since I have a digital camera (instead of just the finished product). It's great to see how everything is looking.

I usually have several layout options in my head when I'm making a quilt and it really helps to lay each one out, see how it looks and if I like it. If I do like it, then I take a picture and put it on the computer. When I get all the options on it, then I can compare them and decide which one I like best and know how to make my quilt.

I have 1 1/2 albums of projects now. One has knitting, crocheting, etc up until I started quilting. The second half of the book is quilting and the 2nd album is half full now of quilts. I also have a 3rd album. It is for Very Special Blocks. Mostly in it are my Carpenter's Star blocks. I've done over a hundred, each one different and beautiful. It is my favorite block so I want to keep every block. I kind of get to keep them since I have a picture of every one of them. 56 of them are in my daughter's quilt which is pictured on this site. Another 30 are in Dawn's Quilt, which is also on this site. I still have the rest here, other than the ones that were made into pillows. Also in this Very Special Blocks album are my Star blocks that I made and the 28 blocks I've made for my daughter April's quilt. (It should be done in about another 20 years!!!!)

And Yes! I love to get out my album and look at the pictures.
I see all of the things that I've made and I just can't believe that I've only been quilting about a year and a half!!! So many things in such a short amount of time! I also have pictures of some quilts that just didn't "work out", kind of like this one almost didn't, but I loved my original layout idea. Someday I will make another quilt and figure out how to use my original layouts that I didn't get to use. I love looking at my past projects, my past blocks, and my original ideas that just haven't come together yet.

It turned out just wonderful!!

awesome, thanks for the inspiration!

I love the finished quilt, but I like all the other lay outs too. You did a wonderful job and you should be soooo proud.

Wow! All of the layouts are stunning. You do such beautiful work. I'm in awe!