OH, MY STARS!

Things are coming along nicely with Oh, My Stars! This pattern is from American Jane patterns. I expect to offer it as a class locally and it will be my Empty Spools Seminar quilt project for 2026: April 29-May 4 2026. Plan now to join me there for the BEST quilting experience of your life. Registration won't open until May 2025 but you can still make your plans to SAVE THE DATES.

I made a design change--my borders are made from Half Square Triangles. Easier than the Dogtooth triangles in the pattern, and it provides an alternative design. Mine so far: 

The original as designed by American Jane patterns:

The original pattern as designed

After making the pieced borders from half square triangles (HST), I was able to calculate the "floater borders" needed to make everything fit together. The quilt top before borders measures 88" including seam allowance. I use a metal tape measure to carefully measure the quilt folded in half:

Then I measured the HST borders. They should have been 90.5" but had grown by a few extra inches because I did not check my piecing carefully as I went. While that is OK, I could easily have calculated a wide floating border to fill in the space, I didn't want those borders to be that wide. 

SO, I fixed the pieced borders, all 4 of them! NOTE TO SELF: next time, check those pieced borders as you are making them. A little "extra" becomes a LOT over 30 seams.

Using my TUTORIAL on FLOATER BORDERS I calculated what size to cut the RED borders to make the quilt middle fit the pieced HST borders:

1. Pieced Borders including seam allow.            90.5" 

2. Center of the Quilt including seam allow,         88"

3. Difference                                                            2.5"

4. Divide in half for finished size                         1.25"    Finished Size of Floater Border, add .5" seam allowance for Cut Size

The Left and Right Red Borders were cut/pieced to be 1.75" x 88".  They are sewn to the quilt.

The Top and Bottom Red Borders were cut/pieced to be 1.75" x 90.5". They are sewn to the quilt after the left and right red borders were added.

Now all I had to do is add the four pieced HST borders--they fit perfectly.

The biggest decision is what to do next. I don't like to finish a quilt with pieced units at the edge that need to be precisely aligned with the binding, like this: 

It was simple to add one narrow red border to the outside like this:

About 97" square

What I really had in mind originally was to make this King size by adding a wide outer border. This print is nothing like the one I would use but you get the idea:

About 109" square

Here is the actual print, I really like it:

BUT, do I really want a KING SIZE quilt, especially if this has to travel for teaching? QUEEN would be big enough. 

For right now, I am waiting until I decide the best course of action. What are your thoughts?

See my previous blog posts about this project:

The Fabric Pull

Getting Started

More Design Decisions

Tiny Stars

Let's quilt.

Barbara