The English Stars Quilt
The English Stars Quilt pattern is available here!
There is something about star quilts that just tug at my heartstrings and warm my soul. The English Stars Quilt is truly one of those that just makes me swoon. My goal with this pattern was to replicate the look of English Paper Piecing, but to make it all machine pieced and simple. There are no Y or inset seams anywhere to be found in this pattern. It is made completely with a straight 1/4” seam. Nothing fancy or complicated here. Just a regular ol’ seam allowance.
The first version of this quilt I made was a scrappy baby size. I usually always start by making a baby size to make sure my math is correct, and everything looks good. If I don’t like it, it’s back to the drawing board (or graph paper.) I instantly loved the results from this pattern. The only change I wanted to make to it was to make it Fat Quarter friendly. So, I got my trusty calculator out and went to work.
Now Fat Quarter friendly, I decided to use the Shine On fabric by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics (as well as some coordinating solids) to make my cover quilt. I used Peppered Cotton in Stonewash as the background to give the quilt the look of being made with denim. I really love everything about this quilt. It’s definitely one of my top 5 quilts I have ever made. It looks so classic yet feels modern at the same time.
Finally, I made a quilt coat with an English Stars back. I used the Patchwork Chore Coat pattern from Patchwork and Poodles to make this fun and comfy coat. For the fabrics I used some of the Ruby Star Society Heirloom collection by Alexia Marcella Abegg. The background and rest of the coat is a Peppered Cotton in Lake Shot. (Side note, you need to make a quilt coat. I was on the fence about making one for a long time and now I want to make a hundred. They are a lot easier than I thought.)
English Stars is an intermediate quilt pattern. The pattern is simple. But because it is made with 60 degree angles, there are a lot of seams to match, and it uses templates or a 60 degree ruler. I recommend the 60 degree mini diamond ruler from creative grids. Game changer. But, if you are a confident beginner with a couple quilts of experience and loads of patients, then you can easily make this quilt.
I wrote this pattern to have lots of options. Use scraps, jelly rolls, fat quarters, yardage, or whatever you have in your stash. This quilt looks great as a two-color quilt (solid diamond version), or a color explosion of scraps. I really don’t think you could go wrong.
For some more examples of English Star Quilts, I had a handful of pattern testers for this one. Let me share their quilts with you now. They all did an amazing job!
Mary (@embercraftcompany) made her English Stars Quilt using her Husband’s Grandfather’s shirts. He passed away last year, and this is a memory quilt she is giving to the Husband’s Grandmother. Isn’t it beautiful? And such a special treasure.
Ellen (@ellenrosequilts) made this gorgeous solid diamond version. I love how bright and cheerful it is. Like sunshine… in quilt form.
Jessica (@jfeddema1) made this scrappy small throw. I love the vintage feel of this quilt. It really blends the modern and the traditional look so beautifully.
I hope you all enjoy making the English Star Quilt. Please share what you make on Instagram using the hashtag #EnglishStarsQuilt
