Stars and Garland Quilt Pattern

From McCall's Quilting - January 1995
Compliment of www.mccallsquilting.com

"Stars and Garland"
Designed by Lynn Dash

Special consideration when planning your quilt can turn a basic quilt design into a sight to behold. Using romantic holiday fabric, Lynn Dash showcases the poinsettia, a time-honored symbol for the Christmas season. Taking full advantage of the garland print in the border makes a substantial impact; any fabric with a stripe pattern would be suitable. Carefully placed poinsettias in the center piecing add balance; Lynn chose to accentuate the burgundy and rose of the poinsettia print, and set them off with deep teal blues to complement the softer blue-greens in the print. To highlight the romantic color scheme, hand quilting embellishes the ground fabric, and adds a delicate touch to the strong piecing lines in the center section. The soft print of the border acts as a perfect accent to the more geometric center star design.

Finished Quilt Size
23" x 25 1/2"

Planning, Cutting, and Marking
Designer Lynn Dash has used a variety of small prints to modify and refine a variable star block which complements its wide floral print border. The same pattern could be used with any floral or seasonal print as border fabric, or with bold prints or plaids for a more graphic look.

Notice Lynn's easy method for constructing Flying Geese triangle units with a rectangle as base and two squares added to create the smaller triangles.

Fabric Requirements
Floral Christmas print ..... 1 yd.
White-on-white print ..... 1/4 yd.
Dark green print ..... 1/4 yd.
Dark red print ..... 1/4 yd.
Pink mottled print ..... 1/4 yd.
Green Stripe ..... 1/8 yd.

Backing .......... 3/4 yd.
Batting, low loft craft size or ..... 3/4 yd.

Other Materials
Quilting thread (if hand-quilting)
Monofilament thread (if machine-quilting)
Matching sewing thread

Number to Cut
Floral Christmas Print
... 2 strips 4 1/2" x 27"
... 2 strips 4 1/2" x 25"
... 2 strips 2 1/2" x 27"
... 2 strips 2 1/2" x 25"
... *1 square 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"
... * 4 squares 2 5/8" x 2 5/8"
... * Center a floral motif on each square.
White-on-white print
... 2 strips 1 1/4" x 14"
... 4 strips 1 1/4" x 6"
... 4 squares 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"
... 4 squares 3" x 3", cut in half diagonally
... 4 squares 1 1/4" x 1 1/4"
Green stripe
... 4 squares 2" x 2"

Dark green print
... 2 strips 1 1/8" x 17"
... 2 strips 1 1/8" x 15
... 4 squares 3" x 3", cut in half diagonally
... 2 rectangles 1 1/4" x 2"
Dark red print
... 4 squares 3" x 3", cut in half diagonally
... 4 rectangles 2" x 3 1/2"
...16 squares 2" x 2"
... 4 squares 1 1/4" x 1 1/4"
... 2 rectangles 1 1/4" x 2"
Pink mottled print
... 8 rectangles 2" x 3 1/2"
... 8 squares 2" x 2"

Quilt Top Assembly
Piecing the Central Block
Step 1. On wrong side of 2 mottled pink 2" squares, draw a line dividing the squares in half diagonally (see Diagram 1-A). Place 1 marked square, right side down, on a dark red 2" x 3 1/2" rectangle, matching corners and edges. Stitch on the drawn diagonal line (see Diagram I-B). Press square toward corner at stitching line to form a triangle (see Diagram II-A). Trim pink to match red rectangle, if necessary, and trim away excess underneath to a 1/4" seam allowance (see Diagram II-B).

Step 2. Place second pink square on other end of dark red rectangle with marked line going in opposite direction (see Diagram III-A). Stitch, press, and trim as in #1 to complete 1 triangle unit (see Diagram III-B). Make 4 triangle units.

Step 3. Sew triangle units to opposite sides of 3 1/2" floral print square (see Diagram IV-A). Add 2" green stripe squares to ends of 2 remaining triangle units (see Diagram IV-B). Join these to top and bottom of square/triangle unit to complete center part of block (see Diagram V).

Step 4. Sew a white triangle to each side of a 2 5/8" floral print square to form a larger triangle (see Diagram VI-A). Join 1 dark red triangle and 1 dark green print triangle to each other. Make 2 (see Diagram VI-B). Add these triangles to sides of pieced triangle above to form a rectangle (see Diagram VI-C). Make 4 units.

Step 5. Sew 1 rectangle unit to top and bottom of center part of quilt block (see Diagram VII-A). Sew 3 1/2" white squares to ends of 2 remaining rectangle units (see Diagram VII-B). Add these to sides of quilt center of complete star block (see Diagram VII-C).

Diagrams 6 and 7

Step 6. For inner border, use 1 1/4" x 2" dark green rectangles and 1 1/4" white print squares to construct 2 triangle units as in #1 and #2 (see Diagrams I, II, and III). Add 6" white print strips to each side of triangle units to make side borders (see Diagram VIII). Attach borders to sides of star block, matching points in center of block (see Diagram IX). Trim borders even with top and bottom of quilt. Add 14" white print strips to top and bottom of quilt, and trim even with sides.

Diagrams 8 and 9

Step 7. Using 8 mottled pink 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles and 16 dark red 2" squares, make 8 triangle units as in #1 and #2, above (see Diagram X-A). Using 2 dark green 1 1/4" x 2" rectangles and 4 dark red 1 1/4" squares, make 2 triangle units as in #1 and #2, (see Diagram X-B). Add 1 1/4" x 2" dark red rectangles to point side of smaller triangle units. Combine with larger pink/red triangle units to make top and bottom borders (see Diagram X-C). Add pieced borders (see Diagram X-C). Add pieced borders to top and bottom of quilt (see Assembly Diagram)

Diagram 10

Assembly Diagram

Step 8. Add 1 1/8" x 17" dark green strips to sides of quilt. Trim even with top and bottom. Add 1 1/8" x 15" dark green strips to top and bottom of quilt. Trim even with sides (see Assembly Diagram).

Step 9. Center 4 1/2" x 25" floral print strips on top and bottom of quilt and stitch to within 1/4" of edges. Center 4 1/2" x 27" floral print strips on sides of quilt and stitch to within 1/4" of edges. Miter corners (see Mitered Borders).

Step 10. Layer and baste quilt top for quilting method of your choice. (see Basic Quiltmaking Instructions)

Step 11. Outline-quilt star block and borders. Quilt design of your choice in wide floral Christmas print borders.

Step 12. Bind quilt with remaining 2 1/2" wide floral Christmas print strips (see mitered binding instructions).

Due to variations in materials and equipment, mccallsquilting.com disclaims any liability of untoward results in doing the project presented. Because mccallsquilting.com has no control over your choice of materials or procedures mccallsquilting.com assumes no responsibility for the use of this data.

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