String Star

Polly has not been very happy with how seldom we have been near the sewing machine recently. I am sure she figured we would never get that string quilt finished on time.

But we did. We set this one together with a big star in the centre, an apt reflection of the recipient's persona. He's a star student, athlete, and friend to my youngest; he stands out in everything he does.
I decided to quilt stars, and I printed out a ring of stars from EQ7 on cardstock. I cut around the design to make my template for tracing.
I considered for a moment how to stitch this in a continuous line and decided the easiest way was to quilt the outside of the stars, and then the inside, joining my line of stitching in the process. It worked great. However...because the string patchwork is so busy, the stars did not show up well.
I went for a bolder design in the centre of the star - a feathered wreath. It stood out a bit more prominently. The remainder was quilted in squiggly lines.
I used a 12" square ruler to true up the corners when I trimmed off the backing.
As it rained most of the week, I decided perhaps I should take some indoor pictures. Polly of course was on the job to help.
What would I do without her?

I was really keen to get a shot with a background which would make the recipient smile, so we waited for a break in the rain and headed downtown. Here's my stylist arranging the quilt on a bench. Polly sat this one out. (And yes, having the Lawton's sign so prominent was the point!)
I have a plastic sheet under the quilt so it doesn't get wet on the bench. The advantage of shooting on an overcast day is the even exposure so it all worked out fine.
Yesterday was graduation day at A.R.H.S. and I delivered the quilt early afternoon. I got a hug :)
Even though these four childhood friends are all heading in different directions, they are now (literally) connected with common threads. Making a quilt with meaning is a wonderful experience for both the maker and the recipient. It's really what quilting is all about.