Time Warp Stars: Becky's Set

Stars in a Time Warp by Becky Brown

84" x 84"

Thanks for all the nice comments last week. I enjoyed writing the weekly Time Warp posts, collecting together things I'd written about fabrics years ago and getting some new insights.

Penny's Clouds and Storm Prints

I also enjoyed seeing what you readers found in your stashes. I can see we have been buying the same fabrics for years. Now you know why it looks authentic. It's always better to have a name for a style than just a gut feeling that it looks "right."

Els G - Provincial

It will be exciting to see what kind of sets the star-makers come up with.

Terry had a stick print---or is it cracked ice?

Many thanks to super-model makers Becky and Bettina.

 I had intended to make stars too but I'd rather write than sew and and they did sew, so, sew much better a job than I would have.

Below is a free pattern for Becky's set.

She used 113 stars:

- 64 dark framed stars

- 49 light framed stars

As she sewed stars every week she framed each 

so that her finished star blocks are now 7-1/2" square.

"Adding frames is a really nice way to show off each little block - also a nice way to adjust for any variance in size of the block."

“Each block was framed with 2 short and 2 long strips. I alternated light and dark frames. When you lay them out in preparation for sewing, alternate the long side of the dark and long side of the light frames to avoid seams butting to seams. When sewing the blocks together, I pressed toward the dark fabric.”

The intersections

Cutting the Block Frames:

Here is Becky's method. She cuts large and trims.

“The finished frame width is 3/4". I cut the strips oversize (1-3/8") and after carefully pressing the seams AWAY from the star block, I trimmed each block to 8". The finished size of each block with frame is 7-1/2 inches“

· Cut 2 strips 1-3/8” x 8-1/2” for the top and bottom.
· And 2 strips 1-3/8” x 6-3/4” for the sides. Trim as you go.

Some technical editors think you should cut exactly. If you'd prefer to cut exact measurements....

· Cut 2 strips 1-1/4” x 8” for the top and bottom.
· And 2 strips 1-1/4” x 6-1/2” for the sides.

Cutting Exactly

Border Edge

“I wanted some kind of border without making the quilt too much bigger. Adding a strip in the outside triangles give it a bit of a zig-zag look without increasing the size of the quilt. 

The frame along the edges is slightly wider and all dark fabrics.

Cutting the Border Triangles
You need 49 edge triangles (C) and 4 corner triangles.

"The cut size of the strips is 2" - the outside triangles are cut so the edges are on the straight of grain.”

Here's a JPG of Becky's instructions for the edge.

Side Triangles 

A - Cut size 2" x 7".

B - Cut Size 2" x 8-1/2".

C - Cut 5-1/2" square. Cut into 2 triangles.

Corner Triangles

Strip - Cut 8" x 2"

Triangle - Cut 4" square. Cut into 2 triangles.

Becky's instructions above are summarized in two JPG files below that you can print.

How to print:

Create a word file or a new empty JPG file that is 8-1/2" x 11".

Click on the image.

Right click on it and save it to your file.

Print that file out 8-1/2" x 11". 

JPG for Block Setting.

JPG for edge instructions.

Attention Volunteer Technical Editors: If you notice any errors in our (MY) instructions let us know. We appreciate the free-lance correctors.