Knitted Star Quilt - Cover Quilt & Pattern details!
It's HERE! Knitted Star Quilt pattern is now available!
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You might recognize this quilt as an extension to my mini pattern that I wrote for Quilters Candy members about 6 months ago. Well, guess what? Its now available for EVERYONE and in multiple sizes! Here's a look at the original Wall Hanging size:
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I have always loved traditional "Fair Isle" style designs. Fun fact, I have been a knitter since middle school....wayyyyy before I even thought about quilting. Granted, I can only knit a few different kinds of stitches, and even then, it'll be riddled with mistakes, but that's besides the point. :) I have always loved knitted Christmas stockings that have this sort of festive vibe to them. Which is what let me to want to design my own "Fair Isle" sort of design.
But where does the name "Fair Isle" come from? I've always heard of it, but what does it even mean? I did some digging and found that it's named after a tiny island north of Scotland. It was really interesting to read about the knitters on this island and how the design went on to become popular. I found an interesting little synopsis on The Croft House's website. They have a blog post called "The Evolution of Fair Isle Knitting". Go on, give it a read. :)
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If you've ever made one of my patterns, you know that I love 1.5" strips. Why? I have no idea. I think its the fact that tiny piecing creates such an intricate and detailed look....and I LOVE that. If I have going to spend time and money creating something, I want it to be unique, intricate and "heirloom-quality". The quilts that my grandmother has passed down to me have that "heirloom-quality". It's the hundreds of thousands of tiny stitchings, the y-seam techniques, the endless curved shapes. When I look at her quilts, I think "Wow. She spent so much time on this quilt, and now I get to treasure it forever." I want my quilts to spark that same sense of wonder.
So back to Knitted Star! While this quilt has small piecing, 99% of the pattern is strip pieced. YASSS. This was really important to me as I was writing the pattern. I wanted the pattern to have maximum efficiency, and I'm really excited with how it turned out! PS: If you have a Stripology ruler ...you'll get a lot of use out of it if you're making the Traditional Throw or Traditional Bed version!
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Also, in true Lo & Behold fashion, this pattern has two different styles: Traditional (the cover) and Modern. The Traditional styles uses two fabrics and looks so classic and timeless. THIS was how I envisioned the quilt early on. I love that two color quilts really give the design the spotlight. Also, if you use two contrasting fabrics (dark vs. light), then you really get an impactful result!
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After I wrote the traditional version, I couldn't help but wonder what a multi-color Knitted Star would look like! After I did the math and wrote out the strip piecing instructions, I whipped up my "Modern" Knitted star quilt. (I'll have a different blog post about this one!)
So the pattern includes three sizes, Wall Hanging (27" square), Throw (62" square) and Bed (93" square). Note that you can use fat quarters for the Modern versions....I recommend either solids, or a very small print that is non-directional.
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Back to my cover Knitted Star Quilt. I used Robert Kaufman Kona Gotham Gray and White. I know that fabric (especially white) is hard to come by these days. A really great alternative would be Art Gallery Fabrics Magnetism and Snow. I used Magnetism in my Homecoming Cover quilt and it's a really pretty, warm gray color.
Once my blocks were constructed, quickly pieced them and sent it off to Walker Quilt Co. She sent me a few options for the pantograph, and we ultimately landed on this design my Karlee Porter. I went back and forth about whether I wanted darker thread, which would blend in with the background but stand out on the stars; or vise versa. I went with a light gray thread and I really love how that makes the stitches "pop!".
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For the binding, I have been hoarding this red stripe by Moda for YEARS. It is the perfect "candy-cane" style fabric and I was so pumped to finally get to use it!
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My backing is Winterberry Mist by Art Gallery Fabrics. I normally like to use larger scale prints on the back of my quilts, but I've always loved this print and I think it turned out really nice...especially in contrast with the striped binding.
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.I hope that this pattern brings you lots of joy! Personally, I love styling this quilt in my living room and I have a feeling that it'll live there year-round. Theres something so graphic and bold about these stars....gosh, I love this quilt so much!
I've gotten some questions about a quilt along. I have lots of tips and tricks for this quilt, so YES. Plan for a quilt along at some point this fall. I'll have details for that soon!
LINKS:
- Knitted Star quilt pattern - DIGITAL
- Knitted Star quilt pattern - PAPER
- Knitted Star quilt kits
- Red & White Knitted Star Blog Post
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Be sure to tag me on social media so that I can see your lovely quilts! Also use the hashtags #knittedstarquilt & #loandbeholdpatterns so that we all can see!
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Happy Quilting!
Brittany
