“Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—” John Keats

Just as scientists continue to make discoveries about the galaxy and the stars that inhabit it, modern quilters are discovering new, innovative ways to interpret the traditional star pattern. There’s something comforting, yet also exciting, about taking something old and reimagining it anew. Just as we expect to wake up each day to the light and warmth of the Sun, the star that fuels our planet, star quilts will continue to be a recognizable inspiration to quilters.  

Blue Giant Pop by Tara Glastonbury

Blue Giant Pop was born out of a desire to use upcycled fabrics and was made with old blue jeans. Glastonbury was inspired to make this quilt when she saw the use of indigo combined with pops of bright color while traveling through India. The different shades of blue add depth and elevate this common blue-jean quilt into high design. 

Homespun by Mary Kerr

Just as stars live on for centuries, the life of this particular quilt was extended when Mary Kerr used an old, worn quilt top to make this scrappy star. Kerr was able to cut around damaged parts of the original quilt and reinforce fabrics as needed. She preserved some parts of the original quilt where the fabric had been discolored as she felt it added a ‘homespun’ aspect to the new version. 

Smattering of Stars by Cath Hall 

Smattering of Stars is a great example of creatively using an alternative grid in a modern quilt. Traditional rows are present, but the way in which Hall ‘smattered’ the stars throughout the quilt breaks up the effect of organized rows while the improvisational star block adds to this effect. High contrast makes the stars float and shine. 

The Zola Quilt by Erica Jackman

This beautiful quilt was the perfect pick for the cover of the ‘Star’ issue of Curated Quilts. Inspired by her love for rainbow quilts and bright colors, Jackman merged the star and asterisk shapes to create this innovative star quilt. Because of her use of Vanessa Christenson’s ombré fabric (manufactured by Moda), Jackman had multiple colors and values to work from to create a spectacular rainbow.

Solstice by Alison Glass and Nydia Kehnle 

Alison Glass and Nydia Kehnle are a quilting dream team. Their collaborations are consistently stunning. The dark background color choice ofSolstice makes the bright stars pop. One of the things that makes it especially interesting is that the stars don’t reach out to a full point. This creates more connectedness in the way the stars join together. The pattern forSolstice can be purchased atwww.alisonglass.com.  

By Brittany Bowen Burton

Find these quilts and more when you purchase your own copy ofCurated Quilts: ‘Stars’.