I made this quilt in the summer of 2017. The pattern is Fractured Star by Quiltworx. It was designed as a beginner pattern to introduce quilters to paper piecing. The quilt finishes 80″ x 80″.
This 6 lesson tutorial shows how to piece the entire top.
Lesson 1 – Preparing to Piece
Prepare the Instructions
The instructions for this project are 12 pages long and you will be flipping back and forth through
them multiple times. To protect the instructions from loss or damage they can be placed in a binder
with sheet protectors. Additionally, this is the time you should check for any corrections issued
by Quiltworx for your pattern.
The next video describes in detail how to prepare your binder.
To Do List:
- Check for corrections on the Quiltworx website – Corrections
- Set up your binder and sheet protectors.
Understanding Quiltworx Papers
If you are new to Quiltworx patterns or need a better understanding of the different papers they publish, take some time to read the lesson in the link below. It will save you hours of frustration as you complete this project.
Papers in Bags
Before you choose and purchase your fabric, you should cut apart all the papers and put them in the proper bags. The newsprint sheets are large so you will need plenty of space to open them up. If you are using a rotary cutter to cut the papers, you should have the largest mat you can find. If you are using scissors to cut the papers, a table or other large surface works well.
The next video shows how to cut papers from the newsprint sheets and place them into numbered bags.
To Do List:
- Cut out the papers and place them in bags.
The table below summarize what papers go into which bag.
Lesson 2 – Choosing & Preparing Fabric
This lesson is all about fabric.
Understanding Fabric Numbers
Quiltworx uses fabric numbers to keep track of where each fabric is placed in the quilt layout. One particular fabric can have one or more fabric numbers because it is used in one or more places. The following video shows how you can use the fabric numbers to determine the color layout of your quilt. You can follow along with the cover sheet and the following pages from instructions: 4, 7 and 12.
Pre-Cutting Fabric
All the fabric, except for the pre-cut strips we started with, will be cut into strips of the required size and number needed to cut the templates later.
Use the table below to pre-cut your fabric and place it in the proper bags.
Pre-Cutting Fabric Chart
Lesson 3 - Cutting Fabric
In this lesson we cut all the fabric in all the bags. It is the last step in the process before we get to the actual paper piecing. We’re almost there!
Cutting Fabric A1, Bag A1
Fabric A1 is the accent fabric in Unit A, the large diamonds.
Cutting Fabrics A2 and A3, Bag A1
The Fabric group A2 is the light portion and Fabric group A3 is the medium/dark portion of Unit A, the large diamonds.
Cutting Fabric B1, Bag B2
Fabric B1 is the background of the large star.
Cutting Fabric B2, Bag B2
Fabric B2 is the outer border.
Cutting Fabric B3, Bag B1
Fabric B3 is the accent fabric in the striped border.
Cutting Fabric B4, Bag B1
Fabric B4 is a group of 8 fabrics which are the background fabrics in the striped border.
Lesson 4 - Piecing Unit A
Unit A Sort and Stack
First Group – Piecing Section 1
First Group – Piecing Section 2
First Group – Piecing Section 3 to the End
Second Group
Now you will complete the second group of papers and fabric in the same way you pieced the first group.
Lesson 5 – Piecing Unit B
In this lesson we piece the striped border using the strip piecing technique.
Piecing Sections 1 thru 3
Trimming Unit B
Lesson 6 – Assembly
In this final lesson we assemble the entire quilt top. Start by laying out the diamonds, Unit A, then the background pieces from Bag B2. Watch the short video below that gives you some tips for laying out all the pieces.
Diamond Layout
This is a picture of my diamond layout. I chose to put the light points facing in and then tried to spread the colors around. You can choose to put your diamonds how ever pleases you! When you find a placement you like, take a picture of it with your camera or phone and see if you want to make any changes.
Now lay out all your diamonds. The light tips of the diamonds do not have to be facing in. See how you like the look of the light tips facing out.
Background Layout
This is a picture of my background layout.
Now lay out all your background pieces.
Piecing the Borders, Part 1
Next, we piece the borders as shown in the next video.
Note: At the time this video was produced, the instructions did not have the corrections for the borders. If you have not already done so, you can download the Border Assembly Corrections. Disregard any references in the video to the prior instructions.
Piecing the Borders, Part 2
Final Assembly
Happy quilting!
Carol