I knew that a quilt for my mom had to be blue and white, as blue is the color she predictably, consistently, almost exclusively, gravitates towards.
It needed to be a pattern that I thought she would like, that I would enjoy making, and one that wouldn't take years to make. She is 81 after all.
She was born & raised in Norway and, 60 years after leaving there, is deeply connected with her roots, family, and friends still, both there and here in the U.S.
The variable star pattern seemed fitting with it's 8 points, somehow having a Scandinavian feel to it.
It reminds me of these folded paper stars.
It is a pattern I find pleasing, both visually and in the making.
This is the tutorial I followed, using cutting measurements for the largest sized star.
The white is Kona 'Snow' and is the only fabric bought specifically for this project. Most of the blue fabrics are either from 2nd hand clothing or thrifted fabrics. The rest are leftover from other projects.
One star is made with leftover fabric from an attempt my mom made at venturing into the world
of quilting herself a few years back (fifth row down, 4th column from left). It turned out not to be her
thing. She's a knitter through and through.
The backing is not necessarily a print I would have chosen if this quilt were intended for me but it's one that I thought my mom would like, and in the end it was just the right choice.
I opted for flannel for the backing as my mom has become an increasingly tinier person who, while hale and hearty, is easily chilled now, even during the summer months.
She's also been dealing with some new and difficult challenges, particularly over this past winter.
I guess this quilt is an attempt to wrap her in warmth and comfort and coziness from afar.
There are 12 extra star blocks, enough to assemble into a baby blanket, and I'll most certainly be visiting this pattern again, hopefully soon and in a more varied spectrum.
