Here Comes the Sun - Again!

This is a repost from last year at Winter Solstice because it came again this year. Really, it did! And I added a few other things from this Fabricadabra Collection.

I pay attention to the amount of sunlight we get each day. Or the lack thereof. Yes, I don't live in Alaska or Scandinavia. Still, November and December are too dark for me. I look forward to the shortest day of the year because that means that the days will be getting longer after that!

How better to celebrate the Winter Solstice than to make a quilt block. Forget the pagan stuff swirling around this - I like the sun for the sunshine!

I began with one idea and it morphed into another, mainly because of my available fabrics. I was looking for a bright orange and found it in the Benartex Fabricadabra Collection by Paula Nadelstern. And then I saw that I had the companion panels and my creative juices began to flow.

Fabracadabra panel, one motif of three in a 42" cut

Have you seen Paula's new book, Fabricadabra? It's a delightful expansion of her way with complex designs as they morph from quilt to quilt.

Fabricadabra by Paula Nadelstern

If you click the book title, you can actually see what's inside! Be ready for a visual treat!

Back to my story about my Winter Solstice Block: I wanted a hexagon shaped sun (what's new about that, huh?) So, in order to capture the entire motif and not ruin the one next to it, I had to cut my freezer paper hexagon at 11" for a finished height of 10-1/2". Why freezer paper? So I could center and cut the panel.

Freezer paper template - centering the design

Cut out the motif . . .

Motif cut for center of my Winter Solstice Sun. Motif will finish to 10-1/2" height

Now for the sun's rays. I wanted orange, ok? Who says they have to be yellow (fire is really orange anyway). I strip pieced two strips along both lengths and then cut them using my Creative Grids 60 degree ruler.

Cutting my strip-pieced units. Triangles will finish to 2-5/8". Strips cut to 3-1/8"

This is not a pattern because the numbers are really whacky. Just sit back and enjoy the colors!

Adding an extra orange triangle to the 2-triangle unit

Now cut the needed 60 degree diamonds . . .

Diamonds cut from 3-1/8" strips using the 60 degree lines on my 6 x 12 ruler

Notice that there is only straight seam sewing; no y-seams

Last 3 sides added

Now for my sun!

Here Comes My Sun

I added larger 30 degree side triangles to "square" it up and then some borders. Will quilt it in January, I hope.

Welcome, Sun! I'll take an extra minute of sunshine every day from you!

And let me show you one more block I made using these fabulous motifs cut into a hexagon. I brought in the radiant blue from the Fabracadabra Collection. What do you think? I may take those final borders off. I don't like how they look and that's all the fabric I had.

This is my new block that I call Double Star. Very easy to make and I have two quilts to share in the New Year I made using this pattern. All straight seam sewing. Absolutely NO Y-SEAMS!

Double Star using Fabricadabra

Those who follow my blog know about some of the other things I've done using these panels. There are little kaleidoscopes along the selvedge edge of these fabrics. I made them the center of these little stars.

And I put these stars into a ring with another of those Fabricadabra panels in the center.

Circle of Stars using Fabricadabra fabrics

And then I had a few of the little ones remaining and used them as centers in my Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks:

Using the little panels as the centers of some GFG blocks

Yes, December 21 is the shortest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. And then the days get longer! Here comes the Sun!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!