Rose Star My Way

I have come to love this vintage block called Rose Star. Not sure why since it involves a LOT of y-seams using a kite shape. I typically avoid y-seams as much as possible (though I certainly can stitch them). First, let me show you my first Rose Star quilt.

Rose Star Table Topper: 30" x 34"

I did a lot of research on this block and also did NOT want to cut all those kite shapes using a freezer paper template. I went ahead and had my own Kite Template made (since I was planning on making this a workshop).

My Kite Template

I standardized this to a finished 5" height. I didn't want to use one of those multi-sized rulers because of several things:

• They're TOO expensive
• They don't have the size I wanted. Creative Grids has 4 sizes, but not my 5" height. And it costs $27.49!
• The one by Sarah Nephew/C & T Publishing/Marcie Baker is $26.00 and doesn't show how to cut kites! Yes, I said that right. It's shaped like a kite but there are no directions for cutting them. I even asked Marcie Baker about that - no answer!
• I wanted my students to be able to make a variety of quilts without gouging them. Then, if they need another size, they can spring for those rulers.

Now, let's see my stacks of fabric kites.

Lovely little fabric kites!

My pattern has my students only make one mark and that's at the top. I included 3 holes on the template so the fabric can be marked at each of the points. This also works for those who enjoy hand piecing. I also included 1/4" seam markings away from the center line so there can be other possibilities. (I'll share some of those blocks later.)

Notice that I "twirled" the center where the 3 seams come together. I did not stitch all the way to that edge - this is why I marked one patch with that dot. And notice that the seams all go in one direction. This is a bonus in that when the 3-Patch units are joined to others, the seams will nestle!

Wrong side of a 3-Kite unit

And let's see this from the right side. Big wow for me! When my students take my class, I give them 3 kite patches that they can practice on. I also include 3 fabric patches in my pattern. (The 5 page pattern with acrylic template and 3 kite patches for practice is only $13 for my students in my workshops. It will be that price in my Etsy shop, plus shipping.)

Front of a 3-Kite unit

Here is the second Rose Star topper I made. It is not quilted. I like to have one class sample for students to be able to see how I pressed seams, etc.

Rose Star Table Topper using the Aria Collection by Windham Fabrics

Once you get the rhythm of joining those y-seams, you end up with 24 triangles made up of 3-Kite units! (That's 72 kites) It's all straight seam sewing from now on! I do NOT sew my units together as other patterns require. I repeat: NO MORE Y-SEAMS!

Why am I telling you all this? First, I realize I never shared my Rose Star quilts and also, I have two blog posts coming up in May that feature new fabric collections (Benartex and Windham) which I stitched into Rose Star quilts.

Right now I have another quilt on my design wall that is NOT a Rose Star but is made from these 5" kites. I sewed until I ran out of fabric, so I'm on the last row. It will be a great lap sized quilt. I will be patterning that soon and include that in my Rose Star pattern/template set.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these. Take a visit to Pinterest and do a search for Rose Star quilts. You will enjoy the show! And stay tuned for my two upcoming posts for more Rose Star quilts!