Celestial Skies

As a Benartex Sewcial Ambassador I have the privilege and joy to play (and design) with the latest and most beautiful fabric! Celestial Skies is right there and out of this world.

Celestial Skies by Benartex

When I requested the fabric I had a quilt in mind. Why a quilt and not a zipper bag or tote? I want to help Benartex to sell fabric and not scraps! Here is a quilt I made using a previous Benartex collection. I made it several years ago and was donated to my Reston Quilter's group for our charity outreach.

Child's Diadem quilt using 12" blocks

I had taken this vintage pattern, upsized it and converted the points to foundation paper piecing. Here's one of those blocks from 2010!

14" Diadem block

A block is made up of parts, right? The center will be a square; here are the parts for the four corners, plus my printed foundations and 2 of my 4 Add-a-Quarter rulers. These are a MUST for paper piecing. I used a template to cut the odd shapes for the outside of the blocks; this reduces fabric waste when trimming.

Getting ready to make my blocks

Here are the foundation paper pieced corners using Celestial Skies. I needed four sets for each of the four blocks (two purple; two turquoise).

Corner units for my Diadem blocks

Here is the first quilt I made with my Diadem pattern. It appeared in my second book, Supersize 'Em Quilts (2009). I used some Christmas prints. I still own this! It's a 14" block and the quilt is 53" x 53".

Diadem from my second book, Supersize 'Em Quilts (2009)

Now it's time for me to show you my Celestial Skies Diadem quilt. I increased the sashing units so it is now a 60" x 60" quilt! I have donated this to my Reston Quilter's Guild for our charity outreach. We like to have quilts for teenagers, too! The center square is a wonderful size to showcase a fantastic print.

Celestial Skies Diadem Quilt: 60" x 60"

Here's the back of the quilt showing the awesome print and my label. I stitched the quilt and my guild friend Jeanne C. quilted it.

Celestial Skies quilt label

Click that link above to see the beautiful Celestial Skies Benartex fabrics. And check out my Etsy listing for the Diadem Quilt - I have made several more quilts in a variety of prints and because the center square is so large, it's quick to finish!