Rangeley Star Revisited

Last week I had the good fortune to go on two quilt retreats. I have lots to share but I'm going to break it down into several posts so that you won't need to spend four hours reading my blog...

Lately I've been busy working on quilt projects with deadlines so I decided to give myself a break and dig through my UFO pile. I was actually looking for something else, when I found my Rangeley Star. I started this quilt in April 2008 in a weekend workshop with Deb Tucker at the Strong House Inn in Vergennes, Vermont. Carol went with me and as far as I know, her quilt isn't finished either. (Note: I can't believe that 2008 was already seven years ago. My how time flies!)

Three blocks on the wall in progress.

When I dug out the project I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had already finished eight out of the 12 blocks that I needed for the quilt center. While I was at my Cape Cod retreat, I finished the last four blocks, assembled the quilt center and added the first inner border.

Here is the center of the quilt.

Quilt center with the first inner border.

I need to make 36 medium size stars for the outer border. I worked on them all week and have completed 20 so far with eight more partially assembled. I promise not to put this quilt back into the UFO pile. I'm excited to see what it will look like when it is finished. It will be queen size when completed. I promised Mike that we're keeping this one.

The quilt is made of batiks from my stash. The background fabric is a sky print from Maywood Studios that frays the moment you touch it. The blocks in this quilt are quite large. Each block has a medium size star, three small stars and one large star. I have used a bright green batik as my accent fabric and a mottled turquoise, purple and green batik as my focus fabric. You can see it well in the inner border.

If you get a chance to take a class with Deb Tucker, jump on it! She is an excellent teacher and has created a whole array of specialty rulers that make piecing easy. The Rangeley Star only requires the Tucker Trimmer.

Some fun facts: the weekend I went to Vermont it was unseasonably warm and one of the other attendees at the quilt weekend loaned me a short sleeve shirt that I wore all weekend. I had just met my husband Mike only two months earlier and I already knew that I liked him A LOT. Later that same summer, Marion and Pat took the Rangeley Star class with Deb Tucker and they have both finished their quilts!

Linking up on Wednesday with Freemotion by the River and Sew Fresh Quilts' Let's Bee Social. Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Richard and Tanya Quilts. Linking up on Saturday, May 2nd to Pink Doxies Pet Project Show.

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy