The inaugural pattern of Plains and Pine is here - the Big Sky Star Quilt! I am so excited to share this design with the quilt world.

A little background on the design...

The Big Sky Star Quilt is a variation of the classic Lone Star design. I've loved Lone Star Quilts as long as I can remember. I grew up on the northern Plains of Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation where Lone Star quilts abound. Giveaways of beautiful hand-quilted Lone Star Quilts are common at basketball tournaments from players on a reservation team to fellow teammates, other teams' players, coaches, teachers, etc. I loved watching these giveaways and appreciated the beauty of these heirlooms from afar (the stands) even before I even thought about sewing or quilting.

So when I did start quilting about 10 years ago, the Lone Star was always in the back of my mind. My first couple quilts were very simple designs of squares and rectangles but after those I felt ready to tackle the quilt I've admired for so long as a gift for my husband. Needless to say, it was a steep learning curve! I can't remember how many hours I spent seam ripping and I wouldn't want anyone to look too close at the diamond points but it is a well loved quilt that keeps us warm every night.

Since then, I've made a handful more and practice makes perfect (or mostly perfect). The Lone Star quilt is a labor of love which, to me, makes them the perfect giveaway quilt. It just feels so much more special to make a quilt when you have a recipient in mind.

From idea to quilt...

One night last summer I was working on a Lone Star quilt to give to my mom for her birthday and the idea of adding more diamond sections to a Lone Star came to me. I was so excited about this design from the start so I quickly got to working out the math so I could put my idea to fabric. It took quite a bit of trial and error (plus thorough testing by some amazing ladies) and I couldn't be any happier with the final result.

I had a bundle of Ruby Star Society's Warp & Weft bundle just asking to be used for this quilt. It gives the quilt an amazing texture and depth. (If I could sew with one fabric line for the rest of my life it would be Warp & Weft!)

For my second Big Sky Star Quilt I wanted to use only solids so I used 12 Kona colors for the star and Kona Snow for the background.

This version is being sold as a kit by Kendra at Piece Fabric Co. 

Kona colors: Otter, Coffee, Espresso, Spruce, Bluegrass, Gumdrop, Bordeaux, Honey, Creamsicle, Spice, Cinnamon, Coral.

Now it's your turn!

There are so many color options and variation possibilities for the Big Sky Star quilt. The pattern is written with 4 color options but each can be made unique by color and diamond placement.

This is an Intermediate quilt pattern because it requires a consistent 1/4" seam, cutting and sewing accurately on a bias, and precision with matching the diamond points.

I cannot wait to see how others interpret this design to make their own heirloom.

Happy Sewing!

Get the Big Sky Star PDF pattern HERE