Chalet Stars – Secondary Pattern Challenge with Island Batik

Secondary Patterns

A secondary pattern in quilting is a pattern that emerges when blocks are combined.  Secondary patterns are very interesting – they lead your eye around the quilt and add to the complexity of the design.  They can emerge when two blocks are combined, or when one asymmetrical block is rotated in the layout. 

This month I decided to work with the Alpine Ice collection from my first Island Batik Ambassador box.  I received a fat eighth collection, along with a two yard cut of one of the prints.  They are beautiful.  I decided to add my favorite “pop” from my first box – the yellow print from the Fur-ocious Friends collection. You can find the Alpine Ice fabrics at Fabric.com*.

I decided to use a log cabin block, but put a twist on it for this project.  The block and layout were designed using Electric Quilter 7.  I didn’t spend a lot of time with coloring it in – we were packing up for family vacation, and time was short.  I printed out 36 foundation templates, packed up my Island Batik fabrics and the supplies I would need for a travel studio.  (We went on a road trip to a rental house, to include the dogs, so there was plenty of space for my sewing setup.)

This was my studio for the week – you will be hearing more about the trip soon.

Construction

I was pretty surprised the day I pulled out my foundations and prepared to get stitching.  My printer had decided to print out all of my foundations double sided, so rather than the 36 patterns I was expecting, I had 18.  That was irritating.

I have a love/hate relationship with foundation paper piecing.  I love the precision, but paper removal is a drag.  On the plus side, all of my cabins are square when I use this method.  Sometimes they start to tilt a bit when I do log cabins without the foundation.  Also, the little star points needed the foundation.

Not much beats watching your quilt design come together exactly the way you envisioned it.

As I progressed through the quilt, I realized I did not have enough of the light blue and white fabrics to complete the design I intended.  I mixed in some other bits from my Island Batik stash.

Once I returned home, I evaluated the blocks I had made, along with how much fabric remained.  I made a few with lighter gray prints subbed in for the light blues, and then I had a cool thought for my border – what if the stars extended into the border, blurring the lines of the quilt?  I’ve been struggling to break free of my “traditional” mindset lately.  So, I decided to make the quilt asymmetrical, with stars floating out of the body of the quilt, but only on one side.

Figuring out how to make those stars extend into the border was a bit of a puzzle, but it was so worth it.  I also paid attention to the orientation of the border print, because I’m, ah, slightly uptight.

Quilting

The batting is a Hobbs Tuscany Wool/Cotton blend.  I may have found my new favorite batting!  It is a slightly puffy, like wool, but has the weight of a cotton batting.  Thanks to Hobbs for including a sample in my Island Batik Ambassador box.

I quilted with a simple design.  I did loops and stars in the border, and large swirls in the log cabins.  Some days I just don’t feel all that inspired with my quilting, but that is okay for what will probably end up as a baby quilt.

I used Aurifil Mako 50/2 in 2630 for the quilting.  It is a pewter grey color.

Binding was applied while the quilt was still attached to the longarm.  I shot some video of the process – I am hoping to put up a tutorial soon.

The quilt finishes at 42″ square.  I can’t wait to show it off to my guild buddies at our next meeting.

Reflections

I really enjoyed this project.  I was slightly bummed that I started at the beginning of the month, but still didn’t manage to finish it before the last day of the month.

There are a lot of different design options with this block.  More time spent exploring color options and layout are needed.

Secondary patterns are fascinating.  I need to get better with my EQ7 mastery to explore more thoroughly.  Experimenting with fabric is fun, but I am left feeling that I could have taken this project even further.

The centers of the log cabins should not be the same color as the star.  They are both struggling to be the focus of the piece.

Island Batik Ambassadors

Check out the work my fellow ambassadors have done with secondary patterns this month.

Busy Hands Quilts
Freemotion by the River
Quilting Affection Designs
Bejeweled Quilts by Barb
Clever Chameleon
Mania for Quilts
Steph Jacobson 
Inchworm Fabrics
Moosestash Quilting
BeaQuilter
Carole Lyles Shaw
HeARTs Creations 
Sew Karen-ly Created
If These Threads Could Talk
The Quilt Rambler
Slice of Pi Quilts
Creative Blonde
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
Patterns by Jen
Powered by Quilting
Quilt in a not-Shell
Curlicue Creations 
Little Bunny Quilts
MMM Quilts
Sweetgrass Designs
Living Water Quilter