Meet my Nordic Star ombre quilt version! This quilt in blues and teals is the cover of my latest pattern, Nordic Star. I loved the Scandinavian feel of these blocks and how they really looked like snowflakes as well as stars, and decided to play off the feel of the blocks with my color scheme. Read on to learn more about how I created this Nordic Star ombre quilt, from the colors and quilting and binding!
Shop Related Products:
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Nordic Star | PAPER$12.00 -
Nordic Star | PDF$12.00
Fabrics:
For my cover version, I used all Moda Bella solids. If you want to make the same quilt, Fat Quarter Shop has a wide selection of Moda Bella solids in stock. Check out their blue and aqua/teal selection here.
- C1: Dark Teal
- C2: Scuba
- C3: Poolside
- C4: Aqua
- C5: Mist
- C6: Glacier
- C7: Sea
- C8: Admiral Blue
- Background: White
- Binding (both quilts): Sea
- Backing Nordic Star: Dark Teal
- Backing Wonderie: Scuba
The throw size of Nordic Star is HUGE! It finishes at 66″ x 82″. I love the extra long size for snuggling on the couch. Because the blocks are big, they are really satisfying to create. There’s a sense of accomplishment every time you finish one!
Those large blocks, and their offcuts, is what allows you to make a second bonus quilt out of the scraps! Wonderie, the companion quilt, finishes at a lap size of 42″ x 54″ when making a throw size Nordic Star quilt. I won’t lie, there’s immense satisfaction in essentially finishing two quilt tops at the same time!
Because of the way Wonderie is created, if you wanted a bigger quilt and you had extra fabric, you definitely could make it bigger by adding on additional blocks. I’m debating doing just that with my next version! Part of me thinks it would be so much fun to have both quilts on twin beds in a room – sister quilts – which coordinated and yet were distinctly unique.
Nordic Star Ombre Quilting:
I originally hoped to send both of these to a longarmer to work her magic. A series of circumstances, however, where she was having trouble with her machine and I was running really last minute before this release meant I had to buckle down and quilt them myself! I chose simple straight line quilting for Wonderie, but wanted to do something a bit more special for Nordic Star.
This pattern is one of my favorites that I have ever created. Everything from the colors to the design just really speaks to me, so I wanted the quilting to be just as special. Therefore, I decided to pull out my trusty Walk book by Jacquie Gering, but with a twist – Walk 2.0! I bought Walk 2.0 in February 2020 at Quiltcon, and through the chaos that was 2020, I honestly kind-of forgot about it. Therefore, when I decided to quilt this myself, I originally pulled out my first Walk book, and then noticed Walk 2.0 on my shelf! Whoops! After flipping through the book, I chose this design. I loved that it looked like snowflakes and knitting all wrapped into one intricate design.
If you’re curious about walking foot quilting, I’ve used designs from the original Walk book here, here, here, here, and here. (Can you tell I’m a big fan??!)
I pieced and quilting this quilt with Aurifil 50 weight thread in #2021 which is my favorite white thread color, using my Janome MC6700P machine. I absolutely love this machine for quilting, it is so smooth! Zero puckers!
Binding:
I chose to hand bind the quilt with big stitches, which is quickly becoming my trademark. The look it adds as a finishing touch just can’t be beat! I got extra-inspired with the corners, deviating from my usual x’s to a little snowflake! Those little details are my favorite. I once wrote my name in free motion quilting in the corner of a quilt that was a gift for a friend, and about a week after she got it she texted me “Your name is in here!”. I love those moments and try to add that little something to each quilt.
For this binding I used Aurifil 50 weight (my favorite!) in #5007. I use this color a lot. It is a super pale blue with gray undertones, and it works really well with all sorts of fabrics and colors.
If you want to learn big stitch binding, I have a tutorial with video to both original binding and variations on big stitch binding.
Nordic Star comes in both ombre and 2-color variations and in three sizes and is available in my shop in both pdf and paper format! The pattern is written for an intermediate quilter, but comes with step-by-step instructions and full color diagrams to walk you through the process. The pattern includes fabric requirements and instructions for both Nordic Star AND Wonderie!
Shop Nordic Star:
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Nordic Star | PAPER$12.00
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Nordic Star | PDF$12.00
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