All About the Nordic Star Quilt!

I’ve gotten a ton of requests for fabric requirements for the Nordic Star Quilt. But more than just providing those, I wanted to write a post that helped you create the quilt of your dreams. It should be no surprise to you if you’ve been following me for a while that I like to provide variations and ideas in all my quilt patterns to help you create the quilt you’re imagining. Nordic Star is an intermediate pattern, and there’s definitely a few tricky spots. With this blog post I hope to clarify some of those and give you all the Nordic Star Quilt tips so you can create this quilt with ease!

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Variations:

In the pattern, Nordic Star comes with two variations, 2-Color and Ombre. The 2-Color option uses a main color and a background color to create the quilt. The Ombre version uses 8 colors for the lap and throw sizes, and 10 colors for the bed size to create the Ombre gradient. The blocks are big, finishing at 16.5″.

The pattern comes with instructions for three sizes; lap, throw, and bed. The throw size is a very generous 66″ x 82″. Because the pattern is block based, if you’re making the Ombre version, it wouldn’t be difficult to make 16 blocks instead of 20 blocks for a square quilt that finishes at 66″ x 66″. You would also need less background fabric. It is very customizable. The pattern has a chart that identifies what pieces and their quantity for a single block.

You can use the Coloring Page to design your quilt!

Bonus Quilt:

Both versions; 2-Color and Ombre, create a bonus quilt with the offcuts called Wonderie. It is a super fun quilt all made with HSTs. Here’s the breakdown:

• Lap size Nordic Star (49″ x 66″) creates a Baby size Wonderie (36″ x 36″)
• Throw size Nordic Star (66″ x 82″) creates a Lap size Wonderie (42″ x 54″)
• Bed side Nordic Star (99″ x 99″) creates a Throw size Wonderie (54″ x 72″)

The pattern comes instructions for creating Wonderie, so you’re getting two patterns in one! Bonus! The fabric requirements also reflect both Wonderie and Nordic Star, so you can feel confident you’ll have enough fabric for both quilts. There’s also fabric requirements for backings and bindings for both quilts.

One thing to note, is that the Lap and Bed size Nordic Star quilts have enough fabric to create their Wonderie quilt. However, the Throw size Nordic Star requires 20 blocks and the coordinating Lap size Wonderie needs 21 blocks. This means that if you’re making a throw size Nordic Star, you’ll need to have a little extra fabric to create one extra Wonderie block. This is reflected in the fabric requirements in the pattern and there are instructions in the pattern. I’m mentioning it here because if you choose to vary the number of fabrics for your quilt, you’ll need to take this detail into account. (see Fabric Requirements section next for more details on varying number of fabrics).

Fabric Requirements:

The 2-Color Nordic Star is written to use strip piecing as much as possible and that is reflected in the fabric requirements.

The Ombre Nordic Star quilt uses 8 colors for the Lap and Throw sizes, and 10 colors for the bed size. Each block is created individually without any strip piecing. However, it is possible to use more colors (or less) to create your quilt. The breakdown is as follows for the main colors:

• To make 1 block: 3/8 yard
• To make 2 blocks: 5/8 yard
• To make 3 blocks: 1 yard
• To make 4 blocks: 1 1/8 yards

For example, in the mock-up below for a holiday Nordic Star quilt where every block is made of a different fabric, I would need (20) 3/8 yards. The fabric requirements for the background, binding, and backing would remain the same.

Continuing with this example, because Nordic Star has 20 blocks and Wonderie has 21 blocks, if I choose to stray from the fabric requirements on the pattern and use a different fabric for every block, I’ll find myself one block short for the Wonderie quilt. So I really need to pick out (20) 3/8 yards AND (1) 1/4 yd for the final Wonderie block (which doesn’t need as much fabric as the Nordic Star blocks do). Again, background fabric requirements would stay the same. This only applies to the Throw size Nordic Star quilt, because the Lap and Bed sizes have equal number of Nordic Star and Wonderie blocks.

Using this information, you can design your own Ombre look and feel and use the guide above to determine how much of each fabric to purchase.

Is Nordic Star Fat Quarter Friendly?

Technically, yes. But also, no. Use fat quarters at your own risk. Although you can cut all the pieces you need for a single block out of a fat quarter, you really need the ENTIRE fat quarter. We’re talking 17.5″ out of 18″. It is very, very tight. So if you end up with a fat quarter that’s slightly too small, or has been cut crooked, you won’t have enough fabric. For this reason, I chose not to have fat quarter fabric requirements on the pattern. It was way too close and I thought would cause too much heartbreak if you found yourself with just a smidge too little fabric. There is no wiggle room.

Nordic Star Quilt Tips:

Nordic Star is such an amazing quilt when it comes together, but it is an intermediate pattern for a reason. Here’s some Nordic Star quilt tips.

1. Starch your fabrics prior to cutting: Part of the quilt is constructed with a lot of bias edges, and these are a lot smoother when you starch your fabrics. Because fabrics can shrink slightly when starched, starching prior to cutting is recommended.
2. Use a scant 1/4″ seam when sewing. Especially when doing all of the stitch & flip blocks, use a scant 1/4″ seam on each. If your seam allowance is too big you risk having Wonderie pieces that are too small.
3. Do a victory lap around your quilt tops when completed to keep all the edges from stretching (bias) or unraveling.
4. Use steam or water when pressing Wonderie. This quilt has a lot of seams, and everything will lay much smoother if you use a hot iron with steam.
5. This last Nordic Star quilt tip is personal preference, but I like to create my Nordic Star and Wonderie blocks at the same time. When I’m working on a Nordic Star quilt block, I’ll sew, press, and trim my Wonderie HSTs at the same time, and sew that block together. That way, when I’m done with Nordic Star, I’m also done with Wonderie!

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