Welcome to Week 2 of the Silk Stars Quilt-along! Christine from Tessellate Textiles and I are so excited to quilt along with you!

This week's task is cutting fabric, and if you are making the Vintage version or Scrappy version from Christine's pattern, then you can find everything you need to know in there!  Purchase the pattern from Tessellate Textiles HERE. 

But, if you are tackling the Extra scrappy version, shown here:

Then keep reading!

The quilt shown in the photo was a kit available from Piece Fabric Co., but you don't need the kit to use these instructions.  Last week we dealt with fabric requirements, so if you missed that post, go back and read that blog entry HERE.

So, now that you have ALL YOUR FABRIC ready for the extra scrappy Silk Stars Quilt, let's cut it up! Here's a chart:

Let me explain the chart to you, ok?  I don't want you to be confused. 

First, decide which size you are making.  Got it? Great!

Second, the square size is the size of squares you are going to cut.  Seems so obvious when you read it, right?

Third... here's where I need you to focus.  "Matched Pairs" - when I say matched pairs, I mean two squares of the same fabric.  That means that the number in that 3rd column is the maximum types of fabric you can use.  For example - the Throw size quilt - you need 72 matched squares.  So, you could use 72 different fabrics and cut two 4.5" squares from each fabric.  But! You don't have to use 72 fabrics - you could also choose to use 24 fabrics, and then cut 3 matched pairs (also known as 6 squares) from each fabric. 24 fabrics, times 3 matched pairs from each fabric, also give you 72 matched squares.  I hope that makes sense....

Fourth, that fourth column is just a help to confirm your math skills.  If you have 32 matched pairs, you should have 64 squares in total.  I feel like you can handle that.  

Before we move to that last column, let's deal with these scrappy pieces. You are going to go ahead and cut them, and pile them in their pairs.  They need to stay together in their pairs.  Said another way, please do not separate the pairs.

Here, you can see that I have my cut squares piled by colour, which makes the pairs easy to access:

Alright, I feel confident that you will keep the fabric in their pairs, so let's move on to that last column now, the Background fabric.  

I need you to refer to the Silk Stars Quilt pattern for one second.  Look at the Vintage cutting requirements for Fabric H (the Background fabric).  From that list, you ONLY cut out H2 according to the pattern's cutting requirements.  Only H2.  Leave the rest. Once you're done that, come back to the chart (pictured again so you don't have to scroll):

and cut squares from the background fabric that are the same size as the feature fabric squares, and use the chart to know how many squares to cut. 

Okay.  You are done cutting, which is technically done this week's task.  But before you just go throw all of the fabric into a pile somewhere, let's make it organized for next week's task.  You're going to make little sets of fabric.  Ready?

Take two background squares (from the pile that's the same size as the feature fabrics), and on top of them, add matched pairs in four different colours.  That's one stack.  Keep going - two more background squares and matched pairs in four different colours. There you go, that's another stack! Do this until they are all used up.  Here's a photo of the process, with the finished stacks across the bottom and the pairs at the top waiting to be matched up:

Alright.  Now you can put all those cute little stacks and the H2 pieces away for next week's task.  You're doing so well!

Next, the 4  Colour Silk Stars:

This quilt kit version IS still available in the shop, click on the photo to find it! In this version, each star follows the cutting instructions for the Vintage layout, but use one fabric for A & E, the second for B & F, third for C & G, and fourth for D.  That leaves H, which is the background colour.

That's all of the instructions you get for this week!  Be sure to come back next week when I'll give you the instructions for sewing the HST for the Extra Scrappy Silk Stars Quilt!

Until next week, friends!

Kendra

You can also watch me explain all of this on YouTube, here: