Fabric for a Starry Night

Thanks for the terrific response so far to the Starry Night Quilt pattern! You guys really meant it when you said you wanted to learn how to piece triangles. :-)

Someone asked me a great question about fabric selection for the quilt, but before I go into the answer I HAVE to share the amazing version of Van Gogh's Starry Night that Lacey made for her husband - out of buttons. Buttons! Isn't it spectacular? Lacey - you are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Now onto the more mundane. . .

I wish I could remember who asked me this - but I am apparently an idiot and can't find the message anymore. In a nutshell, she wanted more info on choosing fabric for the Starry Night quilt. Specifically, she wanted to know if the fabrics should be solid or patterned. And should all the blue background fabrics be the same?

The short answer is - it's totally up to you!

The long answer is - here's what I'm going to do. . .

For those who haven't seen it yet, here's the first star in the quilt - a White Dwarf.

I'm using patterned fabrics - but tone on tone so they "read" as solid. That will give me the dapply, swirly effect I want in the sky and give me the movement I'll want in some of the more complex stars.

Let's take a closer look at the background fabric.

These are three of the fabrics I'll be using. At a glance they're all the same color - deep indigo. When you look closer (click on the photo - it's a big one so you can zoom in close) you can see that there are three different prints that give each fabric a slightly different look. When I mix them up in the background (and sometimes I'll mix them up in one block) they'll definitely be deep indigo, but there will be variations in the texture that will make the sky extra pretty. So I recommend buying a range of tone on tone blue fabrics - all very close in hue, but with different textures.

Now let's look at some star fabrics.

That first star was a really simple one - the simplest in the quilt. Every month we'll get a little more complicated, and most of the later stars will include a few different fabrics in the same color, to bring movement and depth to the finished stars. You'll see this as early as next month when we'll do a Rotating Neutron Star.

What does this mean for fabric? Look at the photo above. For an orange star I chose two very similar fabrics in a yellow-orange. One is a smidge darker than the other. The darker one is a simple mottled texture. The lighter one has a vine-ish sort of print on it. I'll use these in the same star block for variation and depth. If you prefer a flatter look (more like a silk screen effect) you can use a solid in one color for an entire star - I just like the dimension I get from using a range of prints in the same color. The green will work the same way.

I don't have a star block made yet that will clarify this - but I do have a monster block I made recently.

I wanted to be able to distinguish between the top of his head and the bottom (below the mouth) but I still wanted his face to be all the same color. The solution was to use two different fabrics in the same color. I use this technique all the time, in lots of different quilt blocks, and also in cut paper collage work.

So - I hope this answers your question. Keep them coming if you have any others!

Addition - Lori asked me for total yardage for the whole quilt. I can't commit to specific yardage for the stars yet because I'm still deciding on colors for them. I can tell you that it will include white, pale yellow, bright yellow, orange, red, blue, green, and lavender. 

For the background fabric you'll need a total of 4 yards. I'll be using a variety of indigos for mine (I'm doing a little stash-busting), but you can use all one fabric if you prefer.

For the binding you'll need 1/2 yard (more if you decide to add a border to your quilt).

For the quilt back you'll need 3 3/4 yard (less if you'll incorporate scraps into the back, more if you decide to add a border.)

Oh - and one more thing. I want to make sure it's clear that this quilt will NOT be a direct representation of Van Gogh's Starry Night (like Lacey's amazing button rendition is). It's definitely inspired by the Van Gogh painting with its many-colored stars and swirly sky. But it's equally inspired by the incredibly poetic names scientists have given star classifications. Seriously - Luminous Blue Variable? What an incredibly gorgeous name is that? The finished quilt will be all sky, with twelve stars in a range of shapes, colors and sizes. I hope you like it!

If you want to play along, you can sign up for the Block of the Month club here.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Best,
Wendi