Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Shine Bright Star Quilt

Today I'm excited to share with you a quilt I made for a sweet friend of mine using a new line of fabric called Shine Bright.  It's designed by Simple Simon and Co. for Riley Blake Designs, and today is my stop on the Shine Bright blog tour! 
Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

I love the sentiment that went into this fabric line.  Liz and Elizabeth (a.k.a. Simple Simon and Co.) wanted to honor the strong and beautiful women in their lives and encourage them to "shine bright." 

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

I had a particular friend in mind when I created this quilt.  This friend definitely shines bright- although I don't think she realizes it.  In the past several years she has struggled with anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder among other things.  Despite her own troubles, she takes the time to stop by and visit when she's in my neighborhood, remembers my birthday, and always has a smile to share.  But the one thing I'm most impressed with, is her courage.  Recently she recognized she needed help with her anxiety and depression and had the courage to ask for that help.  I'm proud of her for that - I'm not always very good at recognizing when I need help, and then asking for it.  

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

For most of the stars I did some fussy cutting of one of the main prints and used it as the center of the stars.  I love that it makes it look like I pieced little nine patches - it's like cheating!  

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

My favorite print of this line is a word search type print and I used that one to fill an entire star.  In this word search print are the words "you are" in gold, and then hidden in the print are words that describe how the two designers feel about their daughters - words like "smart," "strong," and "brave."

I wanted to emphasize those words as a reminder to my friend, so I did some simple hand embroidery to outline a few of those words as one would when doing a word search.  I used a single strand of DMC Pearl Cotton and an embroidery backstitch and was able to get it done while watching a little tv one night.   

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

I love how it looks in the finished quilt!  To give the quilt added texture, I used the black and white lattice print from the line for every other block.   

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

I love using flannel on my quilt backs this time of year, and I found this lovely pink Riley Blake flannel at my local quilt shop.  It makes the quilt perfectly snuggly.  The binding I used is a black and white Swiss Dot print from Riley Blake Designs, and the quilting is a design from Urban Elementz called Diagonal Plaid.  

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

The finished quilt is 60" x 72" - a nice throw size.  And for those that want to make your own Shine Bright star quilt, I'll be back in a few days with a tutorial.

Shine Bright Star Quilt by Andy of A Bright Corner

You can see more of the Shine Bright fabrics here, and they're now available in stores.  

By the way, Simple Simon is giving away a FQ bundle of Shine Bright over on their blog here.  Check it out!






15 comments:

  1. Beautiful quilt! When you use flannel for the backing, do you prewash?

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  2. I love your little quilt! The lattice print blocks make it look so soft and cuddly as well as the bright pink flannel backing. Your friend will love it.

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  3. its beautiful - and a perfect gift for your friend to rememebr how strong she really is! I love it!

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  4. This is so cute Andy!!! I just love it ;) And how cute to add that little bit of embroidery, just perfect!!!

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  5. Your such a caring woman to your friend. That quilt 'speaks' a lot of love. All the details are thoughtful. Your friend will surely feel the strength and warmth this lovely quilt will give. I love this quilt!

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  6. Your quilt is beautiful and the fabric is so fun, I love the way you used the hearts and the word fabric! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. What a beautiful tribute for your friend, and to you too, for recognizing and celebrating her with this gorgeous quilt. Bless you.

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  8. Fussy cutting for the center squares IS like cheating, but who would ever know? LOL It's a beautiful quilt, and speaking as one who struggles like your friend does, it will bring MUCH comfort!

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  9. Love the quilt and how thoughtful you are also. Love how you embroidered the words on the star block ! Hugs to you !

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  10. This is adorable! Love the fabrics and the way you used them!

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  11. This simple quilt really speaks to me. I LOVE using cheater prints in quilts to make a simple design look more complex. I even designed a quilt specifically for cheater prints like the one used here. The embroidery around the words was extra special and inspires me to now look at fabrics with new eyes.

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  12. You simply cover the major phases of the topic. Simply brilliant Embroidery Library thanks for sharing..

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  13. Have you done the tutorial for this quilt?

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