Peace Star

Here are some of the images from the Peace Star Wall Hanging that I completed in December. I shared in my previous post that I was asked to create something to hang above the alter for Advent based upon a Bethlehem Star Quilt with purple on the outside and yellow in the center.

Time was spent prior to vacation selecting colors & cutting out all of the pieces. I'm thankful that I had help trying to decide upon which fabrics would work best. The goal was to create an illusion of light and depth and a feeling of darkness to light. I was drawn to using oranges and pinks to complement the purple and yellows but wanted to make sure that they didn't overwhelm them. I also had help cutting out 400+ pieces with a 1/4" seam allowance. Jinny Beyer's Book & the hints on her website were extremely helpful.

One idea that I found in a book was to use 2 mirrors set at a 90 degreee angle to evaluate the layout. It worked rather nicely. Can you see where the mirrors are placed?

After many hours of piecing and a couple of late nights, the quilt top was complete. I sewed the top using a technique called paper piecing. Paper piecing worked well although it became tedious removing all of the individual pieces of paper from the back of the quilt top. I was especially impressed that the quilt was square the first time that I measured it from corner to corner along each diagonal. Based upon past experience, that's unusual. Of course, paper doesn't stretch.

All eight points in the star have 16 pieces. In the four longer points, each of the 16 diamond shaped pieces have a slightly different dimension. This meant that I had to be alert or pay the price by removing stiches with a seam ripper. Needless to say, I paid the price several times. It also meant that I had something to focus upon other than my day job. That's always a good thing as the end of the year approaches.

The colors in the following image are the most true (thanks to my new phone). I've learned that purple fabrics generally show up too blue using my regular digital camera.

Images of the finished hanging in the church:

First showing a stained glass effect in the sunlight...

This image best shows the glow that I wanted to acheive. It is one of the characteristics that I most admire about the quilts that Jinny Beyers creates.

Hard to believe that the hanging is approx. 52" square but I'm pleased that the star showed up nicely while complementing the other items in the sanctuary. In the following photo, one of several sheer purple banners is visible hanging down toward the stained glass window.

This project certainly approached my the limit of my skills but I am pleased with the results and appreciative of the kind remarks received. I am also glad that I was able to share it with the members of Peace.