Even though the weather begins to drop here in the Midwest and the holiday season is fast approaching I am already dreaming of Easter dresses, budding flowers and my plans for my garden this Spring, all because I have been sewing with the latest Cur8tor collection called Gardenista! For me every AGF collection is more than just fabric, once you begin to cut and sew you are transported to whatever theme the collection is about. Gardenista takes me to a green meadow filled with flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors. The air is sweet and the wind is refreshing. Moths and butterflies float from flower to flower and in this world things are calm, energizing and filled with life.
You can’t help but smile when sewing with the Gardenista collection, so you can definitely say I had the most amazing time sewing up the “Illuminating Star” FREE Tablerunner Pattern! I made this project for the Gardenista Lookbook which is filled with more stunning makes made with Gardenista fabrics so make sure to check it out!
The “Illuminating Star” tablerunner is a perfect make to sew up now and have ready for the Spring season. It consists of 1 block sewn up 4 times in different Gardenista fabric pulls. Each block is an explosion of color and when sewed together will create the most eye-catching design. I added a 2 ½ border to add some width and to make the tablerunner come to life.
I love this block design because of its 3” finished center, you are able to showcase your favorite prints and fussy cut cute designs. The flying geese and the corner square method helps to create this star like design that looks like it’s illuminating.
Check out the video below to learn how to make this fun block and turn it into a tablerunner with the step by step instructions below.
Fabric Requirements:
Fabric A-CUR8-GA-500- F8
Fabric B-CUR8-GA-501-FQ
Fabric C-CUR8-GA-502 -F8
Fabric D-CUR8-GA-503- FQ
Fabric E-CUR8-GA-504-FQ
Fabric F-CUR8-GA-505-FQ
Fabric G-CUR8-GA-506-FQ
Fabric H- CUR8-GA-507- F8
Backing-CUR8-GA-502 1 5/8 yds
Binding-BIN25107- 3 1/2 Strips
Border Strips- 3/8 Yard additional fabric of CUR8-GA-506
Cutting Directions:
2” Squares:
4 Fabric A,D & E
16 Fabric B
28 Fabric F
20 Fabric G & H
3 1/2” Squares:
1 from Fabric A, C, E, and H
2“ x 3 1/2” Strips:
4 Fabric A
10 Fabric B
8 Fabric D
14 Fabric E &G
22 Fabric F
2“ x 5 ” Strips:
4 from Fabric A,D,E, and F
2”x 6 1/2” Strips:
2 from Fabric B, E,F, and G
Borders:
2 (Two) 2 1/2” x 16 1/4” strips
4 (Four) 2 1/2” x 24 1/4”
Block Construction:
In this block we are ultimately assembling rows to continually frame our 3 ½” center block until we complete our finished block design.
Sew a 2” x 3 1/2” strip from Fabric F to each side of a 3 1/2” square from Fabric C.
Next sew a 2” x 6 1/2” strip from Fabric F to the top and bottom to frame your square.
Set that piece aside and it’s time to make our flying geese using the corner square method. Take sixteen 2” squares from Fabric H and draw a line corner to corner with a straight edge and fabric marking pen on the wrong side of the fabric.Place a square right sides together to one end of a 2” x 3 1/2” strip from Fabric F and sew on the line you drew. Trim your seam allowance to 1/4” and press open. Place another square on the other side and sew on the line you drew and trimming your seam allowance to 1/4”, press open to reveal your flying geese unit. Repeat these steps to get a total of 16 flying geese units.
Now sew a 2” square from Fabric G to each side of a flying geese unit. Repeat this step again to get 2 of these rows.
Sew these rows to the top and bottom of your framed square block making sure the flying geese are pointing away from the center.
Now take four 2” squares and draw a line corner to corner on the wrong side of fabric. Place it at the end of four 2” x 3 1/2” strips from Fabric G as follows to create two of each unit.
Sew your units as follows to each side of a flying geese unit . Make two of these rows.
Sew these rows to each side of your framed block making sure flying geese are pointing away.
To make your next set of rows sew a 2” x 3 1/2” strip from Fabric E to each side of a flying geese unit as follows. Make two of these rows.
To make your last set of rows sew a 2” x 5” strip from Fabric E to each side of a flying geese unit. Make two of these rows.
Sew your bottom and top rows to each side of your block and then sew your side rows making sure the flying geese units are facing away from the center of your block!
Sew three more blocks with your remaining fabric following the block designs below.
Sew your blocks together following the block design and attach your borders.
Making two long strips by sewing two 2 1/2” x 24 1/4” border strips together. Sew to each side of your runner and then attach the top and bottom border. Quilt as desired.
I used the “Greenhouse Bound” 2.5 Binding fabric to bind my runner which added the perfect finishing touch! My favorite print from Gardenista is “Lush Reverie” so I just had to use it for the backing of my runner! If I could live in a fabric print this one would definitely be the place I would choose! I can just smell the sweet blooms, feel the tall grass on my legs and the sound of nature all around.
I hope this tutorial inspires you to add a colorful sewing project to your to sew list! Make sure to share your colorful Gardenista makes on social media using the hashtag #AGFGardenista!
Happy Sewing,
Melissa