First Finish of 2014

I'm so excited to have completed my first quilt this year. It has been over 6 months since I finished a large quilt so I was a bit edgy and needed a finish.

I fell in love with this quilt as soon as I saw it on the cover of the October 2011 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (the quilt was called Star Formation in the magazine). I knew I wanted to make it immediately but it wasn't until I signed up for a class with Paula Barnes that I got the push to actually make it.

It is a very easy pattern but sometimes you need that push, that sew a long feeling, to get you moving on a project.
I started my blocks in class, but didn't get moving on it until I went to the Modern Quilt Guild retreat last November where I completed 25 of the 50 blocks in the quilt

Then it went back in the bin until my January retreat where I completed the other 25 blocks. I would have finished the quilt there but I realized that I had not prewashed my background and sashing fabric. I do tend to prewash most of my prints and with all the other fabrics prewashed I chose to wait.

As soon as that fabric came out of the laundry I started putting it all together.

It was so large that I had to piece one half first.... 

and then the other... 

After both halves were done I just put it all together. 

I am loving the piece. 

Now I'm on the lookout of some coordinating fabric for the backing. I am looking forward to getting this one quilted.

I have a couple of other projects that are mid way through that I want to wrap up before I start another project from scratch but wtith the Dallas Quilt show just a week away... I think I might need to buy another Red Crinoline quilt Kit to work on.

This pattern was first published through American Patchwork and Quilting but Red Crinoline has since published it as a stand alone pattern. You can find it here: Regimental Stars

BTW: So sorry for the quality of the pictures on this post. I took all of them with my phone.