I'm so thrilled to finally have my Lucky Stars EPP Quilt Pattern finally out in the world! Funny story about this design...after I had my daughter, I had lots of quilting ideas and no time to develop them. I dreamed about this quilt and thought it would be my favorite thing to make. I've always been a star lover, and so I typed in "Dresden star" in the notes section of my iphone--8 YEARS AGO. Crossing things off my to-do list, I would be wistfully scrolling past that note for years. I knew I would eventually come back to it, and I finally made it happen this year! I've never been more excited about a quilt pattern than I am right now.
moreLucky Stars EPP Videos
Lucky Stars is a little different than the standard English paper piecing pattern I normally create, in that there is a small amount of curved piecing that happens when sewing the "dresden" pieces around the stars. Never been a fan of sewing curves by hand, but after I finally gave it a go, it was a piece of cake. I made a few youtube videos to help if you also have been intimidated by hand sewing curves. I promise they are not nearly as difficult as they look, and they stitch up so fast! There is also a little applique when attaching the Lucky Star blocks to the background fabric, but again, I've got step-by-step videos for that, so don't sweat it!
If you haven't tried Embroidery Perfection Tape for your EPP basting tape, you've got to try it. I can reuse the same pieces of tape for several blocks, and the tape doesn't budge.
And Lucky Stars is a great pattern for using up scraps OR fussy cutting OR a little bit of both! These blocks go together so fast, and since they are separated by a little bit of background fabric, it's easier to make a cohesive looking quilt top, even if you're using lots of different fabrics! This pattern will soon become your favorite scrap buster.
Also, If you're new to English Paper Piecing, I've even put together some great beginner kits with everything you need. Go check them out and get all of my BEST tried and true EPP basics, along with a cute carrying case.
You can see lots of blocks I've cut for my Lucky Stars EPP Quilt by heading over to Instagram. You can search the hashtag #LuckyStarsEPP to see the awesome blocks! Below are some of my favorite Tula Pink fabrics that I used in the blocks, and I chose to only fussy cut the centers and use up some scrappy bits around the outside of the stars.
The Lucky Stars EPP pattern includes these features:
- Clear instructions and fabric requirements (calculated in solids)
- Coloring pages to help plan your quilt
- Yardage requirements that aren't usually included in EPP patterns-along with considerations for fussy cutting
- Step-by-Step instructions with pictures to guide you through
- Step-by-step videos linked in the pattern to show you exactly how to sew each step
- Instructions and diagrams for piecing quilt backs
- Pattern includes printable templates for easy cutting
- The option to purchase SVG files
- The option to purchase acrylic templates, making fussy cutting a breeze
- Basting diagram so your seams spin and nest perfectly
- Printable fussy cutting templates (this is especially useful if you are overseas and want to avoid shipping acrylic templates)
- Cutting diagrams to maximize fabric usage
- Various different colorways for inspiration
- Options to make THREE different sizes: 48" x 60", 60" x 72" and 72" x 72", along with the option to easily customize the size
- Printable papers
Fabric Kits
You can purchase a stripe bundle here. And you can get Ultimate Tula Pink Rainbow bundles here to coordinate with each fussy cut star in the top. And you can get a complete fabric kit to finish the 60" x 72" Lucky Stars EPP Quilt top, or grab a background fabric bundle with 10 different cuts of fabric to get you that gorgeous scrappy look without having to stress out finding great fabrics.
My favorite English Paper Piecing Accessories
- Precision glue tip to transform regular glue sticks into fine line applicators
- Richard Hemming & Sons Milliners Needles (sizes 10 & 11)
- Thimble It Stickers
- Poke A Dot Sticker thimbles
- A Precision Art Knife from OLFA to prevent cutting too much fabric when fussy cutting
- These cute travel snips
- The dreaded seam ripper but if you have to have one, this one is the best!
- Glide 60 wt. thread for piecing. Everyone has their own thread fav. for EPP. This one is mine.
- Thread Gloss
Blocks that I made from Ruby Stars Society fabrics
More Blocks from Andover fabric designers--I love their use of color!
