top of page
Search
Tara Wright
Aug 8, 20223 min read

Quilting Motif 15 - Asterisk

You know that little symbol above the 8 on your keyboard? That is our inspiration for today's quilting design - the ASTERISK.

This is a fun and easy walking foot design using straight lines that intersect usually in a center point, but of course I have a few variations to show you!



A Favorite Doodle Becomes a Quilt Design


I think most people at some point in time have made this little criss-cross star on a note or somewhere to say "Hey this is important!" Well that is exactly why it makes a great quilting design - it draws the eye in and says "Look at me!"


The quilting process is the same as the drawing process and I like to use my walking foot most of the time to make asterisks. The only cautionary word I have is to watch your stitch lines in relation to your seam lines. If you have pressed your seams open and you stitch right on the ditch of your seam, you will not be adding support to your fabric. That is one reason why the Grateful block is great for this motif - very few seam lines are along the stitch path of the asterisk motif.


  1. To start with a simple asterisk, stitch a straight line down the vertical middle of the block and then across the horizontal middle of the block.

  2. Then stitch another set of straight lines as diagonal lines that bisect the four quadrants you made with the first two lines.

  3. Ta-da that's it!


I almost always make mine a little more complex by adding an additional 4 lines to further divide the sections- just like cutting a pie. Usually I try to keep my lines crossing in the center of the block or mini-quilt. I don't measure normally, but I do try to keep the spacing equal-ish.




Other Asterisk Options





If you want to try some different asterisk looks or try drawing attention to a certain point that is not in the center of the block or quilt, then go for an off-center, skewed asterisk. It adds a modern flair I think.















You can also try a random placement of the lines (not equidistant) and/or not an even number of lines. You could do this to add interesting texture and also to lessen the density of the quilting.









Another fun variation is to add multiple asterisks and let the lines intersect where they overlap. I think this is a super fun look on a table runner or row quilt.



And finally there is a variation that I like (you may have noticed it in Pebbles) where I put an asterisk inside a shape! I suggest switching to the free-motion foot for this design.



No need for training wheels on this one - just go for it! Have fun and show me your asterisks so I can give you a pat on your virtual back. :)



If you are new around here, missed a few lessons, or want to see what's next, here is a schedule recap with links:


January 24 – Affection/GRIDS Quilting Motif 1 - Grids (polkadotpeep.com)

February 7 – Refuge/OUTLINING Quilting Motif 2 - Outlines (polkadotpeep.com)

February 21 – Joyful/SQUIGGLES Quilting Motif 3 - Squiggles (polkadotpeep.com)

March 21 – Devotion/PUMPKIN SEEDS Quilting Motif 5 - Pumpkin Seeds (polkadotpeep.com)

April 4 – Inspiration/WAVY LINES Quilting Motif #6 - Wavy Lines (polkadotpeep.com)

May 2 – Admiration/FRACTURED SPIRAL Quilting Motif 8 - Fractured Spiral (polkadotpeep.com)

May 16 – Infatuation/SCALLOPS Quilting Motif 9 - Scallops (polkadotpeep.com)

July 11 – Patience/PEARLS ON A STRING Quilting Motif 13 - Pearls on a String (polkadotpeep.com)


I hope you enjoyed zooming around with your walking foot and don't forget to share your progress and quilt pictures here or on social media with any of these tags #nothingbutloveqal #quiltingasterisks or tag me @polkadotpeepquiltsetc on Facebook or Instagram.


Have questions or comments? Please leave them below.


Until next time, have a great day of stitching & see you next week for the FINAL sampler block!


Be blessed,

Tara


8 views0 comments

Kommentare

bottom of page