Stars Hollow Quilt

stars-hollow-quilt-pattern

Gilmore Girls

Love it? Hate it? Never heard of it? (To those who fall in that third category...really??)​

Whether you are a die hard fan, a 4-season shoulder-shrugger…“meh, take it or leave it,” or a confused person who is currently Googling “Gilmore Girls,” (again….really???) you should know that after an almost 10 year hiatus, it’s back.

New episodes are being released this Black Friday, November 25. How often does it happen that your fav show as a teenager gets a reunion season?​ Well, I guess with Netflix, it may start happening more and more. (Netflix, please oh PLEASE bring back Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries! I promise to design a quilt just for Phryne! I’m begging! I'm GROVELLING!!)

OK...I digress.​

modern-stars-quilting

Also, I should confess, I fall into the second category – the “I watched 4 seasons and then got distracted and never finished so that is why I still love Dean even though die-hard fans think I’m crazy. #TeamDean”

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Are you now asking yourself, “Why is this GG poser naming a quilt after our favorite made-up New England town?”​

Alright, Alright. Calm your britches right down. As you may already know, I’m a big fan of Quilters Candy Box. And also a huge fan of Elizabeth who co-owns Q-Box. (E, you’re awesome and have great hair!) This past August, Elizabeth asked me if I wanted to design a quilt for their Gilmore Girls themed box. She said ideally, they would like the quilt pattern to be called Stars Hollow.​

I read the email on my phone while standing in the Missoula, Montana airport (picture a log cabin with a huge taxidermied ​bear in the foyer and that's it). Before responding to Elizabeth I began flipping through my Dropbox folder of digital quilt sketches (I design all of my quilts on the computer. For more info on my quilt design process, check out this post.)

I stumbled onto a sketch of this quilt and thought, "Stars. Stars Hollow. Bam."

Still standing next to the taxidermied bear, I emailed the sketch to Elizabeth and said, "Let's make it happen. For Dean."​ (He built her a car and also has great hair! Don't even grumble at me through your computer screen. Jess was awful! I'm plugging my ears.)

modern-stars-quilt-pattern

​This became one of my favorite patterns for a few of reasons:

  1. It's Fat Quarter friendly. Who doesn't love those perky little bundles tied up with a bow? Even though I tend to favor solid fabrics, this pattern would look great made up in your favorite designer's latest collection.​ And just because I can't help myself from giving advice, I would suggest using some solid fabric so the quilt doesn't get too busy 😉
  2. It's fast. Guys. Ya'll know how much I love speed. Few things give me the same amount of satisfaction as putting my head down and cranking out a quilt in a matter of days. Some patterns lend themselves to that OCD sewing style better than others. This one does. Yippy!
  3. Traditional with a twist. Or twisted traditional. Or think of this quilt as a traditional G&T with a modern lime twist. (I realize I've taken this analogy too far...but, since I've already written it down and since this blog post is turning into a stream of consciousness anyway, let's just leave it and hope you know what the heck I'm talking about.) The combination of the traditional Sawtooth Star and the Pinwheel block work together to form a simple, modern design...also known as a Sazerac with a twist of lemon....I think I just need a cocktail. Anyone care to join me? 
stars-hollow-quilt

I mentioned earlier that the new season of Gilmore Girls, A Year in the Life, is to be released on Nov. 25. Can you guess what else will be joining that exciting release??

YES! You totally guessed it! This pattern – Stars Hollow: A Tribute to Dean (I'm totally kidding about that subtitle. I just really like ruffling the feathers of #TeamJess and #TeamLogan)!!

Buy a kit to make this exact quilt at fabricworm.com! If you are wondering about the exact fabrics I used to make this quilt, here's the list:

Stars-Hollow-Quilt-Kit

Fabricworm will have kits available soon, so look for the announcement once they are ready.

hand-stitched-binding

​And if you were ever wondering what "behind the scenes" looks like, it's me...wearing spandex pants...standing on a dining room table. 

quilt-photoshoot

22 thoughts on “Stars Hollow Quilt

  1. tisha @ quiltytherapy says:

    Received the pattern with the Gilmore Girl’s Quilter’s Candy Box. SOOO good. While I’m #teamlogan, I support you that Jess was awful. He’s that high school boyfriend you look back on and wonder what you were thinking. Excited for Friday.

    • Suzy says:

      Since I never met Logan, I do have a teensy tiny little doubt that Dean is not the best…like a 1% doubt 😉 I’m so glad you like your GG Candy Box!

  2. Elise says:

    I started rewatching Gilmore Girls to refresh my memory – it’s been a while! Super excited for the reunion. And this quilt. Aaah I love me a quick but pretty project!! It is beautiful!!

    • Suzy says:

      Thanks, Charlotte! There’s no real trick to it – I just used the same hand quilting technique and supplies I typically use. I made sure not to carry the stitches through all three layers so you don’t see the stitches on the front of the quilt. For a list of the hand quilting supplies I use, check out the FAQ page. There is a hand quilting tutorial video in the Sew Mojo #1 pattern too.

  3. Karen says:

    I’m definitely hopping on over to Fabric worm for this quilt kit. I’ve never done anything with solids and have been wanting too so this will be a happy place to start. Just found your site and I’m loving what you have to offer. :o) Can you tell me what the backing of your quilt is. It’s so fun!

    • Suzy says:

      Oh yeah! I’m so excited for you to fall in love with solids! Not only do they let the quilt pattern siiiiing, they are also…CHEAPER! What a sweet deal! 🙂

      The backing fabric is Pop Dots Multi and can also be found on fabricworm. Happy sewing! xo

      • Ginger says:

        I’m a few years late to this project 😂 It doesn’t look like Fabricworm sells the kits anymore, does that sound right? I want to make the quilt exactly like it’s pictured!

        • Catalina Urias says:

          You’re right, Ginger. This kit is no longer sold. It’s been almost 8 years! Our best suggestion to quilters who want to make a quilt in the same look and feel as a quilt they see on the Suzy Quilts website is to search some of our favorite online quilt shops by color. I hope this helps!

  4. Mo says:

    Hi! I’m making this right now and I’m about to cut the dog ears from the HSTs and I got nervous. It says unfinished HSTs measure 3” and then in parentheses it says (2 1/2” finished). I’m turning myself around on this but does that mean when I cut the dog ears the block will be 3” or 2 1/2”?

    • Laura Hopper says:

      Hey Mo! When you trim the block, it will be 3″. The finished measurement of 2 1/2″ is how big the block will be when it’s sewn, meaning when the quarter inch seam allowances on each side make the block smaller. Hope you’re having fun with your Stars Hollow quilt!

  5. Stephanie Braun says:

    I’m finding my flying geese are too small (short of the 3″x5.5″). Instructions say 3″ background squares and 6 1/4″ solid, but Suzy’s Flying Geese tutorial blog post suggest for this size we’d need 3 7/8″ solid and 6 3/4″ background. Has anyone else had this issue? And if so, could the pattern be updated to avoid the issue. I may need to buy more fabric to start over on these FG

    • Jessica Schunke says:

      Hi Stephanie! So sorry you’re having trouble. On the flying-geese blog post, the dimensions are added to the finished size of the flying geese, not the unfinished size. In Stars Hollow, the flying geese are 3″ x 5.5″ unfinished, so 2.5″ x 5″ finished. So you add 1.25″ to the 5″ finished width to get 6.25″ to start and 7/8″ to the 2.5″ finished height to get 3 3/8″ to start. All that being said, these dimensions are for creating no-waste flying geese, which save time but can cause people some trouble because there’s no room for error in your cutting or seam allowance. These geese aren’t trimmed (only the dog ears), so if your sewing is off at all, your geese may wind up a bit small. If they’re just a touch small, you can generally make up for it by fudging the seam allowance just a bit when you assemble the star blocks. If they’re more than an 1/8″ too small in each dimension, then I’d trim them all to a consistent size and adjust your HSTs and center square to match. Your quilt will be slightly smaller, but no one will be any the wiser. If you have extra fabric and what to try giving yourself enough wiggle room to trim your flying geese, you can start with (1) 6.5″ big square and (4) 3 5/8″ small squares.

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