Kokomo (Stars Upon Satrs) Planning the colours

This is Part B of a series of posts explaining how I make my version of Stars Upon Stars.  

B. Planning the colours

 1. External stars in the blocks. 

A key design feature of the original Stars Upon Stars quilt is that each block is unique.  I decided replicate that idea by using different fabrics and colours for the external stars of each block. I opted for tone on tone fabrics in most cases, and tried to use every colour within my limited colour range - blue, aqua, green, pink, orange and yellow.  If I repeated a colour I used a different fabric which was always slightly darker or lighter than the previous block.

Sometimes I made the external stars before I had even selected the fabrics for the main stars. 

2. Sashing strips.

I decided to limit my sashing strips to blues and aquas.  I wanted variety in my sashings, but I didn't want them to be the first thing people saw when they looked at my quilt.  They needed to blend into the background and quietly emphasise the tropical lagoon look of my quilt.

3. Sashing stars.

I knew that I wanted my sashing stars to all to be the same colour, but I couldn't decide whether to make them green or navy.  I made up some green stars before I settled on navy. I like the navy because it makes the sashing stars the darkest element in the quilt, and they are very crisp against the white background. 

4. Background.

You'll be able to see from these close up photos that I didn't just use white for the background.  I used a wide range of low volume fabrics.  The background fabric is consistent throughout each block or sashing strip, and each of the sashing stars have the same background too. 

5.  Main stars

Each main star requires nine different fabrics.  I decided the overall colour of the star before I started pulling fabrics.  If I wanted a green star I would ask myself, "Green and what?".  I didn't think there would be enough variety within a star if I just used nine shade of green.  So, green and yellow? green and pink? green and orange? 

I tended to start my planning by deciding rows 4, 5 and 6 first.  These are the rows with the most diamonds and therefore the rows we see the most of.  I didn't want the 5th row to be the most dominant in all blocks so sometimes I moved the stronger fabrics to rows 3, 4 or 6.  

Sometimes I put similar colours next to each other to show a progression within the block. 

I deliberately avoided using the fabric of the external stars in the main star because that would have instantly made it the most dominant fabric in the block.  The external stars are designed to elevate the main star.  

Once I'd chosen my fabrics for a block I would leave them on my table for a day or two until I was really happy with them and ready to cut. 

  

The lime green in row 3 is the most dominant here, closely followed by the hot pink in row 4.

The dusky pink in row 4 is the most dominant here.

The lime green in row 3 and green stripe in row 6 are dominant in this block.

6. Block assembly

Once I had finished sewing each of the 8 diamond shaped star points, I tested out both layout options for the external stars before I sewed the star together. (with row 1 in the centre of with row 9 in the centre). It's amazing how different fabrics become dominant depending on what else is surrounding them.  

The diamonds are reversable and can change the whole look of a block.

7. Binding

My final fabric decision was the binding.  I knew I wanted it to just merge into the quilt and not stand out.  I considered using one of the aqua prints already in the quilt, but I had to be sure that none of the blocks touching the binding and that fabric in them.  

In the end I used something similar, but not already in my quilt - Tula Pink's True Colors Tiny Dot in Peacock.  How appropriate for me!!