Let me tell you a tale, of stars and space and quilt design, and lying on a futon at night in a traditional Japanese tatami room…
Many, many moons ago, I literally couldn’t sleep at night sometimes because my mind was just whirling with quilt designs. So I took to taking my graph book upstairs with me, so that when I was lying in bed (the aforementioned futon on tatami mats) and I couldn’t sleep, I could get the shapes out of my head and onto paper. One week, this resulted in a sampler quilt, full of glorious star blocks – my most favourite quilt block design ever. I pulled out my Frixion markers to colour it in, and decided I wanted to emulate the Aurora Borealis. I have always been fascinated, and incredibly moved emotionally by beautiful space photographs and images, so using space for colour inspiration was an obvious move for me. I found this image that sparked my creative juices, and I coloured the quilt design.
Saved to my computer years ago, no source reference recorded
And there it sat, for a couple of years. I knew it would come to life one day, but it was just awaiting the perfect fabric to emulate Aurora Borealis. It should have been no surprise to me at all that Kate Spain was the answer when she brought out Horizon. I mean, is she ever not the answer?! At the same time, I was in talks with the girls at Make Modern to contribute to their new venture. You could say the stars aligned, to bring together the opportunity to make a BOM quilt design, and also Horizon matching my fabric-colour needs! Over the first year of Make Modern, I shared how to make the Aurora starry sampler quilt. And now it’s time to share it again. For 2016, I am offering the very first Blossom Heart Quilts block of the month subscription!
What does that mean?
The Aurora BOM is a six-month subscription program. On the first of every month, from January to June, subscribers will receive an email with the link to download the month’s pattern. All emails will be sent to email address associated with the PayPal account used for payment. Each pattern will include all the fabric requirements, cutting and piecing instructions with colour diagrams for that month’s blocks. The blocks are grouped by technique or design, so most months include 2-4 blocks to make, and we’ll finish the quilt off with the large Aurora block!
Who can join?
Anyone, anywhere! As long as you have an email address and a way to read PDF files, ie. Adobe Acrobat on your computer, or even just your smartphone or tablet.
I am a beginner quilter, can I make this?
Absolutely! The most important feature of Aurora is that is a very beginner-friendly pattern, with all step-by-step instructions and colour diagrams included for each block. In fact, we cover a range of patchwork units, from flying geese and half-square triangles, to triangles-in-a-square and scrappy/improve triangles. So it’s the perfect opportunity to work on these skills, and end up with a fabulous quilt to show off for it!
How much fabric will I need?
Aurora finishes at a comfortable 60” x 72”, and is designed to work with at least 4 colours of fabric, with a mixture of lighter and darker prints within each colour. I recommend about 20 fat quarters to have a range of shades and prints to work with; fat eighths will work too. You will also need 3 yards of background fabric, 1/2 yard of binding, and 4 yards of backing fabric.
Can I buy a subscription for {quilty friend’s name}?
You certainly can! Leading up to Christmas, something like this would make a great gift – a project for you each to work on together in the new year, aw! Simply purchase the subscription, then email me with your name, PayPal email plus the recipient’s name and email address.
Is it a monthly payment?
Nope, it’s a once-off payment and you’re all set to go!
I’m in! How do I sign up?
Purchase your subscription for just AU$19.95 in my store. Upon purchase, you can immediately download the first PDF, which contains more detailed information about the quilt, plus the first block to make to get you warmed up! The first pattern email will be sent on January 1st, 2016.
I’m signed up, now what?
Have fun choosing your fabrics, make your first block, and await your email on January 1st! If you’re sharing your quilt progress around the place, you can join my Facebook group, use #aurorabom and #blossomheartquilts on Instagram, or even grab this button for your blog:
If you have any further questions, be sure to let me know! I’ve tried to cover all the things I think you might wonder about, but if I haven’t, just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
bobbi dougherty says
done. so excited! beautiful pattern!
Allison Persen says
Using the copyright on the Aurora photo, it took one Google search to find its origins. You can find the original at
http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/03347-aurora-borealis
and he has so many other amazing photos that just might provide inspiration for another quilt!
Alyce says
Oh wow, thanks!