The Helen Quiltalong - Finished Quilt!
Quiltalongs are always such a journey—my Helen Quilt is finally complete, photographed, and ready to share! If you’ve been curious about this variation on a sawtooth star quilt pattern, let me walk you through the fabrics I picked, how I quilted it, and lots of photos showing how much I love this quilt.
🎨 Fabric Planning: A Curated Scrappy Look
I knew I wanted a scrappy version of the Helen Quilt, but I wanted something more intentional this time (see my first version here). I built my palette around my favorite colors—moving from peachy corals at the top and bottom, through vibrant pinks and magentas, to deep purples in the center.
I debated between a single solid background or low‑volume prints. Eventually, I chose a scrappy mix of solids in white, off‑white, light pink, and peach, which used up leftover background pieces perfectly.
🧵 Backing & Binding: Thoughtful Accents
Since I didn’t have the perfect backing in my stash, I splurged on Starry in Papaya — it is just so pretty and it complemented the quilt colors beautifully. Plus, backing fabrics always have leftovers and these will sure get used up for future projects.
For the binding, I chose a coral print from the First Light collection — a slightly darker coral that I just love with the Starry print. Both choices felt like the color progression in the stars extended to the backing and binding.
🪡 Quilting Style: Organic & Simple
I quilted an organic grid, using the quilt itself as a guide—no marking required! This relaxed quilting style suits the scrappy and relaxed feel of the design. It emphasizes the stars without overpowering them.
✅ Finished Feel & Your Inspiration
I’m in love with how this Helen Quilt turned out—and I’ve been thrilled seeing your versions pop up, too! Be sure to share your quilt with #thehelenqal and #thehelenquilt on Instagram so I can see your creative fabric choices. If you would like to go back and catchup on the posts from the quiltalong, you can find them all here!
🙋 What’s the Next QAL?
I’m already working on our next quilt-along! Interested in voting on the pattern? Cast your vote here →
Kerrie on
Is this charm pack friendly?
Sarah Burke on
I think this is one of my favorite star patterns…I love how scrappy it can be. I haven’t quilted mine yet but love it already!
Marianne on
It’s so beautiful! The quilting thread looks to be a light lilac color, is that right? I love the quilting. Been following you for a while and you’ve made me braver with my quilting!
Kathy on
Oh, how lovely! I love this quilt so much: the colorways you chose, the stars, and the progression of the colors! I’m just finally starting mine using a hoarded fat quarter bundle of Frankie and making it all over scrappy. I’m loving how it’s coming out, but yours is especially inspiring. It’s such a fantastic quilt pattern!
CarolAnn on
This is soooo beautiful. I wasn’t that crazy about the pattern with all the different colored stars, but when I see this iteration, I love it! I love that you are scrap-busting to make these too. I always want to buy more fabric, but this shows how one can really follow the ethos of quilting (repurposing scraps of fabric) to make something that looks amazing.
Melissa on
Such a beautiful quilt! I love the colors and the layout you selected.