My Mexican Star

Three nights ago I perused "Google Images" of quilts in an effort find great new ideas to add to my quilting repetoire and to get sleepy enough to sleep for at least 5 hours - #2 being the primary goal. Instead of finding the Sandman, I happened upon the Mexican Star! This is the first picture I saw.

From there I searched the web, for the better part of an hour, for the block pattern. No such luck. By now it was near midnight and a spark flickered... I bet I can draft the block myself! Suddenly the idea became a flicker of light, and I made a bee-line straight for the studio. After five minutes I had the preliminary block sketched. By 1:00 am I'd put together my first Mexican Star block. This is what it looks like.

Day 1: The fabric I used for this trial project is some that my daughter found on the end of bolt table at Hancock's of Paducah. It's wild, but because it is not my usual colors I deemed it worthy of a test project (expendable.) When I hung the first block on the board and stepped back to look I gasped, because it looked like a wicked eye in the low light. Doesn't it, though? Anyway, I was so pleased with what I'd done I slept better than I have in a long time.

Day 2: The next morning I could barely manage to stick to my normal schedule of scanning job boards with my morning coffee. All I could think of was getting back to the studio. After a couple hours work six blocks were complete.

 

Over the course of the day I began pondering what I would do with these lovely odd looking blocks and considered sashing. I'd love to bring out the purply-pink print of the "eye-ball" center, but nothing in my stash would pop! It has to pop! Finally, after pondering spending the money, I jumped in the car and visited my local quilt shop Kiwi Quilts. 

This is the color sashing we all came up with! Isn't it fantastic!

 

My exuberance lasted well into the evening, until I realized I didn't have enough of the red to finish the piece as I designed. :( It's back to the sketch pad. This is what the 10 blocks looks like at this point:

I really wanted to replicate the "Six Pack" adding it to the lower section then frame the entire center with additional blocks with half color and the outside yello... as the picture of the completed Mexican Square suggests. Now it's all up in the air, but I have not lost steam. I will keep you posted!

 

 

 

This is how far I made it before realizing I didn't have enough of the yellow fabric to finishe the quilt. :(  Since, taking this one off the wall I have obtained the fabric, but have since begun and finished another quilt and started yet another. Soon, I will finish this one. It will be a favorite.