• 32 signed neutral 5” square blocks

• 202 additional neutral 5” square blocks (enough of each to make 234)

• 20 solid color Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton solids for stars

• 5 yards of  Benartex Felicity in Diamond Aqua for backing

• 1 yard of  Benartex Felicity in Stripe Teal for binding

I started this quilt with 32 five inch squares of muslin that my coworkers had signed for me as a retirement gift, knowing I was a quilter.  I cut an additional 202 five inch blocks in whites and creams.  These are used for the background and with the star points.

My stars were made from the Robert Kaufman 2014 Kona Cotton collection fat quarter pack.  I used twenty of the bright colors for the wonky stars.

To begin, cut FIVE - 5 inch squares from each colored fat quarter.  Split four of them diagonally to use for the star points.

To make the stars, lay one colored five inch square in the center and lay out the four neutral 5 inch squares along each side.

Place one of the cut colored square diagonal pieces along the corner of each white square to make the points.

Sew along the long edge as shown.

Cut off the excess neutral fabric to the right of the 1/4 inch seam line.

Press open and square up to 5 inches, cutting the excess off the two sides of the star point.

Repeat for the other star point.  To make the points wonky, vary the position of each point.

Repeat the same process of cutting and squaring up.

Do this process for the four sets of points for each star.

Position the 5 inch squares, with the completed star points, to determine the final layout.  You may want to add some of the signed squares into the corners of the star blocks as I did on mine.  Randomly vary the whites and cream background blocks for more movement in the quilt.

Once you determine the final layout, begin sewing the rows together. I prefer to sew rows vertically so I can chain piece them.

For the backing, I used the fun Benartex print and added a section of a t-shirt I had from a work safety day.  Be sure and add some type of label to your quilt to commemorate the event.

I like to use stripe bindings and the Benartex Felicity Stripe Teal worked well with this quilt to give it a little punch.

I quilted mine on a long arm machine using a simple pantograph.  This quilt could also be quilted on a tabletop machine using straight or curved horizontal stitching or another method of your choosing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and are inspired to make a keepsake quilt for yourself or a friend for a special occasion.