When I saw Junie None‘s quilt, I immediately fell in love – I knew I had to make one myself. The end result was a baby quilt for the first in next generation of our family – the sweet-as-can-be Mason. The pattern reminded me of a galaxy somehow, so I took the colors in that direction – I wanted it to look like Suns in a dark sky.

The blue background is all pieced, and the orange and yellow orbs are appliqued using this technique:

  • Find circular objects in your house – jars, bowls, lids, etc.
  • Pin together a piece of muslin (or an old sheet) and the fabric you want to use for your circle, face down on top of the muslin.
  • Flip the fabric upside down so that the muslin is on top.
  • Using your found-object, trace the circle onto the muslin using a pen or pencil (the muslin won’t be visible, so you don’t need to use a disappearing pen – just make sure you don’t use a sharpie that will bleed through your layers).
  • Cut around your traced circle, 1/4 inch around the mark you’ve made.
  • Using a sewing machine, sew along the exact line  you’ve made with pen (this gets more difficult the smaller your circle is. Just go slowly!
  • Using scissors, carefully cut a slit just through the muslin, in the middle of your circle (ideally, this should be 2inches as long as it’s a circle bigger than 3-4inches. If it’s a smaller circle than that, start pretty small.).
  • Turn your circle inside-out by pulling the patterned-fabric through the slit you’ve created and flipping the muslin to the back.
  • Now the right-side of your fabric should be on top, with a clean edge around your circle. Carefully iron your circle, ensuring that the muslin doesn’t peek out behind your fabric.