I've had many requests lately for the instructions to make folded fabric star Christmas ornaments. We used this technique in the 1980s to make framed wallhangings, and my mom used it twenty years before that for trivets and potholders and pillowcase covers. It's versatile and can be adapted for so many uses. There's no sewing involved for the ornaments -- folded pieces of fabric are simply pinned to a Styrofoam ball.

_{Photo © Janet Wickell}

Fat quarters always make excellent quilting gifts, and it's easy to dress them up a bit by folding them into triangles, and then bundling them to create stacked stars. There's no need to cover your star bundles with wrapping paper -- just tie them together with decorative yarn or another embellishment that the recipient can use to decorate a quilt or fabric postcard.

_{Photo © Janet Wickell}

This new wallhanging uses a couple of blocks -- one is the traditional Ohio Star. Its color values are altered slightly and the block is placed on point -- both actions change the Ohio Star's appearance. Make the 48" square wallhanging for yourself or stitch it together when you need a gift. The quilt goes together fairly quickly, and its theme can be altered dramatically by simply changing the fabrics.

_{Janet Wickell}

Be sure to look up at Panasonic's 28 x 38 foot Astrovision screen if you're in New York's Times Square during the holidays. Four times each hour you'll see quilts that were part of an exhibition sponsored by NYC's City Quilter earlier this fall. Quilts in the sequence include Judy Doenias' Carmen Miranda, Anita Grossman Solomon's Key West Beauty, In Our Time, a Dear Jane quilt by Judy Doenias and Diane Rode Schneck, Ellen Yamaguchi's New York City Lights and Cathy Izzo's Batik Schoolhouse.

The illustration is a peek at the black colorway of Olde New York, one of the fabrics in The City Quilter's New York City collection. A fabric depicting NYC's subway map is available, too, and more designs are on the way. The City Quilter's Dale Riehl says:

Most visitors--as well as New Yorkers--have always loved our extensive selection of New York-related fabrics. But we could never predict when a great design would come in, nor control how long it would be in print. So this is a logical move to control our own fabric destiny, as well as let us offer a unique product featuring our favorite city.

Order products online if a trip to NYC isn't in your plans.

Follow The City Quilter on Facebook
New York Fabrics at the City Quilter
City Quilter Home Page

_{Photo © The City Quilter}