I’m working on a baby quilt for friends of ours, for a little boy who will grow up to be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys just like his Daddy. I knew I wanted to make a quilt that celebrated that additional bond father and son will have from watching football together. The quilt would need to be instantly recognizable by any fan … and to my mind, that meant incorporating the Dallas star logo.
I looked at a lot of star quilt designs and didn’t find anything that was just right until I stumbled into paper piecing and found this pattern from BubbleStitch on Etsy.
Did I mention that I’ve never done paper piecing? Look at all that! Yes, I was intimidated, but I really needed that star. So I searched again for a tutorial on paper piecing, and I really liked this one from Faith at Fresh Lemons Quilts. She made it seem possible. (The star pattern is just the pattern, no instructions on paper piecing are included.)
I dove in, changed my colors around to represent the Dallas Cowboys, and ended up with this:
Not perfect, but I think it will do! If you’ve wanted to try paper piecing, read through Faith’s tutorial a few times to wrap your mind around, then go for it!
Still more to do on this one, so check back later for the finished quilt!
CoopCrafts 
very stunning. Both Daddy and Son will love it!
Thanks, Melissa! That’s the hope, especially as this baby is a late surprise and Daddy never expected to have a son to share in his love of football. :)
Reblogged this on Crafting My Life Away… and commented:
You know, I’m just not good at following rules. In my mind, patterns have rules. I usually just use the pattern for something as a suggestion. Sarah’s post really makes me want to believe in patterns, that star is great!
I can imagine them both on the sofa under the quilt watching their favourite team :-)
I love the picture that puts in my mind! :) And I just peeked at your blog — Archie is such a cutie!
Thank you! He has his own blog now :-) I’ve taken more photos today and I will post them tonight. Avis x
I LOVE paper piecing! Tried it for the first time recently and was surprised at how easy it is (once you figure out whats going on at least!) Your star looks awesome!
I was dumbfounded when I first looked at the lines on the paper, but it really IS easy after just a few lines of stitching. I think I’ll be doing more!
I’m uber impressed with your set-in seam! They are my nemesis! (And I paper piece a bunch!) If I can re-draft a pattern without one, I’ll do it! This came out great!!!
You DO paper piece a lot! I’d be afraid to try re-drafting a pattern at this point, but you’re waaaaaay ahead of me in this! I was afraid of that last seam, but I just trusted and tried, and it worked. *Whew!*
It came out beautifully! I could probably do set in seams if I practiced them, but I admit they scare me!
I need to make a Cowboys quilt too. I have a star template that I like, but I hadn’t been able to figure out how to make it the size that I want. Reading this made me go…duh!…enlarge the template on a copier. lol!
It’s amazing how we think of so many difficult solutions and can miss out on the easiest thing, isn’t it? :D Good luck with your quilt, Kisha! I hope it comes together beautifully!
I am working on the same pattern for a Dallas Cowboy fan. We found the pattern bought the fabric and I was looking for information on paper piecing when I came across your post. ( Our fabrics are very similar) It’s nice to see what it will look like when I’m finished. I have done lots of quilting but this my first paper piecing adventure.
That’s awesome, Gayle! I’d love to see yours when you’re done, if you want to link up a picture. I just made a little baby quilt: https://coopcrafts.com/2012/09/11/dallas-cowboys-baby-quilts/ I’m curious to see how yours will turn out!
Where can I get the star pattern? I need it!!!!!
Hi, Penny! The link is in the post just above the first photo.