Lupine & Laughter Mystery - Part Eight: REVEAL!

Happy Friday, folks!
It's reveal time!
I'm sure many of you have guessed by now that there is not much further we could go without seeing how things are going to fit together somehow.
I loved making this mystery based on our wonderful Craftours adventure to Iceland.
What future trips could inspire our next Quiltville Winter Mystery quilt?
Who knows!  I'd love to have you join me on any of the trips we have slated through 2027 - so many exciting destinations!
Enough of that - are you ready??

Lupine & Laughter!
And we've got *almost* all of the parts we need.  Just a few more units are needed for border corners, but we'll get there soon enough.
Let's start making some blocks!
Click HERE for Part Eight PDF

Lupine Star!

Don't the purple half-rectangles resemble the roadside lupine?

This block uses the large and small half-square triangles from Part Three, and the half-rectangles from Part Four.

The only thing we need to cut to make these are the sashings and cornerstones.

We need 25 sets of 1 1/2'' X 5'' sashings - 4 sashings per set. 

I dug through my 1 1/2'' squares bin for a random variety of pink squares to use as cornerstones. 

You will need 25 squares 1 1/2''.

Arrange units for Lupine Star block as shown.

Join units into rows, pressing seams toward the sashings and away from center cornerstone.

Join rows to complete Lupine Star block.  Make 25.

Units will measure 10 1/2'' and finish at 10'' in the quilt.

Just be sure in your excitement you don't do this!  See that bottom right corner? Turn it around!

Four of mine!

I like how they look just set side by side! It would make a great quilt with just another simple sashing and cornerstones between the blocks so you don't have to match point to point when joining blocks.

But we've got MORE!

Alternate Block!

This block uses the purple/pink half-square triangles from Part Three, the Ohio Star blocks we made in Part Five and the kitty ears units made in Part Seven.

Lay out units for one block as shown.

Join units into rows, pressing top and bottom seams toward the kitty ear units and the center section away from the center star, also toward the kitty ears.

Join units into rows, pressing long seams toward the top and bottom rows.

Blocks from the front.

Pressing looks like this on the back.

Make 24 blocks.  Blocks will measure 10 1/2'' unfinished and finish at 10'' in the quilt.

Quilt Center Assembly

Full page images found in the printable PDF for this part.

I love this layout!  If you look closely you can see exploding stars around the Lupine star blocks, and if you look at it at a different angle, you see spools!

I also love that the triangles are offset from each other so there is minimal point matching when joining the blocks into rows, and rows into the quilt center.

Arrange blocks in a 7 X 7 format as shown.

Join blocks into rows pressing seams toward the alternate blocks.

Join rows to complete quilt center. Press.

Borders:

Full page images found in the printable PDF for this part.

Inner border:

The inner border is an ice blue spacer border cut from 1 1/2'' strips finishing at 1''.

From ice blue fabric cut 8 strips 1 1/2''.  Join fabric ends on the diagonal into one long length. Trim seams leaving 1/4'’ seam allowance and press seams open.

Measure the quilt top from top to bottom through the center. Cut two side inner borders this length.

Join side borders to quilt center, pinning to match centers and ends and in between.

Press seams toward the inner border.

Measure the quilt top from side to side through the center, including the borders just added in this measurement. Cut top and bottom inner borders this length.

Add top and bottom borders to quilt center, pinning to match centers and ends, easing where necessary to fit. Press seams toward inner border.

Remember these guys?

We made the flying geese in Part Two.

Join them "pink goose to neutral goose" into 72 units, pressing 36 of the units toward the pink, the other 36 toward the neutral to facilitate seam nesting when joining the units end to end.  Units will measure 4 1/2'' unfinished.  They will finish at 4'' in the quilt.

Join these double geese units into 4 border lengths, 18 units long alternating units pressed toward the pink with units pressed toward the neutral for ease of nested seams.

Border Corner units.  We haven't done any part of these yet.

You will need:

4 purple corner squares 2 1/2''

Refer back to Part Three and make 8 purple/neutral half-square triangle units and 4 pink/neutral half-square triangle units that measure 2 1/2'' unfinished, finishing at 2'' in the quilt.

From the back -

Join units into rows, pressing seams toward the purple corner squares and toward the pink half-square triangle unit.

Join rows to complete unit. Make four. Border corner units will measure 4 1/2’’ and finish at 4’’ in the quilt.

Units go on the ends of top and bottom border like this.

I tried spinning the seams, and it worked for 3 out of the 4 corners...but due to the alternating pressing of the flying geese units when I came to this one...

Whelp - that's an issue!

I couldn't flip that seam because it was anchored in place by a cross seam, so I clipped into the seam allowance - not all the way to the seam, at an angle. This allowed me to repress the seam the direction it needed to go. Do whatever works!

Join side borders to quilt, pinning to match centers and ends and in between. Press seam towards inner neutral border.

Add top and bottom borders to quilt center, pinning to match centers and ends, easing where necessary to fit. Press seams toward inner border. 

It's not done until you've taken a victory lap!

Stitch around the outside edge of the quilt top just shy of 1/4'' from the outside edge to stabilize the edge and minimize stretch and to keep seams at the edge from popping open.

I do this with the top face down so I can manage which way the seam allowances are supposed to go and keep them from flipping.

Love it, love it, love it!

I love how the border turns.  I love how the blocks remind me of the beautiful wildflowers of Iceland.

And yes, I love the dent it made in my pink and purple scraps!

I quilted Lupine & Laughter with a baby pink thread in an edge to edge design called Espalier by Hermione Agee for Lorien Quilting.

I used 2'' cut strips of scrappy purples for a double-fold binding sewn on with a 1/4'' seam for a 1/4'' finish that kept the points of the geese at the outer edge of the quilt intact.

I have loved working through Lupine & Laughter with you, and sharing everything I could during the process.

I can't wait to see what your finishes look like as they begin to come in.

Just remember - there is no hurry, there is no stress.  This is not a race, you can now work at your own pace.

All parts for Lupine & Laughter will be removed from the blog one month from today. (2/9/26) Please print all of your PDF copies and save them to where you know where you can find them.  I will unable to provide parts to anyone after this time.

The pattern is begin unscrambled, rewritten, and will be released as a PDF pattern booklet on February 13th.

It's likely the blog won't see much activity while I am gone to Morocco, but you can always follow me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube where I will try to keep everyone up to date with photos and videos of where we are and what we are doing.

Who knows? This trip may just inspire our NEXT Quiltville Winter Mystery!

The next trip coming up after this one is Romania in June.  I'd love to have you join us! 

Click the All My Tours tab at the top of the blog, pick a trip and come along!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Something to ponder today as you work through your fabric! 

It never goes away... it just becomes smaller pieces! 

Have a fantastic Friday, everyone -

 

This mystery pattern is given for personal use only. 

No part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical including printing or photocopying for sharing, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author.

Please no uploading and saving of this file with intent to share, email or distribute, either digitally or in hard copy. 

This is a reader appreciation mystery, something I give back to my readers for their support over the years.

Please help me continue to design and show your support by sending your friends to my blog to print their own copy. 

Please check out my other designs found in the Quiltville Store at Quiltville.com/shop where my books (paperback) notions, tools, and other goodies along with my digital patterns are found right at your fingertips.