Quilting Plans for Aldebaran
Aldebaran is a block-based hexagon quilt with a fun added twist– string piecing! Each block has large areas of open space which creates a really great canvas for quilting. You could do anything from an all over design to something totally different in every block. Let’s explor some ways to finish your Aldebaran quilt.
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Aldebaran is a block-based hexagon quilt with a fun added twist– string piecing! Each block has large areas of open space which creates a really great canvas for quilting. Today, I’m going to share a variety of ways to quilt Aldebaran, for all skill levels!
Quilting Plan Review
If you’re new to making quilting plans, here’s a quick review:
A quilting plan allows you to decide on paper what you want to quilt before putting a needle to your quilt top. It separates the decision making from the actual quilting and is a huge help in reducing anxiety and reducing the risk of unpicking because you don’t like your ideas. A quilting plan can range from the simplest (1, all over design), to semi-custom (2-3 motifs), to fully custom (4"+ motifs).
The other thing I love about quilting plans is the ability to draw lots of ideas before I have to pick just one to spend time stitching. Let’s look at a few of the infinite possibilities for Aldebaran!
All Over Quilting Plan
Aldebaran looks pretty cool “scrappy,” so if you chose busy fabrics or want to get this quilt done fast, and all over design might be just the ticket. You could keep it simple with a meander or swirls, or add more texture for minimal effort with McTavishing or Riff quilting.
Semi-Custom Quilting Plan
Use a semi-custom quilting plan to subtly emphasize the string-pieced triangle or the hexagon block. On the left, I used ruler quilting to outline each string of the string-pieced triangles, then filled the rest with riff quilting. On the right, I quilted one huge feather in each block, and use ruler quilting to stitch in the ditch around each block for a polished finish.
Fully Custom Quilting Plan
Fully custom quilting takes more time and effort, but can take your quilt to the next level. If you like a looser finish, but still want lots of different textures, Aldebaran is the perfect opportunity to use a variety of ruler quilting geometric fills. For a more intricate look, create snowflakes or flowers with a mix of ruler quilting and free motion quilting.
Final Thoughts
As with any quilt, there are an infinite number of possible ways to quilt Aldebaran. Choose a type of quilting plan that matches your skills and time commitment, draw it out, and then enjoy the quilting process when you bring that vision to life!
Resources
PATTERN: Aldebaran Quilt Pattern & Kits
QUILT-A-LONG: Resources for piecing your own Aldebaran
BLOG: Introduction to Procreate (my favorite tool for drawing quilting plans digitally)
Join Quilting Rockstar University: your resource for all things finishing your quilts!
