Who doesn’t love laying on a blanket looking up at the stars on a summer night? I can almost hear the crickets and see the lightening bugs just thinking about it. Summer nights in the south inspired “Back Yard Star Gazing.”

“Back Yard Star Gazing” continues my exploration of illusion quilts. It features a tumbling block pattern inspired by Karen Combs.

I used various bright batiks to piece the blocks on my machine, then appliquéd them by hand to a green and cream batik. After adding a narrow black border and a green African print border, “Back Yard Star Gazing” measures 46 X 60 inches.

It was machine quilted in a wavy pattern by Maxine Moore. I used a yellow African print for the binding to bring all the colors together. The binding is hand sewn.

The fabric on the back is a very light green with white dots. There is a hanging sleeve for easy display and a label that documents the quilt. I signed it on the front.