Stars Over Fairview Avenue Quilt-A-Long – Week Four

By Bari Ackerman

Welcome to Week Four of the Stars Over Fairview Avenue Quilt-Along with Art Gallery Fabrics and me! This quilt features Bari J. for AGF Fairview Avenue fabrics.

If you've missed the previous posts start at week one here.

Download the pattern

If you haven't already, feel free to download the whole pattern HERE and print it out. I will, as usual, put each the images for each week's task in the post for that week. See below for the pattern image that goes with this weeks bits.

Assembling the Border Blocks

This week we’re shifting our focus to assembling the border blocks — and the good news is that this step tends to feel smoother and faster than assembling the center blocks.

Because the fabrics in each border star match, chain piecing becomes especially efficient. You won’t have to worry about mixing up fabrics the way you did with the center blocks. Once you get into a rhythm, the process feels wonderfully streamlined. Refer to this image to keep things in order.

Chain Piecing the Border Star Flying Geese Units

We’ll assemble our border star flying geese units using chain piecing this week. You’ll love how organized this stage feels. Each star uses matching fabrics, so you can confidently sew through your stacks without stopping to double-check placement.

Lay out your pieces for the flying geese units for each star, then repeat the same sewing order for each set. Keeping a consistent workflow helps maintain accuracy and speed. After sewing, clip the chains apart and press. As you remember from assembling the center blocks, the flying geese are made in several steps. The illustrations for that are below.

Trimming your Flying Geese Units

I trimmed all the flying geese at once when I finished the units. Blessings upon you if you decide to do it all at once as well. NGL, it was a lot. Turn on some music or an audio book and trim trim trim away. Not my favorite part, but a necessary evil and so worth the effort.

Glue Basting for Accuracy

We’ll continue using glue basting this week to keep everything crisp and aligned. A light touch of glue helps stabilize the units before stitching and reduces shifting. If glue basting felt helpful in earlier weeks, you’ll appreciate how it supports clean points and tidy seams here as well.

Take your time aligning points and intersections — precision now will pay off when we join the border sections later. And don't forget, nesting seams really helps. so press in opposite directions.

Cornerstones

This week also includes assembling the four cornerstone blocks for the borders. All four cornerstones match, which makes this step straightforward and satisfying. Unlike the center blocks, the border blocks do not include an economy block center — only the cornerstones do. This distinction simplifies the border construction and keeps the visual rhythm of the quilt balanced.

Staying Organized

The border assembly is more streamlined than the center section because of the matching fabrics, but staying organized will make your sewing session more enjoyable. Keep completed units grouped together and label stacks if needed. A tidy workspace helps you move confidently from one step to the next.

By the end of this week, you’ll have your border stars and cornerstones ready to go — a big milestone that brings the quilt one step closer to completion. Enjoy the rhythm of chain piecing, trust the process, and savor the satisfaction of seeing the borders come together.

Happy sewing, and I’ll see you next week!

Supplies

Click here for my favorite quilting supplies on Amazon. (Amazon link is an affliate link.) You can also find many of these at your local quilt shop.

I'm a huge proponent of glue basting. If you haven't already, I highly recommend getting a bottle of Elmer's washable school and my favorite glue tips from Cristy Fincher.

I support independent local quilt shops, both brick and mortar and online. I encourage you to shop local first. Therefore, I have listed shops by state and country. Happy quilting!

SHOPS THAT CARRY FAIRVIEW AVENUE (* - has kits)

UNITED STATES

CALIFORNIA:

COTTONEER FABRICS

CONNECTICUT:

COTTON CANDY FABRICS

IDAHO:

*OLIVE & ELLE QUILT CO (has kits)

LOUISIANA:

*SUMMER'S HAVEN STORE (has kits)

MISSOURI

GOLDEN GIRLS FABRIC CO