It’s Lone Stars like you have never seen them before. Little! Lorraine Olsen is the author behind the new book Little Lone Star Quilts.

It features a revolutionary new fold-and-sew paper piecing technique that makes miniature Lone Star quilts easy, with perfect points every time.

Here’s Lorraine to give us a behind the scenes look at how her passion for miniatures manifested:

Coming from a heritage of master craftswomen, I learned sewing, quilting and needlework skills from my mother and grandmothers.  I got my first sewing machine on my 8^th birthday to keep me from monopolizing my mom’s.  I made my first little quilt at nine.  Mom was making a big quilt.  I rescued discarded scraps and made a little cardboard template to fit the small pieces. Mom was proud of the little quilt I made but I was disappointed that all the corners did not match perfectly like I knew they should.

After my third child was born, I became very ill and it was difficult for me to sew.  I discovered miniature quilts and their small scale was perfect for me.  My illness has taught me patience and perseverance.  That alone with a streak of perfectionism is the perfect combination for a miniature quilt maker.I love to figure out how to make classic patterns in miniature. The lone star pattern is a favorite of mine and I tried a few with strip piecing but I knew there had to be an easier way.

After making a project using gridded watercolor fabric I knew I could make the lone stars with a folded technique.  After a few experiments I got one that worked. I knew that this was a great technique and that other quilters would love to make these little lone stars too.No careful cutting or bias edges make this much easier that strip piecing. The other thing I love about this fold and sew technique is the freedom to be creative with the pattern. There is no reason to just make a design of rings, I can go wild and make any scrappy design I want, even a charm quilt.

It has been fun for me to teach this technique to other quilters and see how creative they can be with their fabric choices and designs. I hope everyone that tries one of my little lone stars with make it their own with individual color and design choices. I haven’t seen one little star that I did not love. Quilters will be surprised that they can make this complex pattern, even in miniature so easily.  Slow down, carefully read all instructions and don’t skip steps will assure a successful project.  I would love to see photos of completed little lone stars. Post a photo or email through my website at lorraineolsenquilts.com