Unique Encounter with a Star

What inspires you to quilt?

My original inspiration was my paternal grandmother Wanda, who we called Gran.  Gran was a very gifted quilter, making beautiful, bed-sized quilts all pieced and quilted by hand.  I spent a lot of time with my Gran over the years. She was always working on a quilt until her vision gave out on her.  Our home was full of Gran’s quilts, both the useful and the decorative kind. 

I made my first quilt as a Christmas gift for my sister in 2009, but it turned out disastrously!  When I finished quilting the quilt, I flipped it over to admire the back.  Imagine my disappointment when I found it had a big area in which the backing fabric was all bunched up in folds instead of lying flat like it should.  After that, it took me six years to regain an interest in quilting! 

My second inspiration came at the annual Eureka Montana Quilt Show (EMQS) held in our Montana hometown each August.  It is a huge outdoor show, drawing as many as 600 quilt entries.  The quilts are displayed on the town’s buildings all the way along the main street.  It was at the 2015 show that I felt a desire stirring to try my hand at quilting once more.  I finished a quilt in October of that year; then made a quilt a month for at least a year afterward. 

Why make shaped table toppers rather than more traditional quilts? 

I got started making the star-shaped toppers after I saw a finished one on display at a quilt shop.  I was so taken with it that I immediately learned how to make them.  Making these toppers completely changed the way I viewed striped fabric.  They are so much fun because it feels like using a kaleidoscope.  Although I have a good idea of what fabric will make a nice star topper, I don’t know until it is sewn together what it will look like.  This makes each topper a nice surprise for me.

Shawnna Casazza

I have been married to my husband Eric for 26 years.  We do not have children but have three cats and one extremely spoiled little dog.  I am originally from a small, rural community in northeastern Oklahoma.  I have lived in Oklahoma for most of my life, but in 2015 my husband and I fulfilled a long-term dream of moving to my husband’s hometown in northwest Montana.  Professionally, I was a Computer Programmer for 23 years.  In 2016 I had an opportunity to move to part-time employment as a Mineral Manager for my husband’s small oil and gas company.  I had just begun quilting in late 2015, so the change to part-time employment was a key factor in giving me space to begin releasing my creative side through quilting. 

Casazza Creations was founded in 2016 and has grown steadily each year.  In 2020 my little shop sold 22 quilts and 40 table toppers.

What is your process?

For me, the star toppers start with careful fabric selection.  Once I see a fabric that I believe will make a striking star, I cut it into long strips.  Then I cut out the building blocks for the star shapes using my special ruler.  Sewing them together is the fastest part of the process and the most fun as well. 

Then I make a “quilt sandwich” with the batting and backing, sewing them right-sides together and then turning them right-side out.  I work on the points of the star for a while, making sure to get them as sharp as possible. 

Then it is time for the final step – quilting.  

I often use metallic thread when quilting to further accent the topper’s design.   I usually try to make about 10 toppers at a time because that seems to be more efficient.  I then use any leftover fabric to make the hexagons, oblong hexagons, or anything else I can dream up.  The goal of using every scrap of the fabric is a fun challenge to my creativity. 

If you’d like to get one of Shawnna’s amazing star topper (or other quilted) creations for yourself, or contact her directly, you can do all of that at her Etsy.com shop.