Another star attempt. I decided to try something a little "easier" than Harvest Sun as a starter star block and after more than 1 bobbin of sewing (those strips are cut a mere 1 3/8", so lots of sewing)- this is the result. Could it be my seam allowance is off by that much? I don't think so because every other quilt I make (without these pesky little diamonds that I am so drawn to of late) comes out pretty close to perfect. Or, perhaps the cutting directions had an error? Maybe I even cut the angle wrong in teh first place. Whatever the case... I am still starless. Good thing I know that I am a decent quilter and have made beautiful quilts in the past, because believe me, these stars have me stumped. If I had my quilting start with stars and they were coming out like this - I would have run away from quilting and never looked back!
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A funny little side-note about this star attempt... when I started out I asked my husband about the angles on the ruler... I just wanted to confirm that I was using the correct angle. He assured me that was the correct cutting line, so after I got all these segments pieced - and yes, I had them all pieced before I realized they didn't fit together - I showed him the results. We both laughed and laughed because for some reason it struck us both as very funny, this lopsided star.
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Not to worry though - they fit together a different way and create a rather interesting design that I can use for something else (that is 2 rows of segments stacked together in the photo). And, I will attempt another star, another day! I KNOW I can figure these buggers out; there has to be a trick in it somewhere. But phoo-ey, I wanted THIS star to come out perfectly. Humph.
What about Shakespeare in the Park you ask? Done, done, done!!! I am pleased to have it finished because toward the end I sort-ov lost momentum. You know how it is - you start out so excited, make tons of blocks, lay it all out on the floor so you get the big picture, and then... fizzle. At that point I know what the big picture looks like, so on to the next project, right? But, I had so much work into this top and it was so close to being finished that I stuck it out, one connecting seam at a time. Phew. That was a close one - would hate to have that end up as a UFO, cluttering up the back corners of my mind with cobwebs. So, it is done and eventually I will send it off to be quilted and when it comes back all beautiful, I will take a completed photo to share.
10 comments:
Oh how frustrating! My guess is that it is something in the cutting. Maybe the right angle, but cut the wrong way, or sewn on the wrong edge????
I have an interfacing pattern for this star... For this exact reason, becasue unlike you, I am "never" close to perfect. (Got pretty close on my tumblers though.)
Evelyn,
Try this website: http://www.jankrentz.com/index.php
I took an online class with Jan and her book is GREAT!!! There are tricks...and she tells ya what they are! Keep plugging away cuz it's worth it!
Hugs
laurie
It looks to me that your 'diamonds' are actually rhomboids- they still have the same angles as a diamond but the opposite sides are different lengths. If you had noticed earlier you could have reversed half of the big sets and they would have fitted together. You get a Sawtooth star shape instead of a lemoyne star, but it would still look pretty.
But nothing in patchwork ever goes to waste, so you'll find something to do with all this work, sigh....
I love it! Use it anyway, I love the way it looks!
I love it! It's a crooked starflower!
I think it'll be fine even tho it's not what you were planning for. Finish it and see how it turns out...bet it's pretty.
I'm a little behind in reading your posts, and it was funny to see two posts side by side - one with your son wearing coat and hat and another one with him in short sleeves.
So sorry about the star. You are definitely a good quilter, and whether the pattern maker or you made a minor error, it's just that, an error. Hopefully you will be able to figure it out, although I would try with a different pattern.
I am almost done with my denim quilt, and have given myself permission to make the Shakespeare in the Park quilt next. Four more rows. I can't wait. I have some blue and beige fabrics ready. Still have to figure out what other shades I want to add - how scrappy to make it.
I can't believe it happened to you twice. Grrr. Are you sewing strips and then cutting them all at the angle? I've only made one, and I used a ruler I bought from Quilters Newsletter - that was probably at least 20 years ago, though.
Don't give up! I know you can do this! However, you also aren't the first to make a 7-pointed star, because I saw one in an antique show, and it was obvious it wasn't planned that way. =)
wow--now that is odd! :) But hey--it looks like you created a NEW star! I kind of like it. It might be hard to make the side pieces..could you somehow applique it on a large background? I'm anxious to see your SITP quilt--no fair making us wait until it's quilted!
mmm - yep - it looks like a rhomboid! Actually, I couldn't think of the word, and had to read the other comments to resurrect the word! A true diamond can be folded in half and all the edges will meet.
However, it looks like you are already working on something more creative with this slight inconsistency!
Whatever the strip size is what you cut the diamond, but you measure across the diamond, not along the bottom or top! Great advice from someone who had not made one yet! LOL You were very brave!
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