Wednesday, February 18, 2009

My Lucky Star - Reconstructed

Finally here is my finished block. A bit late, but I got it done. This was done just with HSTs and squares. I increased the size of the block by 50%, but when I did the calculation on the individual squares or HSTs I forgot to exclude the 1/4" seam allowances so in the end my block ended up being 14 1/2" instead of the 12 1/2" that I was aiming for.

The most painful part of doing it this way was trimming all those HSTs, it took a long time. Overall I'm pleased with the outcome but I would never make another one of these.

One thing I would like to say is thank you to everyone here for their encouragement and helpful suggestions on various topics. I can say that my piecing has improved greatly and my cutting of the various pieces has become pretty much spot on. I certainly noticed it this weekend when I was busy making the wonky star blocks for the Bushfire Quilt project just how smoothly my blocks came together. Also tonight when I was piecing this block it came together without much frustration.

Edited to add: By using only HSTs and squares this block is 101 pieces - yes that is nuts, but the whole block was nuts to begin with so I figured I had nothing to lose.

8 comments:

Donna said...

great job Vicki! Its stunning. Isn't it surprising how precision helps even in wonky?:-)

Anonymous said...

This has looked like a killer block, but I really appreciate your comments about improvements in your technique and skills. Than you for sharing.

Carol E. said...

I love your block! It's beautiful.

em's scrapbag said...

It turned out beautifully. You did a great job.

Librarynan said...

Nice job, Vicki -
I like the way you changed up the fabrics while keeping the colors. At 14 1/2 it might make a good focus block for a pillow... it is so bright and pretty!

Librarynan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie in the Barn said...

It is really stunning. It would make a great pillow with the right decor. This block was a real skill improver no matter what size or approach. That's the whole idea behind our excercises so in that respect we are all doing fabulous.

hetty said...

A beautiful block! So how many pieces of fabric did you end up using by making it all HST? Is it like 101 or something?