sue good luck, i live in the Netherlands so i cant participate the class, but i wish i could, because bali wedding ring is on my to do list.
a Canadian friend from TQS she is visiting me soon, i asked her to bring the plastic pattern from judi neimaer, i assume it will help me to do it better.
good luck to everybody that going to do the bali wedding ring! cheers

Will do. Right now I'm having a fun but agonizing time picking out the last fabrics in my color paths for the rings. I want to use all the pretty colors, but I want the rings to blend really well from light to dark. So some pretty designs/colors are on the sidelines, destined for a different quilt.

Good luck Sue. Will you post photos so that we can see how you are doing. It seems to be a very difficult design to do. Hope you enjoy it.

I'm signed up for a Bali Wedding Star class with a certified instructor being held this summer, and so is a quilting friend of mine. We had a shop hop day last week looking for fabric - totally a blast and a little scary since I'm going to go for a queen sized quilt with possible applique.

Reported!

Sue -- it was a wonderful visit. You better show pictures.

Sharon

Sharon and I spoke tonight, and she was extremely helpful. She had previously done the Amazon Star pattern by Judy Neimeyer, which had gone well, and she is in the middle of the Bali Wedding Star. She is a more experienced sewer/quilter than I am, but had to put the quilt aside for a bit while she helped her daughter get married - she actually made the bridesmaids' dresses and her own Mother of the Bride dress - WOW! So her time on the king-sized quilt was limited, and she had run into a problem with too many arcs and not enough of the pie shaped pieces. She bought more foundation pieces for additional pie pieces, so she'll get getting back to the quilt after a little time off.

She said that Judy does a really clear job of explaining the patterns, especially what side of the foundation paper to sew on (since you have to think backwards on how to set the units), and Judy also gives instructions on how to keep all of the various fabrics and pieces organized. She said that the 2 1/2" strips should work, but she is using regular yardage and FQs, and she was not prewashing her fabric. And that the portions of the star section should have fabrics that contrast well with the black part, in order to see the difference between the two fabrics in the stars points.

So I think I'm going to go for it, but I need a little time to figure things out first. I'd prefer to prewash, so I'm going to buy yardage and FQ's too, and then I'll be sure of having enough fudge room when sewing (and real fudge nearby!) I'm also going to reduce the number of arcs needed by first making "only" a queen sized quilt, and then also changing the pattern a little. I want to eliminate the second row of rings inside the outer border, so there is a blank area for Flying Geese (like Bali Flowers for my Wedding Quilt), or maybe a little applique. Fewer arcs will be less intimidating and timeconsuming. And I'll definitely sign up for a class at a shop that has the Judy Neimeyer certified teacher showing the process and tricks, at least to get started. I don't have a deadline, so I can do a little each month, even if it does take three years.

Hope this helps others, and thanks so much Sharon for all your assistance! I really enjoyed our visit!

Sue

I just bought the Prairie Star by Judy. I will be following this post for helpful tips.

I have used the Edit feature, but didn't know if my first post would be at the bottom of the screen afterwards. All fixed now, and still in order.

Sue

Sue, did you know you can "Edit" your posts? I am always misspelling words, and am going back in after I have posted and correcting it. Just click on the "Edit" (Just to the left of your profile photo.) correct it, and them "Submit" it. And then, if you want, go to the one you just posted, and you can remove the last line, and no one will be the wiser.

Sharon and I are going to talk Sunday evening, and I'll post a message to let others of any helpful advice.
Sue

Hi girls - sue just contacted me and hopefully we can talksoon. I have made judy's amazon star with no problems, but I had to stop part way to do the wedding, then I had trouble. There is a ton of sewing on it and the I went to the LQS for help it was greatly appreciated. Sue I hope u can call and I will tell u my experience. My attitude is much better since the help but is a big project even for experienced quilters.

What a great family this is to help others, thanks for sending her my way.

sharon

Thanks for the encouragement Dawn! I'll check with Sharon. And lucky you - I love the colors of the quilt you won! My daughter would love it too.

Sue

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the quilt behind me in my profile photo is a one-of-a-kind Judy Neimeyer designed raffle quilt that I was ever so lucky to win! It just got too big, so she decided not to produce it. Lucky me, huh?

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana