CaroleD wrote:
I'm going to lose one point on one of my blocks but in the grand scheme of things, no one will notice. I"m ok with that.

denise

I didn't want to do any more HST than needed so I started off figuring where I could use flying geese. But it dawned on me to draw it up in EQ6 and see how the foundation piecing worked. There are 8 segments for the first April block. I will give one a try and see if I can better accuracy that way. I don't need mine to be perfect but I still think it makes the finished product look better. I find the missed points and misaligned seams detract from the symmetry of it. And yes I am married to an engineer but I am a biologist.

Whew....manipulating 36 one and one-half inch pieces to get them sewn together to an exact 6 1/2" is very difficult. You take a combination of hands that aren't as flexible as when I was young, eyesight that requires progressive no-line bifocals, and a sewing machine that's not a great one, although it's okay, and you tend to get some distortion when handling, sewing, and pressing small pieces. I've finished two, and they're VERY close to 6 1/2", but I think I'm going to lose a point or two as they get sewn to the setting triangles, and I have some intersections that aren't quite right! My setting triangle fabric is pretty bright and busy so I'm hoping it will distract from those blunted points.

Annis, that is going to be a beautiful border to add to your stunning center! Thanks for raising the bar!

My first border block is posted, plus all of my flying geese for the Sawtooth Stars and one finished Sawtooth Star which now have a different name. Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns gives 5 different choices, so I will call them Texas Stars. I decided I didn't want any more half-square triangles or flying geese in my quilt so designed a new border block that will be repeated around the quilt using different fabrics. I also had several prints with light backgrounds and needed a place to put them so they are being used around the center square. One of the fabrics had too large of a print for the small triangles so will have to go shopping for another fabric or two to replace it. The Texas Star blocks finish at 5" and the border blocks finish at almost 7 1/2" which is the exact size needed for the on point of a 10 1/2" square.

April’s directions are posted, and Sue’s video this month talks about color choices! I would like to point out that for the next 6 months we will be doing the same thing each month; only the lay-out of the blocks for each month will be a little different.
Remember how challenging the little 4 patch border was? The border for these sampler blocks is the same thing….only bigger. So……it is really important that we measure, cut, stitch and press precisely! And remember that more important than your seam allowance is the FINISHED measurement of the pieces! After you get the first block assembled, measure the squares. They should finish at 1”x1”. If they don’t you will need to see what you have to do to make it that size. If the unfinished measurement is 6-1/2” x 6-1-1/2” it will make the assembly of this border much less frustrating!
WE CAN DO THIS!