Stargazer

Well, all the pieces came together this morning.  Remember that I didn’t know what the outside dimension was going to be because I had decreased the size of the pattern. 

Marsha McCloskey’s pattern would have finished at 28”.  Mine finishes at 14”, so a full half size reproduction.  I thought it was going to finish a little bigger than that…more like a 60% reproduction, but hey, half size works for me. 

t’s not perfect, but it’s sure perfect enough for me.  Elizabeth asked me to photograph it with a coin.  Here it is with a dime.

Each of those half triangle squares finishes at 1/2”.  According to the pattern instructions, there are 629 pieces in the block.  I’m not counting them.  But, it didn’t feel like that many pieces, likely because all the half square triangles were cut from two strips of fabric pre-sewn together, so I just had to cut a square with a diagonal line down the middle of it. 

If anyone was going to make this block in half size, my two cautions would be that all the half triangle squares are the same size.  The original pattern, for the larger block, used two different sized half triangle square units.  But, in the smaller size, they all need to be the same size.  And, the second caution would be not to stretch the fabric to make it fit.  If it’s not going together easy, look for the mistake…there likely is one.  Because when it’s all going together right, it goes together easy. And, then the other suggestion is to pin at every seam match point.  Each and every one.  Some of those seams had 36 pins in a 14” long seam.  But, it makes all the points match up so nice.  Well, all but one, but I’m not pointing that one out. 

Here it is with a quarter.  The quarter looks so much bigger than the pieces.

Now that I know the outside dimension, I can start planning the next round.  Here’s the idea sketch.  I think the hst’s in the next round are twice as big as the ones in the first round.  At least I’m hoping so.  I’m tired of those little tiny triangles.

I never would have thought I would have enjoyed the prospect of designing my own quilt.  But, I am.  And, I’m looking forward to picking the next fabrics to set this off.  I’m also enjoying that I’m limited to just three colors; black, brown and off-white.  That makes it even more of a challenge.

As I’ve worked on this, I’ve used the Barbed Wire quilt as my leader/ender project. 

It won’t be long until it’s together.  I’ll likely just finish the assembly now that it’s this far along and not worry about it being a leader/ender.  I need to get it up out of the floor, where it’s been, off and on, since I started the mini quilt.  This one is for Linus and I’ve got another that I’ve started cutting in red and tan.  I love the pattern.  It is too easy for words and feels like it has flown together.  Great for a Linus Project. 

Now that this is together, I’d like to get the Civil War Star quilt pin basted and start the quilting on it.  I also got to spend a couple hours in the yard yesterday.  So much is happening out there.  The daylilies appear to grow while I watch and leaves are showing up on everything.  There’s another short cold snap forecasted for next week, so I’m not putting anything in the ground, but we picked up a couple of pots of color yesterday and I’ve set them around so I can enjoy them, but can also pick them up and move them if the weather gets too cold.

A busy boy is a happy boy…likely because I stay too busy to be truly unhappy.

Everybody have a great Sunday.  I’m trying to pick a paint color for the kitchen and we wasted some money on a gallon that turned out to be wayyyyyyy too orange.  I just put a little on the wall and it looks like one of those orange push up ice cream things we used to get when I was a kid. 

But, I think it would make a great color for the sewing room closet!  Waste not, want not.

Lane