Oh for heaven's sake, have a fev days off, ive not even started the Eldon quilt yet and now this, and just because life isn't busy enough i through I'd do the star center's in the Eldon with little diamonds!!! Where will this madness end😅❤
I received my templates at first I wasn’t going to buy them but then decided after watching Edyta’s demonstration it would make my life easier. So happy I made that decision. I love this pattern, the fabrics, and Edyta’s detailed instructions. I can do this!
I like the tutorials but I would like to see you actually sewing the stars and complete block together. I get more out of it seeing the sewing up close and how all the seams go together. Even the little ways you place pieces on the machine, make any adjustment that may be necessary while stitching the units, or how to correct a mistake if one happens. I do love this pattern and will be starting it once I have all my fabrics together.
When you sew the diamond strip units together into the larger diamond 25 patches, make sure to have exactly ¼ hang over with the points at the top and bottom. (That is, the V that the top and bottom piece create should exactly correspond to your seam allowance width.) Then, if some of the points don't quite line up, it is possible to adjust just one or two points without ripping out the whole seam. I go back and stitch either to the right or to the left of the old seam, maybe a thread or two away if I have missed the point by about a 1/16 of an inch. If the points didn't quite touch, stitch a slightly deeper seam allowance (and no real need to unpick any thread, even when pressing the seams open); if the points got slightly cut off, sew that part of the seam allowance a little narrower and pick out a bit of the old seam stitching around the point in question, so you can see the new seam. It is also incredibly important with these tiny diamonds that your seam allowance at every step here is very accurate. Even 1/32 of an inch variation in the width of the individual strips really shows up. (But, then, I am really picky about my points, etc.) I also find the block lies a bit flatter if i press every seam open until I sew the big diamonds together (and I spin those seams like Edyta suggests). If this is your first lone star to sew, just be patient and careful and starch, and you will be amazed at what you can do.
Thank you Edyta!!! i'm still working on my stars... this is really hard lol but im so loving it!!!!! Thank you Thank you for explaining sooo well and sharing this beautifull quilt with us. xxxxxxxxx
This quilt is beautiful and I am so tempted to make it. Can you tell me where you got the little tool you used to push the seems before you ironed them. Thank you
Edyta, what size should the setting half stars be? The whole "small stars" should finish at 4" unfinished, according to the pattern. I have done some calculating and measuring, and it seems that the half-star setting triangles come out about the same size as QSTs cut from a 6¼" square. Is that about right?
Regarding big star diamond wedges: I noticed the the strips for the diamonds are pressed open according to the instructions. But it doesn't say if the seams are also pressed open once the strips are cut and sewn into the eight wedges. There are little arrows on the diagram with may mean the seams are pressed to one side but it doesn't say, and the video doesn't mention how to press either. So I pressed the wedge seams gently open with a dry iron . That distorted the diamond so the wedges do not fit under the large diamond trimming template. I know to treat these multiple bias pieces gently but I don't know how to continue and get an accurate diamond wedge if I have to press all the seams open. I think it's too much fiddling. Any advice? How do you press in each step? Thank you for taking the time to guide us through this pattern! Jae W.
I think Edyta presses those seams to one side. I found it easier to press them open, since my points showed better and the whole diamond felt flatter to me. Finger press first: you're less likely permanently to distort the bias edges. Also there is no wiggle room at any step in this process with ½" diamonds, but if your large diamonds are within ⅛" of the diamond template, you can cheat the final seam allowances. Try it both ways and see what works better for you. If you press them to the side, press the seams in one direction for 4 diamonds and the other way for the other 4, and then alternate them in sewing the star. That way the seams will nest when you sew the diamonds into the star. The final star lies flattest when the last round of seams is pressed in the same direction and the middle opened up (i.e., the seams are "spun") as Edyta demonstrates here and in some Lemoyne star tutorials from several years ago.
I am interested in making this but wondering if I can get the same pattern in the Patches of Stars book or is it best to use the PDF pattern? Thank you!!
I received my Templates today. What kind of starch? I have never starched fabric before. I have 3 fat quarter bundles and 3 layer cakes of Fig Tree. Can we use layer cakes?