Still seeing stars

You know the carpenter saying, "Measure twice, cut once"? I think there should be a similar saying for quilters like me. "Maybe read the instructions twice (or more), cut once."

Last night I finished Delightful Stars Lesson 16: Block 20. I had put it off because I thought it would be difficult. But it's another "looks are deceiving" block. The block easily went together. It was perfect, until I decided to trim it up. As I was cutting I kept thinking, "man I have a lot to trim off this block, what's up with that". You guess it. I was cutting to the finished size, (16"), not the unit size (16.5"). By the time I realized what I was doing it was too late.

Pretty, but a bit too small

Michele Foster  provided some solutions. I will need to make a few adjustments on the sashes, so all is not lost.

Since the upcoming lessons are mostly paper pieced I went back and complete the blocks I skipped over. Both of these blocks could have been completed with the Tri-Rec rulers, or paper pieces. I needed practice, so I chose the paper pieced method.. Here is Lesson 11: Block 5.

Block 5

The second block I skipped over was Lesson 15: block 3

I made a few adjustments on this block. Another quilter posted a picture with the lighter color in the center. It looked like light shining from a star. I decided this really went with my colors so I followed her example.

Lesson 19: Block 13

Lesson 18: Block 15

Sometimes I just get in a mood. Today it is about simplicity. My friendship stars are one color against the background, so the focus in on the shape.  Block 13 also has minimal colors. I'm sure I'll jazz things up next week.

Overall I am making acceptable progress. As of today I am four lessons behind. These are all paper pieced so I will be taking my time. I should get one or two done this week.

I have a do over block, to work on...someday. Can you tell what the problem is? I have reversed the background fabrics. The blue/green background should be black and the corner blocks should be  colored. I tried it against the other blocks, but it is so bright it is almost like waving a red flag at a bull. It won't go to waste. I will use this to make a nice pillow..or something useful.

I am done sewing for the day. I have a good hour of cleaning to do in my sewing area. It's a disaster. Hope everyone has a great week. Happy sewing and thanks for checking in.