Paper Princess,

Your profile quilt is lovely; can you please post a larger version of it (or point me to where I might see a larger version of it)? Thanks!

-- Jillaine

Another fabulous way to do a Lone Star (although limited to a 4x4 tp 6x6 grid) is using the Quiltsmart interfacing. It's quite ingenious, NO diamonds. Nada, not a one. And as long as you read the directions BEFORE you use it, you don't have to worry about any bias.

I've used it quite a few times, and it is most certainly worth the price in time and aggravation.

They also have mini size. Plus, if you get adventurous and really understand the concept, you could combine some of the foundations for larger stars.

I see that now they're selling it by the panel.

NAYY.

http://www.quiltsmart.com/khxc/index...ring=lone+star

I just wanted to add that even if you do it the Quiltsmart way, Jan Krentz's Lone Star book is worth every penny. Her directions and hints for settings are really helpful and spot on.

Good morning Jillaine, I'm sure you had a restless night over this one.

This board is an excellent example of good minds coming together.

MTS has the right idea, Because there is such a large discrepency in the sizes, go the muslin template way.

Size up each triangle, add a strip to the sides that is needed to bring it to the correct size, and MTS is also correct in making the strips a little longer to be trimmed later.

Starch the heck out of it, let it dry and then do the next one.

Your colors are sooooo beautiful it would be a shame to not use it. If you don't want to take it apart I would also try adding the strips as suggested by gal288. Good luck and please let us see how it turns out.

Love your colors! It will be beautiful when you get it fixed.

As long as the star is closely quilted, washing won't be a problem even if you have used starch to re-block everything. Quilting will hold the alignments in place.

Other Sharon Schamber videos show how to make a firm pressing surface. She draws the correct shape on a piece of muslin, pins the muslin to the ironing surface, then blocks the piece to the marks on the muslin.

If you draw off your diamonds the right size, you can pin your fabric to the grid and then steam press it.

Bias will reform itself if you pin it to the size it should be and then steam press it.

Another related question: in one of her videos, Sharon spray-starches BEFORE pinning/stretching/reshaping; in another she does it AFTER pinning. As someone who has never used spray start in my quilting/sewing, and in this case, which should I do? Thanks.

The water in spray starch relaxes the fibers so they can stretch.

I would say spray starch first if this is a piece where you will need to stretch it to meet the template marks. It will be easier to stretch the fabric if it is already wet.

Spray starch after if this is a piece that is too large for the template. Pin the dry piece to the template, spray to relax the fibers, then steam with the iron to get the fibers to shrink. (Drying wet fabric will tempt it to shrink.)

I don't think it makes a huge difference either way, just maybe a little easier.

They call it the 'lone star' because most of the time once you make one, you will never make another.