terri123

Dunster, if you can do that one in your avatar...I bet you could do this one.

riutzelj

i did a class once at an expo on Y seams. Everyone else had taught to mark the 1/4 inch spot on both pieces and sew from the middle toward that spot. She taught to start at that spot and go toward the middle. It actually makes sense considering the bias you would be sewing on that quilt. So i'd starch the heck out of the pieces, and try that. She may have also alternated when there were multiple point: start from outside edge on one piece in the block, start from middle in the next piece, etc.

snipforfun

Too bad it wasnt developed for paper piecing

DogHouseMom

Agree with snip ... when I looked at it the first thing I thought of was that it didn't look that difficult then I noticed it was NOT paper pieced. Not sure I would try it without paper piecing. Those tight angles are difficult to match.

Jackie Spencer

Whenever I have done really challenging quilt patterns, before I throw in the towel, I piece them by hand. Works everytime, takes a little longer, but I get it done. Done is such a beautiful word!!

terri123

Jackie, I am going to try that tomorrow and see if I can make some of the blocks fit that way. I really don't
mind if it takes longer...as long as it works!! I love the appearance of this quilt and would like to finish it.
The colors are beautiful together.
I wish it was paper pieced, too, and it did look like I might be able to do that. The designer says, No.
Thanks for all the comments today. Happy Quilting tomorrow

Quilter 65

While I haven't made that one, I did make a Lockwood pattern with the Y seams. It is so critical that those 1/4 inch things are marked and yes, I did some hand sewing (really got desperate), but like Dunster says, the finished project was so pretty (I thought anyway). Persevere! You will be so pleased and it will be beautiful. Good luck.

BuzzinBumble

Terri, that is a beautiful quilt! There are a lot more points meeting up than I have ever seen attempted without paper piecing. Yours is way more complicated than this, but I have made some mini lone stars, so thought I might pass on what helped me get the points aligned better. I learned that it helps to use a straight pin and sink it through in the seam line of each layer at the exact place that you want the fabric pieces to meet up. Hold the straight pin steady and with the presser foot up, lower your sewing machine needle by hand into that spot. Pull out the straight pin and start your seam. Also, when you are finished matching all the points, do you know about twirling the seams where they all meet up on the back of the piece? If you use you fingers to press all the seams down and rotated like a pinwheel, then iron it like that, the center lays a lot flatter.
Hope that helps.

Jackie, your advice about doing it by hand is really great. It's funny, but I get stuck in a rut and always think I have to power through a difficult piece by machine.

Lori S

I like Derek Lockwoods designs .. but I really wish he would have some of the more complex units paper pieced. I bought a book of his and was disappointed that the whole thing was templates. It was so complex... and I was anxiously anticipating perfect points via paper piecing. I did not get past the first unit, and I am glad I did not cut all my fabric.

I feel your pain on this one and wish you luck, patience , a good dose of starch.. and an adult beverage.

weezie

I once did a different pattern where I had the same issue as you are having with a whole gob of points coming together and, to add to my problem in a huge way, they were all curved pieces. It is a king sized quilt and I machine pieced it, but wherever the points would not meet properly, I left them open and later, I sewed them all by hand. Pain, but it looks great, if I do say so myself.