DeMaris

Beautiful block, what is the name of it?

yourstrulyquilts

Accurate cutting, accurate 1/4 " seams, pinning, spray starch. Make sure that your seams don't 'drift' at the end. This is a problem I've had myself. The end of the seam will drift to the left or right, so keep it 1/4" all the way to the end. I use a quarter inch foot and tape on the machine to make sure my seams are accurate. I'm not a newbie, but the tape is so worth it! Especially on such a difficult pattern. Good luck.

grammysharon

This is an ambitious block for a beginner!! Good luck!!!!!!

woodyandjake

You picked a difficult block as getting all of the seams to be perfect is a hard job. Someone once told me, and I'll pass it to you as it always makes me think, "use a good sewing machine, take your time and do your very best work". I think if you ripped the block or perhaps started a new one, took your time to get everything perfect, you will have something beautiful. Love the colors you've chosen too. Good luck

pollyjvan9

I sorry to agree with all the others, this is a very beautiful pattern, but very challenging. With two years I'm sure you will succeed. My suggestion is to make several samples of each section of the block. When you feel confident, make the actual block. My other hint is this: I only make quilts I love! I sometimes allow a family member to choose colors, but mostly not. If I make a quilt that someone especially loves, I give it to them! But they don't get to choose the pattern or the fabric. I have found that our loved ones think everything we do is wonderful and perfect. (It's so great that they don't know any better!) All this said...don't get discouraged. Starting with a difficult pattern forces us to learn a lot...FAST! Looking forward to seeing blocks as you progress. Happy Quilting, (formerly known as Pollyv9)

QuiltE

It will be a beautiful quilt for your DGD.

ITA with the others ... PPing is the way to go! You could make your own PP pattern and copy it many times over.
Your points will be pointy ... all will line up perfectly ... and there'll be no fretting!
And at the end you'll be one beaming proud Granny!!!
.... to say the least about the hero you'll be to your DGD!

Highmtn

Yes.. you picked a very challenging block to tackle and you get major KUDOS for that! If I were to give you the best advice I could give it would be to find someone who gives beginners quilting classes. I started out like you.. .tinkering with smaller projects, but I quickly got frustrated as I was wasting good fabrics with my mistakes not to mention my time.. not to mention some projects that I wouldn't share with ANYONE...lolol.

Finally, I took a class from a local woman who is well known for her fantastic beginners "sampler quilt" class. Basically, the class spaned a 5 month period (meeting every other week). She took us through every step from fabric choices to different techniques on each block and hand basting or pinning for quilting completion. What I loved MOST about the class was that I didn't get the opportunity to get bad habits started. I learned the basics correctly from the get-go...and that has saved me mucho grief. On a funny note... my BF was a self-taught quilter who had been quilting for years. Her hand work is stunning! Anyhow...she took the class with me because she wanted to make SURE I kept up with the lessons and stuck with the class - start to finish. When we were done she announced she had learned sooooo much in the class she was surprised.

A basic class from a good traditional quilter is a VERY GOOD THING! I have since taken several classes from the same woman and I am always soooo thrilled with the tricks and tips I gather.
♥

Jammin' Jane

The first one is always the hardest! Your gd will love the quilt you make her!

ChildoftheUniverse

THANK YOU all for the great advice. If I reveal something, do you all promise not to ban me from the site? I'm almost too embarrassed to tell you this, but I DID paper piece this. I used a very flimsy foundation (I thought I'd try something different - went wrong - go figure!) to put this together and have since changed to a paper foundation material. I'll be posting something soon and hopefully it will be better. Again, thanks for being here and offering all the great tips and help. Hugs to you all!

ChildoftheUniverse

The name: Compass Star