Wow, those are beautiful, and so is all the quilting visible in these pics! I never thought of doing that in the star, but will keep that in mind when I make it again. A friend of mine suggested getting a dollar store erasable board to do that practice, so you don't use up so much paper. It does help to go over and over the designs with pen and paper or board before you sew. You can also sew without thread on paper for practice until you get a design down. I've got a long way to go before I reach your level of artistry!