Is the diamond straight on the cutting board? On one side the side point is at the 15 inches and on the other side the side point is on the 16th inch line. I haven't had a problem with this pattern but one needs to work precise, slow and precise..in that order. I dove into quilting 20 years ago and this star is the first quilt I made. I couldn't make any other pattern but this one and made several before venturing to Bear Paw. I was at a quilt show looking at a Lone Star quilt a girl of 15 had made while staying with an aged neighbor for the winter. It was hand pieced, hand quilted. The woman beside me, quilt police chief, started talking about how no one should make the Lone Star their first quilt and on and on. I finally said to her, "I wish I had known that. I just finished my 5th".