Dawn, if you have read through this thread you will have seen we have many beginners and if you look at their finished blocks you will not be able to tell who they are.

I started out going forward in this thread, then spent time going backwards to see all of the pretty blocks. I did see quite a few that mentioned being new or relatively new at this. And - looking at the blocks - you are right. I would have never guessed who had done this before and who hadn't. I guess that is part of the genius of paper piecing. Is not as fast as strip piecing, but so very detailed - and because of the method it is easy to be successful. That is very encouraging to me since I felt a little bit nervous about going to my class tonight. Really looking forward to it now! (as well as being able to participate in this thread). :o

I am right there with the rest of you ladies - being utterly repetitive and saying "wow!" over and over again! The blocks are really turning out gorgeous and I am so liking the diversity in fabrics and colors. I like that some of us are mixing it up and some of us are not.

I am still behind (but not worrying haha!) and I used two hours of sewing time yesterday to work on finishing FMQ-ing a baby quilt I promised my nephew about a month ago. His kid is going on 6 months old so I am pretty late and need to get that bashed out before I can really dig into these blocks. I am still going to start my next one and plod along because sometimes I get a few minutes and sometimes I get a longer stretch.

Right about now, I am really wishing I had two machines because it is a pain in the neck to constantly be switching needles, bobbins, settings and threads to go back and forth between piecing the blocks and FMQ'ing. But hey, if this is the only thing I have to complain about, life must be pretty good! :o

Gorgeous work everyone, Dawn I am looking forward to seeing how your class progresses. Good luck and don't be afraid, I started PPing with block that contained 7 pieces and then went to the Doak star blocks. Take it one piece at a time and don't sweat it, you'll get there and you'll be glad when you see the beautiful stars you will make!

Great blocks, girls. I'm cutting fabrics for Quilts of Valor. Our small group will put two tops together.

GheckoAZ, great work with those blocks. And Dawn, I too am looking forward to seeing your first post after you have taken your class. One piece after the next - as long as you can count to about 20, you've got it made. If not, take your shoes off for the bigger numbers! It - paper piecing - is addictive, but not many of us are out there looking for a cure - or at least, I'm not. Have a funeral to get ready for in a few minutes, but tomorrow is set aside for sewing and I'll work on my UFO list. Posted one for January, so have some time to finish the next - I can work on my next star.

I am looking for and embroidery font for my machine, I thought maybe someone here could help. I would like to embroider the name of each state on the block. I want a small font, something simple. maybe almost a cursive alphabet with a single line of stitching. Anyone have a clue where to get one? I thought about trying to do it free motion, it didn't work very well. I'm not good enough at free motion. Thanks.

If you want it small, how about using an embroidered back stitch with thread to either match each block, or to be a constant for all the blocks. I would use 2 strands of floss if I were doing this. Handwrite the name with a very fine line Pigma or some other pen like that, that will not run or bleed.

What format of embroidery does your machine use?Have you checked out the fonts available at Embroidery Library?

Is everyone cutting their pieces by the directions in the book? Is anyone besides me considering just taking a piece of fabric that will fit and sewing it on?

Some people are using the measurements from the book. I measure all of them myself. Haven't heard anyone say they are doing it your way but I might have missed it.

I've noticed there's less waste doing it with Carol's measurements. It seems faster too.