Union Jack mistake.....
 

These are Union Jack blocks I've been making for a quilt for my Irish DIL. Yes, she's Irish, but she loves the Union Jack.....and the UK.

The four quadrants of each block are paper pieced, something I'd never done before but which I discovered are pretty cool and easy to do. This photo shows a layout which I did not ultimately use, but had I looked more closely at this early picture, I would have caught the error before I sewed the sashing between blocks and rows and sewed the four rows together.....unfortunately, I didn't, and I had assembled the entire top (sans a final color border) before I saw it.

Thank goodness I did take one final close look at each block, and, to my surprise and horror, saw the mistake. I was able to take out that quadrant, fix it, and put it all back together, uttering a few choice words while doing it!

Can you see my error? Hint: it's close!

I find it astonishing how many times I overlooked this. And I had a chart that I consulted each time I put a block together, too. This is known as getting too close to your work....a problem for many quiltmaker's, I suspect. ;)

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i just see some wider white strips in different places in one block. is it the one with striped fabric? looks great!

The one with the blue stars has a wide/narrow strip reversed (lower right)?

Yes, that's it. In the near block in the photo -- the one with the red and white striped center cross and the blue stars -- the narrow white line in Quadrant D (lower left) is on top but the wider white line should be. It was a fairly easy fix, just taking everything apart, and re-sewing the 1-1/2 inch white strips to the correct side and top of the quadrant, but it made me paranoid! I then carefully examined, again and again, all the other blocks.

The history of the Union Jack flag's appearance and design is interesting, but it didn't have future quiltmakers in mind! :p

It is a very hard block to sew, esp. without a pattern. I made this one for my daughter, several years ago. It was a big challenge for me to figure it out, and I probably didn't do the stripes right.

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Well, no wonder you missed it at first because I had to look hard to find it. Well done. I am in the process of
removing sashes on a quilt top that I found did not do anything to add to my quilt, so I have great empathy with what
you went through to correct this.

Very pretty, sewbizgirl! I like yours a lot!

Since my DIL is a transplanted Texan, I included stars fabric -- the Lone Star -- in some of the blocks. I found a free pattern online....but then I realized there was an error (won't name names) in the measurements of quadrants B & D so I had to refigure and redraw those two. The paper piecing is really quite easy, especially with the Carol Doaks paper, which tears away without tearing out stitches. I'm torn about the color of the final border -- red or dark blue? Haven't decided. But I have red in my stash.....so that decision may be made. Totally unsure about the backing, though, and will have to buy that.

Thanks to everyone for your comments....and empathy! This was my first paper piecing project, and while slower, was not difficult. But like everything I do, I'm now growing tired of it and am anxious to have it done. That, I think, is often the quiltmaker's lament!

I would have said the third block from right on bottom. The pink square is placed differently than the others but also see the strip in the blue left hand block

Friday1961-I think she needs a mug rug to go with her cute quilt. If you have any more of the striped fabric, you can fussy cut the red and white stripe for the St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's cross part .:)

I have a pattern for a Union Jack pillow and seeing what an amazing job you did it gives me hope that I can achieve the pillow. As for the error, I didn't look for it because I was too busy admiring what you have created.

I decided I needed a Union Jack mug rug for my tea cup. :)It's just scraps but I like it.[ATTACH=CONFIG]562567[/ATTACH]

My eye was drawn to that pink square initially, too, and then I realized all those squares were sticky notes placed on the quadrants, not part of the piecing.

I think if I ever make that block I'll make the outside stripes all the same width. I don't think anyone would ever have found that mistake, and if it were mine, I doubt I'd have fixed that one. But if it was driving you crazy you did right to fix it. Nice blocks, btw. And I really like the quilt that was posted, too. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Tartan! Great idea!

I just happen -- cough cough-- to also have some quadrants that I didn't use because the stripes didn't come all the way to the corners, which would make great mug rugs....maybe for her mother and sister.

I also have two full blocks that were somehow not quite 12x18, meaning I had to remake two blocks. I plan to make pillows from those. I like the Union Jack but confess that by the time I'm done with this, I may never want to see it again!

It had to be pointed out. Very nicely done and good for you, catching the booboo.