Quiltingboard Forums - Six Point Star quilt project

Some of you may remember the first photo below, which I posted a few weeks ago. It is pieced unilateral triangles that my kids bought at an estate sale; I came here wondering what to do with them. Many of you had great suggestions, one of which was to take my time because the star block (the original owner had sewn one together, as seen) can be a difficult pattern. I looked at a lot of triangle star quilts online, and then, because the original owner had begun sewing the stars as blocks, I decided to do that, instead of sewing them in rows, as most of you advised. I bought solids in blue, yellow, pink, coral and red to go with the pieced triangles, a 60 degree triangle ruler (which I turned out not using, opting instead to use my familiar 6x24 with 60 degree markings) and began. Even with your warnings, I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I had never done anything like it before and no idea of how to proceed; I figured it out as I went along, with the help of images online, and some youtube videos on Y seams when I faltered.

The second photo is the result, and this will be the only time I ever post a photo of this quilt, anywhere. And I do it, not because I'm really proud of the result, but as a sort of triumph: my will over this project! A project that was not even mine to begin with, which I had no knowledge of or instructions for, and which I didn't even particularly like, though I did love the fabrics. And which is, frankly, pretty awful in places. I've made 3 or 4 attic window quilts with Y seams; they don't scare me. Using Y seams to join these diamonds to the stars and then the rows of stars and diamonds to each other was a whole other experience! I'm convinced I ripped more than I sewed, and still many of the points don't match well or at all. I wasn't sure how to finish the unequal sides, so copied the construction of a quilt I saw on line, adding triangles and diamonds instead of half stars (I ran out of the right color triangles). I then added the colored diamonds, which I will trim to create a straight edge. I will probably add a 3 or 4 inch border, one of the solids or maybe white. I hope it can be machine quilted, that it's not too "full" in places -- all those bias edges! I'm going to try, if only to have it done. Together, we -- it and I -- fought too hard a battle to leave it unfinished.

Am I sorry I spent so much time on it, ripping and re-sewing, even though the result is not stellar? Not at all! I learned a lot doing it, mostly from the mistakes I made -- isn't that always the way? And, like anything one spends that much time with, I've grown fond of it. It was a challenge and I was stubborn enough not to quit on it. That alone gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

And I post it as a thank you to the others who have struggled with a difficult project, who often wanted to throw it in the nearest trash can but didn't, and have written about it here. Thank you for sharing your own sticktoitiveness, which encouraged me!

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