SimpsonFrances

You've chosen a tedious block. Break it down into units. Make some sample units. I always make my HST units larger than I need and trim down. That seems to help me be more accurate. Starch before and after cutting and sewing. The stitch and flip method is best for me for the flying geese. Again, I make slightly larger and cut down. Even with these "chosen" methods I still have some oops units. Practice on some ugly fabric until you are happy with your work. Also, I am in no way affiliated with this company, but I do love the product! I stumbled on it at a quilt show and have used them ever since. I order them because stores down here don't typically stock them. It is called Stitchin Lines from Marin&Colusa. Web site is marinandcolusa.com. I seemed to have a hard time drawing the diagonal line for sewing. My pen/pencil would drag on the fabric and stretch the block and sometimes not be drawn exactly diagonal. So I use this product. They don't require pencil marking. If you would like samples they will send you some to try. Keep at it. You will get better!

Geri B

Yes, this is a very tedious block........those directions for cutting seem so difficult....I too prefer FG made with 1 rectangle and two squares(marked/folded) on diagonal...---I don't do 7/8". I round off to nearest whole number and trim back...

Watched the video on stitchin line...interesting product, might help those who have a hard time sewing that straight line....

How many in a pack, couldn't find that on site?

QuiltingHaven

This might be very helpful:
http://www.connectingthreads.com/tut...hods__D15.html

quilttiger

Sometimes fabric can slip a bit during the sewing no matter how carefully the pieces are measured. I've tried the following tips with success. 1) nestle the seams if they can be pressed to one side 2) if the seams must be pressed open, use a little Elmer's Washable Glue on the seam and line up the seams. Let dry or press with a warm iron to speed up drying...there is a nice tutorial by Sharon Schamber or 3) use u-shaped pins by Clover. It is like having a pin on either side of the seam.

maviskw

I think pressing seams open will not change it at all. The seams are where they are; doesn't matter where the seam allowances are.

solstice3

When all else fails......hand baste.

Quilter 65

Have you considered paper-piecing the geese block? When working with pieces this small, I find that method produces consistent units without all the trimming etc. I cut the pieces out like I would for a template, but the "stitch on the line" supported by the paper keeps everything from moving and I would definitely investigate this method for anything this small.

Sarabela

Thank you for all the wonderful advise! I hope I don't regret picking this pattern. The reason I picked it is because it's called "Five Star Tribute". It's the first quilt I'm making for my husband and myself and we have 5 children, 4 living so the 5 stars in each block represent our children. I figured out why things weren't matching up. This is a block that came out pretty good.
And this is the reason the first block wasn't matching up. I was putting the pieces together as the top triangle shows when I should have lined them up like the bottom triangle.

maviskw

So happy you figured it out. The new star looks great.

bearisgray

Your new star is looking good. Glad you figured out where the problem was.