beckyboo1

I'm making my first Lone Star quilt. After making the first block, i have one diamond shape that seems too small...either that or the other 2 on that side are too large. I checked my seams...all are 1/4 inch. I'm assuming somewhere I have stretched the fabric, which is easy to do with this cut. It's been suggested to me to starch the fabric to help it hold its shape. Would this work and do you have any other useful tips?

tallchick

I highly suggest starch and pinning helps too. Donna Jordan has this excellent video for the Lonestar, they are worth the effort and we cant wait to see yours.

https://youtu.be/nDxMYdT1H-Q

beckyboo1

I'm making Donna Jordan's small one and she didn't mention starching but I will definitely try pinning and starching. Thanks for your response

Rff1010

Nancy from On Point TV did an excellent series/ tutorial that really breaks it down well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sg4ku75H-s&t=4s

I used it to make my first.

And yes, I did a fair amount of baste/sewing, then checking, then either ripping or resewing.

ckcowl

Starch and plenty of pins have always worked well for me. I’ve made 5 lone star quilts and love them.

beckyboo1

Thanks, I will check this out.

juliasb

I would starch for sure. These pieces are a challenge. Years ago Elenore Burns did a PBS show on making The Lone Star. She used strip dies and cut them at a 60 degree angle in 2 different directions. I can't tell you all the instructions but you might be able to find it on the internet. I made it once and it worked great made a fabulous quilt. they only problem there was a lot of waste in my opinion. I saved the extra pieces in my scrap basket for years and finally found a use for them a few years ago.

Peckish

I've made 2 from Donna Jordan's video. Her instructions are excellent.

Rhonda K

Check the pressing technique. Be careful of distortion from the iron. It's easy to stretch out fabric. You want to lift and press not push/pull with an iron.

beckyboo1

I've got fabric starched up and am watching all the lone star quilt videos I can find to see what I could've done wrong and what I can to improve on my next try.