Hunter's Star Tips

Hi everyone!  As promised, here are some helpful tips while working on the Hunter's Star quilt.

1.  Watch Jenny's video as frequently as needed.  Seriously.  I have the Quilt Tutorials app from Missouri Star Quilt Co. on my iPhone and I buzz in there when I'm having one of those "what in the WORLD" moments.  Jenny makes me feel better.

2.  Remember - there are no mistakes!  Just ... creative personalizations. Like if your ruler slips and you don't have any spare of "that" brown - use another brown!

Maybe that's the beauty of Civil War repro fabs -- it's what they would have done in the mid 19th century.

3. Speaking of rulers slipping, have you ever watched tutorials by Donna Jordan of Jordan's Fabrics? She, like Jenny Doan, has some great tutes. When cutting long strips, Donna often puts a hand weight at the end of her 24" ruler. I thought that was a great idea, so I grabbed the heaviest thing I had handy:

I keep my jar of marbles close by. You know. So I know I haven't lost them.

Yet.

Anyway, when you're cutting long strips, it's a splendid idea to have a weight on the end of your ruler.

4. This quilt is a bit challenging, but don't let it bog you down! Keep it fun! Listen to Samba music, have a fizzy water handy, and delight in the small things that make you smile.

BIRDIE!!!

5. Speaking of things that make me smile ...

Stay amused! (Thanks, Mags!).

6.  And stay organized! Print out the block diagrams on the Missouri Star Quilt Co. site, use sticky notes to keep the blocks labelled (they really start to look alike after a while), and keep a running tab of how many of each you've done! I also wrote directions to myself as to which way to press each step, so everything would nest together nicely!

And 7. If you're trying to use up fabric that you haven't looked at in a long time, give it a hard look! I actually allowed myself to throw some away - having learned my lesson about cheap fabric. I also remembered why I fell in love with certain fabs:

The fab in the upper right has so much that I love -- khaki, OD green, blue ... who could ask for more?!?

That's it so far.  I'm also starching these, as there are so many bias edges.  It helps lock things together.  Or something like that.  I also learned not to hold and open the starch bottle with one hand, as that's apparently a good way to spray yourself in the face.  Who knew?  Maybe that should be tip #8.  Starch your blocks, not your face.  LOL.

Thanks for reading!  More progress reporting soon!
KZK