Set-in seams

I've been sewing steadily on the double 4-patch quilt, and I needed a break. I wanted to experiment with set-in seams, so that I could decide if a LeMoyne Star quilt was even possible. My go-to instruction book is this one, by Harriet Hargrave and Sharyn Craig. Mereth makes her stars with this method and swears by it, so I could think of no better place to start.

It's very comprehensive and in no time I was choosing fabrics and cutting pieces.

I used the measurements for a 6.5" star; the star points are cut from 1.75" strips , and I had a heap of them cut already from my scrap clean up days.

Can't go wrong with pink and green, it's a classic combination.

It didn't take long before I had a completed block, and it wasn't difficult, just fiddly.

The acid test is always measuring the final size.  This one was a skerrick too large, but it was easy to trim it down to the correct size.

I did have some trouble with a few intersections, so next time I'll use this handy dandy gadget to mark the intersections so I don't sew into them

Look at that. It's still available, after all these years.

The cross stitch craze amazes me. I'm enthralled by all those antique samplers being stitched, but I just can't afford to pay $48 for a chart, and hundreds of dollars for linen and silks. It doesn't have to be expensive though, and I dug out my embroidery supplies from the 70s. I did a lot of needlepoint, which is like a half cross stitch, so it's a lot quicker.  I have lots of European books filled with gorgeous patterns, so over the next few weeks I'll go through them and maybe design my own sampler.

I wasn't afraid to do tiny stitches. I was making this as a tray cloth for mum, but never got round to finishing it.  Now I think I'll frame it.

I have several metres of almost white 28count linen, which at today's prices is about $400 worth. It was never cheap, I had to save up to buy what I did, but I'm glad of it now. I can start stitching straight away if I want. There's so much yardage  that I can afford to experiment with dyeing it to get an aged look. I'm looking forward to indulging in a new hobby, especially one that's portable. I may even get a few stitches in when I resume my visits to Adelaide.