Round Trip Quilts Center Block

I had a GREAT time in Honduras. I was in the Bay Islands on Roatan and Utila. So pretty, and some of the best snorkeling in the world from right off the beach! You just walk out a few yards and swim among the fish in the reef! It was a little frustrating because a lot of tourists don't respect the reef (I saw people standing on it while I was on the beach), but overall an awesome experience, and a very affordable vacation.

Well, once I got back I had a huge case of the lazies. Usually I'm busy doing several different projects for work and sewing, but for the past two weeks it was all I could do to prep for one class that I'm teaching this fall. I did have time for sewing (and I finished my Night Music in the Desert quilt - hopefully I'll post later this week!), but I just didn't feel like blogging. Now that my schedule's filling up again blogging has returned as my favorite means of procrastinating.

Right now I'm just finishing up my Round Trip Quilts center. I've got the block all done, I just need to work on filling out the notebook that will take the trip with the quilt.

Here's the block: Feathered Edge Star (with borders). 

My mom bought me 'A Flock of Feathered Stars' by Carolyn Cullinan McCormick, which is where I got the pattern for the center star. I love the look of feathered stars, but all the ones in the book are very dated, not made in fabrics that I would have chosen. I wanted to brighten up the star with my fabric choice, and I think I'm happy with how it turned out. I used the freezer paper method of paper piecing, which I like because I just had to trace the templates (rather than photocopying), and I could reuse the templates for each section as many times as I needed to get the required pieces. The downside (for me) is a slight loss in precision, so I lost some of my points, and some of my joints don't meet as crisply as I would have liked...but I'm fine with that. I'm finding the more improve I do the more willing I am to lose a few points - even when it's not on an improve project!

I wanted to make the 'feathered' portion more like a border. 

I got the fabric with the paper planes and boys in Innsbruck, Austria.
I like getting fabric as a souvenir - Thanks Mom!
(even though I probably could have found it in the states, too). 

I'll be attempting to keep up with all the quilts in the tab at the top of my blog, as inspired by Jennifer. And if you want to get to know the other members through their blogs, here they are:

Heather at QA Creations

Leanne at Devoted Quilter

Kim at Ties That Bind Quilting

Mary at See Mary Quilt

Christina at WIPs and Tuts

Jennifer at Never Just Jennifer

Chelsea at Patch the Giraffe