Books and magazines

In the last six months or so it seems like I've been on a personal crusade to add to my library of books. I'm very much into the historic quilt books ever since I've realised what a wealth of inspiration they can be. Thanks to a post by Lene at fine stitches, I found out about the book below. She likens it to the one I am doing here.
Of course I had to get it. You can find it at Amazon.
While I was out today I also had a browse at the newsagents and found this issue of Fon's and Porter magazine. Now being from the States, it was quite expensive but I justified the cost by what was inside.

I am besotted not just by the quilt (note the colour scheme people) but especially with the trees. Aren't they amazing? No pattern but a very good article by Gerald Roy where he discusses the machine quilted works he judges at shows verses the quilting on antique quilts. He voices what I have long thought.

The quilt below is a reproduction of an antique in the same magazine so you could see how easily the first quilt could be reproduced by using this pattern and drawing your own trees.

I highly recommend when you are making a pattern that you haven't done before, to first make a test block which I did for the string pieced star in my last post.

Gwen's pattern is for a 19 1/2" star but it floats on the background. In reality it's more like 17"

I want a bigger star so re-did the pattern for a 20" star.
The only downside is the set in seams, not my favourite but in the photos below you can see how I mark and pin one of the set in sections.

Slow and steady gets me there but I can't pivot at the intersection because of the bulk of the stitch 'n tear I've used on the back. I have to back stitch, take it out and start at the exact intersection again.

It works for me!