Phew!

Got there! (well, ok, I still need to add a label and wash it, but I'm saying that it's near enough done to post about).

For once I added up the hours that it took.  I'm quite impressed with what one can achieve with 17 hours of free time, some fabric and some wadding.  The result is a 60" square quilt.  I really hope that my second eldest nephew will like it - although I'm a bit concerned that it's a bit too stripey.  At least all the stripes are going in the directions that I'm expecting, and the 'arms' of the stars are all spinning the way that I was expecting too!

It would have been quicker to make, but I like to make oversize half-square triangles and trim them to size, which actually turns out to be more time consuming than I'd thought.  I did save time by trying (for the second time only) a binding style where you leave the backing over sized, fold it, and then stitch the folded side down to the front.  On the plus side you can make sure that you don't cut any 'points' off your triangles.  On the down side it doesn't feel as firm as the binding that I usually do, and the corners are much trickier to get right.  Or at least, I think that they must be harder to get right, as in eight corners there is maybe one that could qualify in terms of  'rightness'! 

Onwards and upwards, I'd better get on with printing out a label or three (I've got - the shame of it - other quilts that still need labelling too) and the domestic chores which have been shunted to the side pending the big finish.  Just 50 minutes until the end of school, but ha! a mixture of school clubs and hired help mean that I don't have any childcare responsibilities for another 90 minutes - so plenty of time to do the chores and prepare for the four small people who will descend at that point......