LET'S KICK THIS THING!! I'VE WORKED ON IT ALL AFTERNOON! 300 FOLLOWERS? SERIOUSLY?

Spent most of the afternoon on Block 5 of Barbara Brackmans' Civil War Block of the week.  I am trying really hard to keep up with this one.  So far---so good!!  Let me say that this cowgirl cut the pieces of block #4 just as they were posted.  Complete confidence set in and that block went together like a charm.  I had my little fabric pieces starched stiff just like I like them and my 1/4 inch foot in place and things couldn't have gone better-------BUT aaaaarrgggggggggg!  That block was 1/2 inch too small!!!  I could go into all the shoulda, coulda, wouldas with ya but it wouldn't do that block any good.  I threw all my "good sense and "from experience knowin what to do" to the wind.   Like--  figuring what size that center block has to be to make the block the right size and making it happen   kinda stuff so that block is trashed.  I did remake it -cutting the triangles larger than the sizes posted to make room for some error.  You can't make fabric grow, but you can trim it down to fit.  At least that is MY way of thinking  piecing. 
Let me show you a few pics of this days piecing of block 5.  It actually went pretty well.  I have to say that my piecing of Feathered Stars experience really helped me out with this block.
TIPS
1. Starch the pieces as squares, then make the diagonal cuts.  They should feel like paper when you pick them up.
2.  When you can, cut the outside the section or block triangles bigger than posted.  You can trim them down, but you can't grow them (if you don't know what this means, leave a comment and I will try to help you understand.
3.  Press seam allowances of small piece strips open.
4. Trim your block segments to the appropriate size before you sew them to the next segment.

 Here you see the strip segments of a section of one quarter of the block.

 Seams are pressed open.  The triangles on the end and the yellow triangle are cut oversized.

After the segments are sewn together, the section has to be sized.  You can't trim the two sides where the points are, but you trim the diagonal seam--trim 1/4 inch from the points. 

Here you can see where I trimmed.

The unpieced triangle is cut oversized.

 Place right sides together with the pieced section--
See that it is oversized?

 and stitch--slowly--while holding it stable with you left hand as you aid in the feeding of the fabric with your right hand.  I couldn't show you where I put my right hand and take the picture too--sorry!

 The finished section after the left triangle has been trimmed to fit.

The finished Kansas Trouble block

I ask myself why I love blogging so much and my answer is easy.  It's you, the readers, the followers.  Those who enjoy reading what I post.  I now have 300 followers.  I have a feeling it is basically because of the word "free" that comes up from a search.  Gotta love that.  I am the one that benefits from my own posts.  I refer to them regularly to refresh my memory about how I did one thing or another.  My hope is that my methods will help someone else.  The above Western Fat Quarters will be given to a person whose name I draw from the those who comment to this post and tell one other person about the Give Away.  Ask the person you tell to mention your name when they comment.  If your person's  name is drawn, you will get a special surprise.