Diamond Star Playtime Sew-Along. Step 10 -- Looking over my shoulder

This week, I've been escaping from my deadlines by setting this Diamond Star quilt top together.  I thought you'd like to look over my shoulder and see the order of assembly I followed.  Lots of pictures and not many words -- hopefully, it will be helpful to you as you approach this phase of your own Diamond Star quilt.  I've been looking at it for almost a week and am still happy with the layout, so I'm ready to stitch it together.

I'm going to start in the upper left corner by stitching these two blocks together.

Next I'll add the half block from the upper edge.

It's the same process I explain in  Set-In Piecing Simplified -- using "dot-to-dot" seams.  I pull the seam allowance back to the end of the previous stitching line. 

Then I can see to match the corner of the piece I'm attaching to the lower piece. 

How do you like that orange?  It's one of the stuffed hearts I'm stitching as my "leaders and enders" so I can maintain the chain piecing momentum.

I'm zigzagging across the setting so that I only need to work with two seams to get a block attached. 

Here's the next one (and Coal's tail).  I'm doing the photos on the carpet so you can see the order of things easier -- tried the work wall and the background fabric blend into the color of the flannel.

Now the right side edges -- first the lower piece and then the corner piece.

One more edge piece and this band is finished and ready to go back up on the work wall.

Now to begin the second band -- scroll back up to the top picture and you can see where these two blocks are positioned.

Next.

Next and next. 

And again I'm zigzagging so that I'll only have two seams for each block.

Last block in this band. 

Add on the right edge unit. And where has that corner unit gone?

Here are the two bands and the lower left corner all assembled and waiting for my return.

This is a closer view of the upper left corner -- the bands will fit together easily and be a series of "dot-to-dot" seams. 

Still to come, a discussion of quilting ideas for this quilt!

Mary Huey