Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 45

Block 45 - Nearly Insane Quilt

I mentioned in a previous post that Block 45 had caused a bit of a stoppage to the progress of the quilt.  It looks like a simple block, after all, it only has 44 pieces.  I  cut out all the paper templates, the fabric, and covered them.  However, once I started hand sewing them together, something was going SERIOUSLY wrong.  The shapes were not matching and were jutting out beyond the edge.  I knew I had to be careful with this block, as some of the edge pieces are asymmetrical, so you have to make sure you have them the right side.  But it looked like I had this correct. 

In the bin!

The mystery led me back to the pattern I had draw up in Electric Quilt, which is where I found the problem.  One of the lines I had drawn was not quite parallel to the others, making some diamonds distorted.  I tried to work out which pieces were causing the problem, to replace them, but it became so frustrating that I decided the safest approach would be to ditch the whole lot in the bin and start again. Is it a coincidence that it is a Lone Star pattern, very similar to Block 43, another previously troublesome block? 

Block 45, Nearly Insane Quilt

To let the dust settle, I  moved onto Block 8, which with its 193 pieces I found much easier!  Then I made sure I had an accurate template, and chose a new set of fabrics.  It still caused a few problems during its construction. I don't know why. Anyway this block has been done (almost twice!). As a result, it gets a rare 10/10 for difficulty.

NUMBER OF PIECES:  44
DIFFICULTY: 10/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle  11/16" (18mm) x 1/2" (13mm) x 1/2" (13mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle  3" (76mm) x 2 1/16" (54mm) x 2 1/16" (54mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Cherry Sketch Basic Collection by Timeless Treasures #C8224
Ivory on Red Cameo Bud Yardage # 14764 Midwinter Reds by Minick and Simpson, Moda
100 Red/White Sweet Hearts Stof - Quilters Basics Calico