sunset stag {in stripes and plaid}

Meet Sunset Stag, my latest adventure in paper-piecing.  This time, rather than opting for yet another tiny endeavor, I was thinking BIG when I offered to pattern-test this three-foot, four-legged friend for Violet Craft.

Truth be told I've had a stack of fiery sunset hues set aside ever since my nephew was born on a snowstorm-y day in January.  I considered several other concepts between now and then, but none of them felt right.  So I pressed pause and attended to a project with a different kind of radiance while waiting for inspiration to strike.

The alphabet starbursts sprinkled across the dusky sky may or may not spell out his initials and nickname ;)

Before I knew it, Violet's #forestabstractions patterns over on IG had planted a lasting (and promising) seed.  (My in-laws are all kinds of animal lovers, so this was truly perfect for their latest addition.)

Disappearing (red) stripes:  now you see 'em, now you don't! #themagicofoakshott

For anyone intimidated by the size, the large scale piecing was incredibly straightforward (...once I had assembled the 20-page printout, that is).  But Violet has assured us that the finalized pattern won't be nearly as cumbersome ;o)  

In the meantime, if you're interested in scaling up something of your own and don't mind a little extra prep work, did you know you can print super-sized versions of regular patterns just by using the "Poster" option on the print menu?

Here's how:  After selecting the "Poster" button, enter the magnification percentage into the "Tile Size" field (for instance, for a 12" pattern, 200% will yield a 24" block, while 300% will yield a 36" block).  Then, get out your scotch tape (speaking from experience, gluesticks and clear packing tape are no friends of any sewing machine needles *I* know); trim, line up, and join the printouts; cut the (giant) pattern into its respective sections; and proceed with piecing as normal.

I think you'll be surprised by how quickly an intricate top comes together.  This one just needs a border or two (or three?), then it's off to a new life on the farm :)

Linking this WIP up with Lee!