BORDERING on insanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was Monday Motivators and it was an awesome day!  So productive. Since we were only 11, there was room for a second cutting/prep table and that worked just fine for me. I had BORDERS to put on quilts and I needed the extra space. So while a few people "borrowed" that table, I did manage to get a LOT done. I was so pumped that I came home and continued. There was NO STOPPING ME.

You remember that I declared my Monday and Thursday projects were going to be whatever what hanging around here. Well - we have to get some of this mess cleaned up!!!!   Here is what happened..........

This is a quilt that Margo made. She used BRIGHT squares from an exchange that we did several years ago.  I believe she said that she still had enough bright squares to make another three or possibly four quilts!!!!   HEY - when we do an exchange - we DO an exchange.  We haven't done one in a LONG time and I have NO INTENTION of doing any more.  enough is enough!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the border on this quilt. This is my Thangles (Buck a Block) that I got from Ruti's Needlebed a LONG LONG LONG time ago. The blocks were done, and I worked on finishing the sashing at the retreat. I also sewed the top together at the retreat, but did not get to the border. I cut the border when I got home from the retreat. 

I had looked through my backings and didn't find anything that I liked. I know - so many fabrics and NONE of them work. I did have a black/creamy white bolt with musical notes on it, but somehow it just didn't feel right for this quilt. And I have NO SOLID BLACK. Time to go shopping again. 

Wait a minute - let's have another look in the bolts of fabric stash................

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!    There is a 10 meter bolt of SOLID black - that will be a perfect backing for this quilt. 

And in no time, the backing was made and the binding (which was already cut) - YEAH another quiilt is ready to be quilted and basically DONE at least for this year!

Then it was onto the NEXT quilt. This one has been languishing in the BORDERS NEED TO BE SEWN ON pile for a long time. For some reason this quilt got pulled out of that pile and onto one of the tables.   Two sides of this final border were on the quilt. Just two more needed to be put on - they were already cut!!!!!!!!!!!  That is the sad state of affairs for a LOT of my quilts. I mitered the corners. Hate to say it, but I have done mitered corners so often that it is no big deal!!!!!!

 When I got home, there was NO binding fabric - well maybe, but not that I could find. I checked out my blue stash buckets and there was NOTHING that worked. I know - all that fabric and nothing suitable. So a quick trip to Ruti's Needlebed and VOILA - I had blue fabric for the binding.

The binding fabric

And now ANOTHER quilt is ready to be quilted. The backing, the binding and quilt top - DONE!!!!!!!

Well I was on a roll and I pulled another quilt that needed borders. This is a quilt that jumped the que BIG TIME. It was NOT on the 2014 shelf. It was languishing in the closet. Then Joyce mentioned doing a bargello class and I pulled out all my bargello quilts in progress. This was one of them.  I worked on it at the retreat. The strata were made and cut, but needed to be sewn into rows which I did at the retreat. when I got home, there was one last column on the right that needed to be completed. FIRST - I had to cut the border print - those big blocks. I did that earlier this week.

Finished top

See - those blocks are in fact a BORDER print

Something very freaky happened with this quilt. It may be hard to see in this picture, but those squares of border print?  Well some how they balanced themselves and became symetrical without my assistance. I never even thought about it until I was almost done the top. Wow - lady luck was on my side!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again - no fabric for the inner border in my stash so off to Ruti's Needlebed AGAIN!  (Actually I went right after the retreat - I did NOT go twice in one day - I have done that, but not yesterday!!!!)

At Monday Motivators I got the inner border on and now time to deal with that border print for the borders. AsI was surveying the situation (not only was I dealing with a border print, but a pretty defined border print that was very directional.), I asked myself ............

"Hmmmmm - why am I fussing with this????"   As I mused that outloud, one of the others commented the same thing and wondered why I was spending so much time on the border of a quilt that wasn't really special.

Now that is a good question and I was contemplating that this morning as I continued to work on the quilt.

A couple of reasons came to mind
1. Because I CAN make this work
2. Because it is a challenge and without challenge - sewing is just the same old same old!!!!
3. Because even if no one else cares or appreciates the work, I know what I did and what I am capable of and let's face it - that is VERY IMPORTANT TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!

So I perservered.

Besides I was first introduced to border prints by Jinny Beyer way way back. I LOVE her stuff and have purchased MANY of her border prints. One of my first quilts had a border print in it. An ORANGE one no less.

Border print!!!!!!!!   An ORANGE border print

Because the piece is relatively small, it was easy to make those corners match Oh yes - the quilt was square which helped a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

My two side borders - can you see what I did with them?????  

I measured the border pieces, figured out the border length and then had to join the border pieces so there was a definite center and the border pattern went in opposite directions from the center.    This is one of the centers - can you see the join?????

And this is other side. 

Crud - I had to cut a couple of pieces off one border in order to get those last two blocks for the quilt. As a result, one of the border pieces was too short, so I had to join it to KEEP the pattern going and make the piece long enough.

First attempt at the join - ICK

Second attempt - YEP - I can live with that one

And so the two side borders are on

Getting ready to work on the top border. I have a feeling I will be doing more piecing on the bottom section.  And let's not forget that now I have to match the corners as well as the center. What fun!!!!!!!!!!!!   My brain is buzzing already!!!!!!!!    

I did NOT do the same thing on the border print for the blue/yellow quilt. The pattern wasn't as defined so I didn't care

I was just concerned about matching up the lines. The corner looks not bad. Thank goodness for busy border prints!!!!!!!!!!!

I am putting together a class on striped fabrics, but I am going to include border prints as well. Going to be some neat patterns and things to do with border prints/striped fabrics. 

Got these cute little panels. They were be perfect for a small pillow!!!!!!   Yes - I need a comfy chair in my studio. However I probably wouldn't use it so maybe not!!!!!!!!!

Another letter E to add to the collection - thanks Marian!!!!!!!

Yep - this room is ALL ABOUT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did buy a new pair of rubber boots because my NICE ORANGE ones were too tight in the calves. While I could get them on - it was a challenge to get them off!!!!

Old and new boots

Now I could NOT give those boots away so guess who is wearing them.....................

Looking good!!!!   And I think she bought that orange rain jacket just to TEASE me.  Oh - I could squeeze into that jacket if I wanted!!!    But I don't want to!!!

Too bad this picture is fuzzy because I like this pose WAY BETTER than the first one!!!!!!!!!!   NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!!!!!

Someone asked me the other day if I had seen any trilliums in the forest yet. NOPE - I checked and there is NOTHING peeking out of the ground. NOTHING. I checked my garden and there is a lone tulip popping up. I think the rest are gone, but still - it is late for tulips. And this is in the flower bed that is close to the house (so warmer than the garden), gets full sun in the afternoon (when we have sun) and it is NOT growing very fast.

Slow growing tulips

On that note - I am pumped to get more work done - well I am quilting today. But still pumped.


Have an awesome day and hope you get something creative done today??????   Dig out a couple of projects that are almost done and GET ER DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!