Why are borders so hard?

I am about 3/4 through with my leader and ender lozenger quilt-top...at least I thought I was.  I measured it last night then laid it out on the bed and say what?!  It is too small.

Five of the rows have been sewn together so the best option is a border no?  But what border!

First I made some broken dishes blocks - the hst are 3 inches so the block finishes at 6 inches. I like the way it mimics the secondary pattern in the quilt.  But even with a 2 inch inner border it is only an 8 inch border.  I need more.

I tried a big honking broken dish block (broken platter perhaps?!)  On draft paper this looked really good.  In real life...not so much.  I'm tempted to make a second one to see if that changes my perception...

Then there is a hybrid option; a 2 inch inner border with the 6 inch broken dishes followed by another 2 inch border then a random brick pieced 5 inch outer border.  That gives me a big enough quilt for a king size bed...

I think I'll put off making a decision (and more blocks) until the center part of the top is done...

and when Dobby gives me my sewing chair back....

(on the Watson front...we brought him down by the river for a long run this morning.  It did a good job of wearing him out!  At least he ate his lunch and was a bit less "sad" today.  We'll just have to keep coming up with ways to distract him...unfortunately dog-parks are out.  He was attacked by a larger dog when he was small so unless it is in the house he isn't good with meeting other dogs...)  He is great with cats though...no cat parks though!

No fences!

My neighbors are replacing the fence around their yard which means lots of construction trucks (doing drains and gutters too...)  All this means we cannot let Watson out in the yard.

Has anyone ever dealt with a dog with depression?  They took down the fence last Friday.  So since then we have been taking him out about every 2-3 hours.  This is still not nearly as often as he went into the backyard for a quick squirrell chase.  For the first few days he was just confused...then he whimpered a lot at the door...today he isn't eating - not even bacon.

Talked with the contractor and it will be mid next week until the fence goes back up...trying to think of options.

This does link to quilting...I'm keeping him back in my sewing room most of the day since that is the furthest point from the noise.

However the likes to sit on my lap...doesn't lead to productive days.

And needless to say Dobby is really not happy the dog has taken over his space.

So in all this what is on the design wall?  My leader and ender project from 2016!  Looks a bit like fences to me...with a bit of luck the real fence will be completed before my quilt-top is!

Golf has taken over Augusta...making it difficult for me to think of much else this weekend!

The challenge for my guild's show this fall is "picture this"...a small quilt inspired by a photograph.  I keep looked at golf photos wondering if I could incorporate one...my husband would like that!

On the UFO front (which I really should be focusing on instead of a new project!)  I finished piecing 3 backings this week.  That is a lot of yardage out of the stash.  Most of it was from fabric I bought on sale with the purpose of using it for backing.  One was made up of a bit of everything...

I finished up the liberated squares.  I decided to make a table runner.  I have a back all ready and plan to quilt it this week.  I may have some real (as in quilted and bound) finishes for April!

A glutton for punishment I put another UFO on the board.  I think this was Bonnie Hunter's leader and ender project for last year.  I was all gun-ho for a month getting lot of baggies of bits cut out and then for some reason it was put away...well, you know what happens then!

I like how it has so many of my favorite repro fabrics in it.  When finished it will be a good reminder or record of my stash.

I did sort of break my rules this time.  The first box/basket I opened had three projects in it!  Two are finished tops and one still needs a pieced border.  The two tops are in the "need a backing" pile and the one that needs a border is back into the UFO stack.  I think I need to order some Cherrywood fabric before I can finish that one! (far right in the photo!)

Finally on the Dobby front...he is doing better.  Still recovering.  He at least lets me check his scrapes now.  They all seem to be healing well.  This morning he stole Watson's breakfast so another step closer to normal!

On to the next UFO!

Can hardly believe it but my April UFO goal is already a top!  So I am debating working on a second one...

This one isn't going to be as fast!  I made lots of these little 5 inch random pieced squares at one point.  I made a table runner out of some and some coasters out of others.  These are the remainders...the "rule" is when I open a UFO box/bag I either finish it, donate it either as a finished project or UFO, or I toss it.  No putting it back into the pile...

Checkerboards is now a top!  Even have a top pieced for it...

I'm also busy washing fabric to piece backs.  One of my least favorite parts of quilting...such big pieces to iron then pin then push through the sewing machine and then press again...One down and three to go.  I've washed the fabrics. Still lots of work to do!

We are dealing with some extreme weather here in Georgia today...thunderstorms, hail and potential tornados!  I hate tornados!

A pixelated photo of Dobby I was thinking of using for a quilt...

It has been really wet this week. Last night Dobby hadn't come home at his usual 7 pm curfew.  About 9 we went out to look for him.  We found him next to our deck covered in mud...totally covered!  Had to get him into the bathtub...he isn't a big fan of baths.  Anyway, he has some scratches but nothing too serious.  The only blood flowing was mine...

He is in his safe and quiet place recovering....

Rock and Checkers Quilts

Today is a rest day after the photo workshop on Friday and some "cleaning" in the sewing room Saturday.  Another UFO, checkers Quilt, is up on the design wall and will be my April finish.

I also got all the parts cut out for my guild's Mystery Quilt at the Masters Workshop later this month.

I bought the fabric at our LQS which was having a sale on Saturday that forced even my sore body out into public!

When I got home I was surprised to see the fabrics I chose were so close the photos I had taken at Heggies Rock!  Shows how much our environment influences our color choices!  Think I may call this my Heggies Rock Quilt!

Most amazing of all...the pieces are all cut, labeled, and neatly stowed away...I'm never this far ahead!

Back to my UFO...this is at least 5 years old!  Today I decided to do a variation on the setting triangles...I think I like it.  Brightens up the repros a bit.

I do love how some of these little 25 patch blocks look like tiny quilts (1-inch blocks)...great inspiration for future color combinations.

Random Quilting stuff

The clean-up of the UFO "Tower of Shame" continues...

I've pulled a long...long lost project off the top.  It was a reproduction of a friend's, Bill Volkering, quilt.

Pretty much all the piecing is done (except for the setting triangles which may be solids, may be string pieced or may be a random selection of neutrals...humm...)

I also did this in some reproduction fabrics without the applique...more on that in a future post as I don't have photos.

Vintage Wedding Ring from NC.

Which gets me to why no photos...MS has decided to make itself known again.  My MRI was a bit like Swiss cheese (don't even ask me what the Radiologist said to me...do they have any lectures on bedside manners?!)

Speaking of cheese...made an awesome quiche with zucchini and mushrooms!  Brought it to a quilt-in last weekend.  We made over 50 pillowcases for elementary children who are homeless...when I'm feeling bad for myself it helps to do something for others!

My husband has been helping me with my annual refolding of the quilt stacks.  These are my antique quilts that I take out at least once a year to inspect, air out for a couple of hours, then refold.  

This is one of my oldest quilts.  It is a Carpenter's Wheel dated 1838.

The date is embroidered in the center.

And the makers name is stamped in one corner.  I think the name is Frances J. Shriner (Shriver?)

I've often started to reproduce this quilt but never found the right fabric for the borders...There are several new lines coming out this year so perhaps...

It is a top!

Well I spent my National Quilt day in the quilt room and finished my civil war top!

I added a plaid and blue border.  Of course the plaid was cut on the bias so the quilt was handled very gently and I had to get the blue outer border on quickly!

I'm happy with how it came out...doesn't look as dark now.

  Next on the design wall...ocean waves...this could take awhile as it is king-size!

The yard sale was a bit of a washout.  We were all set up by 0730...sales were ok until 0930 when it got cold and started to sprinkle...by 10:00 everything was back in the garage and my husband and I huddled in front of the fireplace!

Watson did not like having all these visitors in his yard...he was exhausted from guard-duty!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'd like to say we are wildly celebrating our Irish heritage today but in reality we are getting ready for a yard sale tomorrow and caring for an ill cat.

We are however having cornbeef and cabbage for dinner and some homemade Irish bread...a little celebration!

I took down another "mystery UFO" box yesterday.

In it was about 34 8-inch blocks that I made during a Barbara Brackman year long block of the week.  It must have been at least 4 years ago!

Anyway, I put it up on the design wall and promised myself a quick finish...ya, right...like I do anything quick anymore.

So after an hour of auditioning sashing (a good part of that hour was unearthing my reproduction fabrics that I hadn't used for awhile.)

I decided to go with this blue stripe...which of course has to be fussy cut (back to that nothing quickly thing!)

The cornerstones were necessary since I only had a half yard of the stripe (again, why do it quickly...)  I ended up going with a butterscotch cornerstone to keep the attention on the blocks and to keep it from getting too dark.

I figure a couple days of sewing should get this at least to top stage.  I have two candidates for borders already.  Then it can join the tops hanging in the closet instead of hidden in a box!

Quilt Show countdown...

The guild I belong to has a quilt show every two years.  You would think I would be better prepared!

(A miniature quilt that I just need to quilt and bind...)

But most of the quilts I make/finish go almost immediately out the door!  So I looked around this week and realized if I'm going to have anything hanging in the show I'd better focus on it NOW!

(My "Almost Modern" top just needs to be quilted on my domestic machine)

I'm quite sure I'll be sewing binding or sleeves or labels the week before the show but if I start now I stand a good chance of having a quilt to sew them onto

The background is finished but my heart quilt needs a lot of embroidered hearts...I'll really have to focus...

And finally my "First a Path" quilt...this quilt used a lot of my stash which is a good thing.  When I was first diagnosed with MS a specialist on setting up your house and workspace visited.  He had lots of good suggestions (think of toddler-proofing your home.)  However when he entered by sewing room he was quiet for a moment then said, "first your need a path."

And if I can I'd like to finish up my two political pillows...one donkey and one elephant (fair and balanced quilting!)

Now...I've got to get back to work!