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!

Border or no?

This churndash top is from the UFO box I opened yesterday.

While the Masters was on yesterday I pressed my stash of Cherrywood fabrics to see if I could piece together a border...

One option is a brick border

or a piano key...

or a crazy pieced...

or of course...no border at all...

I think putting the top in the UFO box was my way of avoiding making this decision last time!

I do think I am going to quilt this with a combination of machine and hand quilting.  I'll machine quilt it in the ditch then use some perle cotton and do some big stitch quilting in the setting triangles and the centers of the churn dash.

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.

Guild meeting

A few times a year my guild has a meeting where both the morning and the evening groups get together.  It is fun to see everyone in one place and or course it leads to some great show and tell!

Hexagon quilt made using the circle and fold method...

a 60th birthday quilt!

a quilt made from baby onesies....

a finished quilt from a Pat Sloan workshop we had last year!

a thank-you gift to our president showing Mt. Ranier, WA....

and food...

lots of food...

we also recognized our outgoing officers...

Polish pottery and fabric...what a great combo!

We also had another fund-raising weekend for our 2016 donation quilt, Raindrops for Rainbows.  This project raises funds for a camp for children with cancer.

This quilt has done really well!

and one of our local sewing and vac shops provided us with some needed water for the hot weekend!  Thanks Branum's!

North Carolina Quilt Symposium!

Last weekend I got to spend my birthday at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium!

Me and Pepper Cory in front of her curved piecing sampler

They hold this even every year.  It is a great opportunity to take some workshops, attend some lectures and just hang out with quilters for a few days.  And bonus...there is a quilt show and vendors!

Best in show quilt...the Harry Potter Bookcase!  

Yes I did some damage at the vendor mall...but I'll hold that off for a future post.  Still haven't totally unpacked yet!

I took Pepper's conquering the curve workshop.  Strongly recommend it.  She is a very good teacher.

A 1930's 

and one of Pepper's recent patterns using the curve!

Also attended her lecture on Drunkards Path.  Love how she moved from antique through vintage and then showed her own interpretation of that pattern!  Also love her peppered cottons which I believe are the fabrics in her pattern!  They "play" well with so many other lines like Kaffe and reproduction fabrics.

Also attended a lecture on using the computer for quilting with Mary Ellen Kranz who authored "Blending Photos with Fabric 2."  Another great instructor!

I can see myself using that book soon!

Peace College in Raliegh, NC has a beautiful campus

Finally I took a lecture with Harriet Hargrave on Battings.  No photos...I was too busy taking notes!  What that woman doesn't know about batting is't worth knowing.  I think that deserves its own blog post!

Another quilt for the VA...

A few months ago a dozen pieced 12-inch blocks were donated to the quilt guild.

They were really well done. The fabrics are all civil war reproductions.  I added sashing and cornerstones to make a 9-patch secondary design and then added a border with 4-patch corners to camouflage the fact the border fabric had to be pieced!  (I even had some of the fabrics the maker used in the blocks!)

Now the to just needs to be quilted and then I can put it in the pile to be donated to the memory unit at the local VA.  I think the last count for our Guild is around 125!

So I think I deserve a piece of this banana cake with peanut butter fudge frosting!

Happy Valentine's Day

My guild had a Valentine theme to our monthly meeting.

Lots of really creative folks.  The challenge was to make a bag/box for folks to put your valentines into...the winner was this very fun cardboard "sewing machine."

There were lot of fun entries!

And as always show and tell was interesting...from tiny sunbonnet sue's  (yes those are all appliqued and then hand-quilted!)

to Modern quilted projects...

an original quilt made from infant "one-sies"...another item to recycle!  This is called "You are my Sunshine."

to a quilt-top started at a Victoria Finley workshop several years ago...

to a very quiet and well behaved guild quilt dog! (dressed for the occasion!)

There was food too...lots of food.  This is the south after all!

Some new books!

I did a bit of "pity-purchasing" last week-end when a virus had me out of circulation...now that I am feeling better I get to enjoy the packages arriving at the front door!

I bought several book but I'll share two of my favorite arrivals.  First, Indigo Quilts: 30 Quits from the Poos Collection by Kay and Lori Lee Triplett.  Love this book!  The first third is data heavy - everything you want to know about the history of Indigo.  Lots of history and some photos.  The next third is titled "Quilt Album" and it is just that - photos of great examples of indigo quilts. (you will need couple cuts of tea to get through the first third and a napkin to keep your drool off the pages for the album section!)  Finally the last section has directions for 5 projects using indigo fabrics.  It is nice selection of applique and piecing at beginner to advanced.

Second book is Tributes and Treasures: 12 Vintage-Inspired Quilts made with Reproduction Prints by Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison..  This book is mainly about the patterns with a bit of American History.  The quilts are nicely designed, the book is laid out well, photography is excellent, and the directions for the quilts look to be well done.  It is a keeper!

I am still working hard to finish a couple more quilts before the show in two weeks.  So of course my go-to sewing machine died.  It has been in and out of the shop so often the past year that I am finally accepting it may be time to let it go...ever since I wore out the feed-dog and had to have it replaced it just hasn't worked the same.

The good news is I finally took out the $10 Bernina 1030 my husband found for me at an estate sale.  Of course then I had to take it in to be serviced - $80.  Then I bought a walking-foot - $170....but I love this machine!  Definitely worth every penny!

I finished channel quilting this little improvisational shirting quilt.  It reminds me of many early 20th century Southern quilts made using scraps from the textile factories.  For this quilt I used colors found around Augusta in the springtime...when we have most of our visitors!  I should be able to get the binding down tonight and then only have one more to finish!