Finally! Owen’s quilt top finished. Notice the stars in the border actually look like stars? Yipee! These 16 blocks came from last year’s Barbara Brackman’s block-of-the-week, Grandmother’s Choice. I actually made 3 blocks every week, so let’s do the math…3 blocks for 52 weeks is 156 blocks…that’s a lot of blocks! I see a few more quilts on the horizon made from the remaining blocks.
I am busy getting the backing ready for Owen’s quilt so I can take it to Colleen at Elite Quilting before I leave on Sunday for TESAA. 3 more sleeps!! I have appliqued something special on the back, but you will have to wait patiently until the quilt is back from Colleen’s to see it. Just a hint…
As I was standing in line at the grocery store, I finally figured out how to tackle the border on my Circle of Tulips quilt. (I should mention that I am always thinking about quilting. Every waking moment.) I purchased a stencil a while back and wanted to use it on the borders.
My only problem was that the stencil did not fit the length of the border evenly and I didn’t want to fudge it, like I fudged the border of “Bouquet for a New Day”. You can see that here. So I had a bit of problem solving to do. First, I thought about how I wanted the finished border to look like. I wanted the swags to fit directly under each wreath of tulips, so I drew a line that extended from the seam into the border. That gave me a visual idea of the space I had to work with. I am using a Clover water soluble marker, so these marks will wash out!
Next, I centred the swag between the lines. As you can see, I have some space to fill. Hmmmm…
The heart in the stencil seemed to suit the space. It was a tiny bit narrow, so I made a template to round out the design. So far, so good!
Next, I decided that I would like some quilted lines to fill the space above and below the swags. Since I am a sucker for punishment, I spaced them 1/2″ apart. I must admit, it looks smashing!
So, before I mark the whole entire border, I am quilting a small section just to see if I like it. What’s not to like??
Here is the first block of Barbara Brackman’s new block-of-the-month, Threads of Memory. I am using a line of fabrics designed by Jo Morton called Amelia. Lovely!
Til next time….
Kerry
Simple Bird Applique 
Wow – That is some clever stenciling!! I’m impressed 🙂 I have a small stack of stencils that just don’t seem to fit any of my quilts – I will be looking at them again with a more creative eye! Thank you sharing these ideas (I’ve picked up some of your applique tips, too). You make it all look so effortless!
Thanks. I think that most stencils probably need to be tinkered with a little to fit the quilt. If there is a will, there is a way!!
Very ingenious! You’re right – it does look smashing!
Thank you! You are very kind!!
Very nice to see your top made with some of your Grandmother’s Choice quilt blocks – can’t wait to see the back of it. Your quilting border is lovely and I like the way you problem solve. So glad you are sewing along with us on Barbara’s ‘Threads of Memory’ blocks. Your blocks with Amelia are going to be so pretty. Happy stitching.
Thanks! I have my next quilt top already planned out using some more of the GC blocks. I am really excited about that one! It is going to be really pink!
Tell us the truth ~ do you have more hours in your day than the rest of us? Your contributions to the quilt world are nothing short of amazing!!!!!!! Can’t wait to see what’s next. And oh, BTW love, love, love that stencil and what you did to fill in ~ 1/2″ lines? Oh, yeah.
Thanks for the ego-boosting comment!!! The truth is I have just 24 hours in the day. I can stay super-focused on a project and tune out the rest of the world…and try not to get distracted. I think that is the key.
I have to agree, that the way you problem solve, to still be able to use your stencil is wonderful, and I Love the half inch straight lines as well. They really make the swags stand out. I am so inspired by your blog and how you lay out your thought process, so that we can learn from you. It is very much appreciated.
Thank you. I like to assume that I am not the only quilter out there that encounters these problems. Always happy to share my ideas and hope they help!!
What’s not to like indeed! That quilting looks perfect :0)
Thanks so much for the lovely comment!!
Wow! Your quilting touch-up is looking fabulous! So great when an idea works as well as we want it to.:)
Very nice work with the quilt and with your stencil dilemma. You solved the problem nicely. It’s always nice to come up with a good solution! I adore hand quilting!
Wow – thanks so much for the fab pics and description of how you solved your stencil problem. Helps give me confidence to try something like that myself! 🙂