I let my border dry overnight and this is what I woke up to!  Oh well.  That is why I keep a lint brush handy!

So once I removed the dog hair, I placed the border (wrong side up) on my ironing board (which has a really thick towel on it) so I could press the border nice and flat.  I used a dry iron and just a bit of Best Press.  I press the blocks and border on the wrong side so that I am actually pressing the background fabric, and not just the applique pieces.

Next, it was time to trim the border down to the correct size.  I always cut my blocks 2″ larger than the finished size to allow for shrinkage during the applique process.  I actually cut these borders 2″ wider and 6″ longer than the finished size.  You may wonder exactly how much does a block (or border) shrink?  Well, my border shrunk about 2″ in length….yikes!  Which is why I am so happy that this pattern was designed with shrinkage in mind!  More about that in my next post.

Some of you asked if I could show how I stitched the binding on Circle of Tulips.  This is what I did…

First I made sure I could see the line that will eventually be the scallop because that is the line that the bias will be stitched along.

Next, I started stitching the bias along the marked line.    It is important not to stretch the bias binding….trust me, it wants to stretch!  In fact, you need to ease a little more binding into the quilt.  I like to use my stitch ripper to ease the fabric in place.  Don’t try to ease too much fabric in….

…..you will get a pucker!  Keep that stitch ripper handy!

So, when it came to the spot where the scallops come together in a point, I just inserted a pin to let me know where the exact point is.

I stitched up to the pin, then I pivoted, making sure not to catch the fabric that is bunched up under the presser foot.  (You are allowed to swear at this point.  I did.)

Those inside points should look something like this.

This technique works so much better if you lock the cat in the bedroom!  Where did I put that lint brush?

Once the bias was stitched in place, it was time to trim off the excess fabric.

But first, I checked the back to make sure there were no pleats or puckers.

Now it was time to trim the excess fabric!  These are not magic scissors that cut all by themselves!!  It’s just that I can’t operate the scissors and the camera at the same time!!

I recently  purchased some Wonder Clips designed specifically for binding a quilt.  I love them…love them!

And, this is what that little pleat looks like.  Sweet!

Yesterday was our last meeting of The Sunday Afternoon Applique Group until September.  We presented Kathy F. (on the left in the photo) with a quilt we made for her daughter, Karen, who is undergoing cancer treatments.  Each one of our members made a block.  We did not decide on any colour scheme, except the background.  It is lovely how it all came together!  Thanks to Colleen at Elite Quilting for doing such a lovely (and speedy!) job!

And last, but certainly not least,  if you attended Quilt Canada this month, you will recognize Brenda’s quilt. (Brenda is on the left in the photo).  Brenda is an amazing applique artist (as well as an awesome quilter in general!).  This is Brenda’s version of Aunt Millie’s Garden, although the inner border is her own original design!  Congratulation, Brenda!

Til next time….

Kerry