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Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Along the Border Lines….

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I woke up early this morning ---but couldn't focus directly on computer stuff right away, so I set out to do what has been nagging at me for the past couple of weeks.

I cut inner border lengths to attach  to the Cheddar Sampler!

I’m sure this is not a new thing ---joining narrow strips of fabric on the diagonal by overlapping the ends….but I also do this continously by folding up the end of the top strip, and placing the next strip against it with right sides together and so forth (( or is that SEW FORTH!)) so I have a loopy chain that is easy then to clip the excess triangles beyond the seams, remove dog ears, and get to the next join easily.

 Try it.  It works!

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How Bonnie Measures Borders.

All of this is covered in my Border Hints & Helps tutorial, but we have a lot of new readers, so I thought I’d add this in here.

The most important measurement for me is what the quilt measures through the center – top to bottom, and side to side.  I don’t care what the edge of the quilt measures, and I am not going to average different measurements in.

If I want a quilt that lays flat and hangs straight, it’s got to be the center measurements that matter.

If my inner border was averaged, and measures longer than the center measurement, I’m going to have a wavy border.

If my inner border was averaged, and measures shorter than the center measurement, I’m going to end up with a quilt center that balloons and mushrooms, because the border is too tight to allow the center to lay flat.

So I just concern myself with the center measurement.

No measuring tape needed – just smooth out the quilt so it lays nice and flat and square, and use your border strip down the center from top to bottom.  Do not tug or pull.  The fabric should have no tension on it and lay just as the quilt center is.  I also find things are more "stable" where a seam is. Cut two side  borders this length.

What you can't see in this photo:  There are two large yellow-head pins stuck through the top of the red inner border and the quilt, holding them firmly to the carpet! This helps keep the top edge of that inner border where it needs to be while I smooth the rest of the strip down the center toward the opposite edge of the quilt.

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Even when attaching inner borders – have your leader & ender project ready!

How are your Lozenges coming?

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Sewing toward the center pin!

Place the border strip right sides together with the edge of the quilt, pinning ends and centers.  Add more pins between the center and the ends if needed, but don’t over pin either!  5 pins is about average for me.

Can you see by the pin, how it goes in and out of the fabric TWICE?  This keeps the pin securely in place, and stops the pin from twisting in the border.

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End of the border!  Sew on to that Leader & Ender Lozenge!

I sew on my two side borders, and then get up to press both at the same time.  In this case, I pressed the seams out toward the border strips I was adding.

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Cutting top & bottom inner borders

And then it’s back to the floor again for another round of Quilters Yoga –Smooth the quilt center out on the floor, making sure it lays flat and square.  This time use your border strips to measure across the center of the quilt from side to side.  Cut 2 borders this length, including the previously added side borders in the measurement.  Now go attach your top and bottom borders to the quilt in the same way that the side borders were added.

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One Lozenge done in the process of adding inner borders, and another one started!

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This is going to be my outer border!  I LIKE IT!

This quilt has been a long time WIP.  It’s not really a UFO because I keep getting it out from time to time and working on it as time allows between other deadlines.

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I sewed a few more border blocks last night, and squared them up!

And yes, the cutter is open, I was still in the process of trimming more blocks – consider this an action shot, I was NOT being careless!

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Yep.  I like it better.

I just need about 40 more border blocks to be able to call this thing FINALLY DONE!

But that will have to wait for another time – gotta get the van re-packed for heading to Tennessee tomorrow!

Am I going to meet YOU there?


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30 comments:

  1. The quilt is BEAUTIFUL ! I wasn't too sure about it before the borders but now I love it.

    Safe travels. Wish I could be there but I plan to see you in Indiana in November!

    Ellie

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  2. OH WOW!!!!! love the quilt--thanks for the lesson---LOVE THE QUILT *~*CAROLE*~*

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  3. Beautiful quilt once again. Loving this cheddar! Best way to do borders!!

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  4. Wow, the red really makes the cheddar pop! I really like that all the blocks are different. Great borders. This is going to be a favorite.

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  5. I wish I was heading to your class!!! Really like the red border and the pieced outer border...awesome. My wonky wishes stars are finally done, (they are so adorable!) trying to decide if I want to piece the sashing or not...decisions decisions! :) Have a safe trip and a fun time at class.

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  6. This quilt is going to be another winner. I love your method of measuring borders...works for me every time!

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  7. This is a wonderful tutorial and a beautiful scrappy quilt. I really enjoy your quilt yoga reference too.
    Roxanna

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  8. Enjoyed getting a refresher on the inner borders. I really like that quilt. Have a good trip. You are right these projects are not UFOs but WIPs. Thanks.

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  9. When anyone says my quilts have too many colors, I just say "nope", and think of you!!

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  10. Bonnie, When do you decide a quilt is getting too busy?

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  11. i sew the border on and then cut it, is this wrong?

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  12. I am working on Lozenges and sewing Tri Recs borders on my Celtic Solstice. Hope to get it done in a few days. Can't sew long cause had knee surgery two weeks ago but you can't keep a quilter down can you?

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  13. I love seeing this quilt while in progress! I think the red inner border is just perfect and sets off the outer border blocks nicely. One question though: are you trimming the string blocks from the front or from the back (the side with the paper)?

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  14. Cindy May12:33 PM EDT

    Beautiful, Bonnie! Am so glad to see this one come to completion. Have been inspired by it since you first showed us the blocks. It HAS to be in your next book!

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  15. Sometimes when I'm watching you work on a quilt, I say to myself, "That's going to be too scrappy." But when I see it finished, it's never too scrappy. It's always just right!

    --C.B.

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  16. OH you do make things look so easy - and the way you do them is!!! Thanks for the refresher!

    Smiles, JulieinTN

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  17. Bonnie, I don't know if you are aware, but there is a website (quiltpatternspro.com) that has been hijacking blog content. . .from pretty much everyone.

    My blog is there. . . and so are many, many of your posts.

    This is flying all over the internet so I thought I would give you a "head's up" since you are getting ready to travel.

    Just another wonderful day in cyber land!

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  18. Funny I was looking at he photo of the leader ender project and thought holy heck you have a great big hole cut into your fabric but when I refocused my eyes I saw it was a corner but did I have a laugh at my self.

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  19. Love your quilt - and thanks for showing us how you do it :-)

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  20. What will this one be called? I think "OOH LA LA" would be a good name for it!

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  21. Love, love, love it! You have certainly made a scrap quilt lover out of me. Have to wait until 2015 to meet up with you in Washington state. hmmm, maybe I will have all my mystery quilt quilted and bound by then.

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  22. I see you're sewing on your pink milkshake Atlas, Dagny. I bought one today except that it is one with 16 cams and I can't find a manual online for it--only for the straight stitch machine like your Atlas. I'll keep looking. Love your cheddar!

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  23. Lots of great information in this post. Love all the reinforcement of how to put on borders, the least favorite part of quilting for me.

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  24. Anonymous2:56 AM EDT

    This is an amazing quilt - I love it - are you going to keep it? What was the inspiration for this quilt? I love the whole concept of multiple blocks, masses of colour, the first border, then the solid border, and the outer border is stunning. Did you call it cheddar because of the strong yellow? Finally, is there a pattern? Love your work and everything you do.
    Pauline

    perry94022@hotmail.com

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  25. Thank you for the refresher Bonnie! Excellent! I work on the floor all the time too, love that I can now call it Quilters Yoga!

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  26. The red is great, and the outer border is perfect. I really love it. I have never used shirts for quilting, but have 2 of my sons that were new and he got snagged up on a wire shelf thing and they ripped. I guess I will now be saving them instead of passing them to a friend when he outgrows them.

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  27. I wish I was meeting you in Tennessee!!! Maybe one day. This was an excellent tutorial! And it reminded me to start cutting up some lozenges!

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  28. I love your outer border with the alternating zigzag effect of the strippy blocks. Such a great idea. The inner red border focuses the eye on both the main quilt and the lovely strippy border. Very clever. This is a great quilt, Bonnie.

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  29. Bonnie...how you can pull all those fabrics together, place a bright strip of red fabric on the edges and put a zig zag border on and make the quilt look amazing is a testament to your talent! Great job

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