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Thursday, April 02, 2026

Border Time!


This finally happened yesterday!

I finished all of the border blocks and it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and get this quilt top put together.

I've been fluctuating on a name - the main block in the center is called Gretchen. (We had a little doxie named Gretchen when the boys were little!) but with the addition of these border blocks it needs a bit of an up-do.

In the running is "Hello, Gretchen!" as a nod to the traditional block center, but a bit more.

Also in the running is "Spring Break!" Because I am on my Spring Break while I get this quilt together.

However, I have yet to piece a backing for it, and I'm not in a rush to get it quilted immediately so Spring Break may be way over by the time I get the last stitches into the binding.


First things first!

There are so many seams at the edge of the quilt that I needed to stay-stitch around the outside edge to keep those seams from popping and to minimize any stretch before I could measure for the inner borders and get them on.


It's a simple round of neutral with this cute kitty print:


It just seems appropriate after how this girl came into our lives:


Showed up on the porch in January and here we are in April and she owns the place!


Ready for outer borders!


And this is where I am now -


With a bit of Mickey & Minnie in the corner!


Making border lengths.

And still having to pin-match points!

Attaching them may wait for another day as it is Spring Break and a friend and I are off to Boone for lunch and another round of antique mall wandering and thrift shop browsing.

It's a gorgeous day - I just have to be out and about today.

I am not done playing with these border blocks, however.  There are still a lot of scraps to sew up into something wonderful.


I'd love to see a whole quilt made with these - can you see how cool they would be?

But do I want to do rainbow scrappy like this?

Or choose two colors along with the neutral?  Like red for the geese and aqua/turquoise for the dark strings?

What do you think?

Our Mom & Daughter visitors will be heading out this morning.  In between all of the border doing, I drove Liz over to West Jefferson to pick-up-the-pickup.  It was too late in the afternoon to start on their journey home, so they will do all of that long haul starting this morning.

It was great to have extra tie to visit with them and I'm glad that everything turned out the way that it did without too much inconvenience for them.

Do you have any plans for today as we get closer to Easter weekend?

I'm missing the days of when the boys were little and we would dye eggs together and how excited they would be with their Easter baskets come Easter morning.


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

There is no stopping! There is only making!
 
"How many quilts do you have? How many quilts do you need?"
 
Those questions don't even enter my mind.
 
As to what happens to all the quilts once I've crossed the rainbow bridge, they can haul them all to my memorial service and everyone can take home a door prize.

Keep on quilting on, everybody!
 

30 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:28 AM EDT

    How about Gretchen's Chase??

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  2. Anonymous9:32 AM EDT

    ❤️ Hello Gretchen!

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  3. My suggestion is to make a double border creating diamonds around the edge.

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  4. love the border block for a quilt. love scrappy. I have some flying geese paper might try this and wing it. thanks Bonnie for all you do for us.

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  5. When I was little, we had a German Shepard named Gretchen, so I love "Hello Gretchen."

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  6. Sue, Georgia quilter10:07 AM EDT

    I love the quilts as take-homes from my memorial service! What a great way for all my quilts to find happy homes when l am gone. Bless you, Bonnie for all your joyful inspirations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mandy Laseter10:10 AM EDT

    I have told my family that when I am gone, after they have chosen the quilts they want, to display my quilts at my viewing and let people take the quilts they want.

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  8. Anonymous10:13 AM EDT

    I think this quilt should be called Hello, Hazel. She walked in, said hello and stayed!!

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  9. Anonymous10:33 AM EDT

    A long time ago, a friend cleaned out the house where her two aunts lived. She found over 100 quilt tops and brought them to the sailing club for people to chose some to finish. We selected the best of the tops and told her to keep them as a memory.

    I have about five tops, still unfinished since the backs are just as interesting as the front. One top has yellow sugar bags as a fabric. Another still has bits of the newspaper that they used. All of them show the history of their lives. I will probably donate the tops to the history museum.

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  10. Anonymous10:52 AM EDT

    I just love how Hazel moved right in and decided to run the place! clearly she is the boss.❤️

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  11. Lauren K11:05 AM EDT

    Oooh! Scrappy is good as we can see here, but I think two colors would be really nice! I vote two colors plus neutral. For your gretchen blocks - Gretchen's spring? You always come up with the perfect names without our help though!

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  12. Anonymous11:22 AM EDT

    I'd vote for Gretchen Wilson. She is a country music wild child. Plus Mouth of Wilson, Gretchen, wild scrappy colors. Happy Easter! Marilyn Marks

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  13. Joanne Fontaine12:07 PM EDT

    A Door Prize ! That’s hilarious, and such a wonderful thought. Your border is gorgeous; and it would make an excellent quilt on its own !

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  14. I like rainbow for the dark strings and controlled color for the geese -- maybe orange or purple? Whatever color used for the geese should not be used in the dark strings. It looks like a very cool block!

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  15. Anonymous12:43 PM EDT

    I feel the same way about my quilts. As long as I am able to create and enjoy my quilts I will make as many as I can. Elaine L. Ontario Canada 🧵🪡🇨🇦

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  16. Anonymous12:58 PM EDT

    How about "Gretchen in Spring"? I love all the colors!

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  17. Cindie Hayward-Simmonds1:37 PM EDT

    Name it Hazey n Gretch?

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  18. Ramona Meserve2:47 PM EDT

    “Meow, Gretchen” might be a good name!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous2:50 PM EDT

    Would Gretchen Grey work as name for the new quilt. Gretchen in reference to the name of the block and Grey in reference to Hazel? Didn't you start the quilt about the same time Hazel appeared? Debbie

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  20. Anonymous3:37 PM EDT

    I love the name "Spring Break" for the newest quilt! I also think of "Not All Who Wander are Lost" as you share your creative process to the next quilt made of border blocks. I enjoy hearing how it all comes together!

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  21. Anonymous5:17 PM EDT

    I LOVE this new border block! I have been doing a lot of foundation piecing and string sewing lately and I have a big box of left over triangles. This block throws them all together. How exciting! What possibilities!

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  22. Anonymous5:52 PM EDT

    HAHA - funeral door prizes. How about "Gretchen Went Wild" or "Gretchen Plus" or "Gretchen's Geese" or "Goosey Gretchen" (haha) or "Hazel & Gretchen"? Kathy M.

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  23. Michelle6:47 PM EDT

    Maybe "Hazel & Gretchen".

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  24. Anonymous7:21 PM EDT

    Hello Hazel or Gretchen Grey

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  25. I agree to keep on quilting to keep us young! It doesn't matter how many we have.

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  26. Anonymous8:14 PM EDT

    Fetchin' Gretchen

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  27. I think Gretchen is just fine by itself, and it is looking great! We had our Easter egg hunt at school today, and the kids were so excited! I'm hoping to get some quilting done this weekend. Enjoy your outing! 😃

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  28. Anonymous9:51 PM EDT

    I like Gretchen's Geese

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  29. Anonymous2:36 AM EDT

    I love the "door prize" idea! I already say, when someone asks me about buying for a project I have in mind, if I will finish it. I say, "at least it will look good in my estate sale." Long ago, Tommy Roe had a hit song "Hooray for Hazel". Could also call it "Hooray for Gretchen." LOL I know that you will come up with a great name, we just love making suggestions. lol Sara@ohsirius7@hotmail.com

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  30. Well, what ever name you decide on will be great. I can't get over how beautiful Hazel. Your family is just like mine - Cat Distribution System but on overload. My one dd now has several. They just kind of show up. My other dd has the same problem. They just seem to know that they'll be taken care of. Even a dog showed up at their place and had puppies the next day! :O!

    ReplyDelete

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