I stayed away from the computer last week because I needed a low tech week. Sometimes pointing and clicking brings no happiness. Finishing the borders of this quilt was my top priority. I went even lower tech by tossing the calculator. Then everything started falling place. I worked on the design wall, I worked on the floor, I worked on the table. I was going so low tech I forgot to take pictures as I progressed. Sorry.
Rather than measure the quilt and border parts because the math just wasn't working for the mathematically challenged. I folded my quilt in half and pinched the edges together and matched seams and low and behold the parallel sides were exactly the same. I sewed five bulls eye blocks together for the long side then laid it on top of the quilt pinching the edges together as I smoothed the fabric. The bulls eye blocks were 2 inches longer than the quilt top. I would need a narrow border, half of 2 is 1 plus 1/2 inch for seams. Cut a 1 1/2 inch strip to go around the quilt. Measure, pin, pin, pin and sew. Perfect!!!
The short side border would have 4 bulls eye blocks and I knew I would need to add something to make it fit. The word program on the first computer we had had a "make it fit" button so if I was typing something that went a couple lines into the second page I could push the "make it fit" button and it would reduce just enough to fit on one page. I really miss the "make it fit" button. It could be so useful for so many things............ like quilt borders.
Anyway I though about strips of fabrics for the spacers but then I saw the pile of unused flying geese units. They would visually extend the flying geese into the outside border. Perfect!!!! Not quite. The border was about an inch longer than the short side. Oooopps.....................
Time for coffee and knit a few rows. Knitting is so contemplative I have solved so many problems in my head while knitting. I could clip the wings of all the geese. No. Ah ha pinch in the seams of the bulls eye blocks. I resewed the 3 seams by about an eighth of an inch. Now it fit! Sew the corner blocks and pin, pin, pin to the side of the quilt and sew.
Everything fit just right using only a tape measure and math I could do in my head.
Lovin' low tech days.
Now it is basted along with another quilt so I am off to my sweet 16 machine for some power sewing. Linking to Judy's Design Wall Monday. --Ann--
1 comment:
Bravo!! You did a fabulous job of making it work. I love blue and tan together and this is a great combination of many different blocks. Can't wait to see it finished.
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