Time Flies Has a Border

Time Flies now has a border, completing my One Monthly Goal for August, 2021.

I was fairly certain I would use the strips of red fabric left over from another quilt for the border.  They were just 6½" wide which was perfect.  When I realized I didn't quite have enough I improvised and used 4 leftover hourglass blocks and an-already-cut-apart shirt that was almost a match.  I had to cut several strips--very carefully so I could align the stripes--then sew them and cut to size.  I don't notice the difference from a distance but it's obvious when close.

The border improves what I think of this quilt and how much I like it.  I didn't like it much before the border. 

I probably made a bad choice in the way I measured the fabric for the border.  Instead of measuring the whole quilt top, I counted the blocks, multiplied by 6, added ½", cut the length, pinned, and sewed.  I'm sure that's an unconventional way to measure a border knowing that even though a block is supposed to be 6" doesn't mean every block is 6".  But the quilt is flat all the way to the outer edges.  Perhaps I'm getting over the idea of a quilt being precious.

By the time I finish a scrap/scrappy quilt I see all the ways I could have improved it, perhaps with fabric or color choices, or the placement of either, block placement, or in some other way.  It's so with this one.  Sometimes I take parts of quilt tops apart to improve them, but it's a habit I'm going to try to break.  If a top was fine when I folded it to await quilting I'm going (to try hard) to leave it and just layer, baste, and quilt.  (I'll let you know how that works when I pull the next quilt top out to layer and baste it.)

Already I'm wondering what fabric to use for binding.  Maybe one of the lighter reds in the center blocks.  Or maybe one of the plaids, or just the red striped shirt fabric, though I don't really want to cut up the rest of that wonderful fabric for a binding.  Hmmm.  I have a long time till I have to make that decision.

I'm linking this post to
> One Monthly Goal August Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.
> Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Can I get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Thanks for hosting, Patty, Alycia, Wendy, and Sarah.

I hope you're staying healthy!  Covid has certainly created a mess.  My younger daughter is a nurse who works in an ICU caring primarily for Covid patients.  She's so ready to be done with Covid.  In fact, I think she may be suffering from PTSD because she's see so many horrendous medical procedures and so many deaths.  She said the cases are rising to the level they were when Covid was last at its worst.  Around here, people behave as though we're finished with Covid -- no masks, no social distancing, and who knows about hand washing.  My daughter has had the vaccine and she continues to wear a mask and tries her best not to be close to people.  The vaccine may help the symptoms be milder but it certainly doesn't prevent people from getting Covid. 

Take good care!
--Nancy.