The Challenges of Unstitching and Restitching a Quilt Top

I'm nearing the completion of restitching my Linda Brannock Flowers quilt top.  There have been some challenges along the way.  I've listed them below, just to remind myself what I'll be up against if I decide to unstitch another quilt.  (And I actually do have one in mind!)

#1.  The half square triangles were stitched together into strips in two different configurations, which sometimes caused more unstitching to arrange them properly.

#2.  When unstitched, edges begin to fray.  The seams in several fabrics frayed nearly 1/8"!  I need to get this top layered and quilted as soon as possible.

#3.  The unstitched seams needed careful pressing which seemed to stretch the fabric.  Perhaps stretch is the wrong word.  Maybe it was more about smoothing out the wrinkles which made the fabric flatter and bigger? 

#4.  The unstitched seams needed more careful pinning than usual.

#5.  Some of the unstitched seams, because they were stretched, needed to be eased to fit the adjoining blocks.

Despite the challenges I'm glad I decided to put this quilt top to rights by rearranging it into a layout closer to Linda Brannock's original pattern.  (I really must learn to trust the pattern designers more than my own limited vision.)

My next step for this top is to add a 4" border.  I envisioned using one of the putty-colored fabrics but now that the top is together, I can see that a red will be better.  Sadly, I don't have enough of any one fabric for the whole border, and if I were to use a combination of what I have to make a scrappy border, there would be none left.  I think I've found a place to buy more of the middle fabric on the right.

Unstitching and restitching were plenty of work but so worth it!  I'm glad I made the changes.

This is what my daughter's kitties did to this quilt while it was on the floor.

I can't decide whether it's a statement of what they think of the quilt or if they think it's a new playground where they can slide across the floor on fabric.  This or something similar happens at least once a day. 

Our weather is crazy these days.  Down to the teens for a day or two, then up to the fifties, and tomorrow is predicted to be in the mid-70s, then back down to the 40s and 50s for a week or so.  I see a few daffodils and crocus as I''m out and about and I've noticed that the bushes and shrubs closest to the ground have nubs of green sprouting on their tips.  That's spring for you!

I hope all is well in your world!

--Nancy.