Reconsidering the Quilting on a Border

Because I want the center of this quilt to be the focus, I thought simple quilting on the 6" border would be best.  Simple straight lines, I thought, would be fine.  But how far apart?  I decided 1 7/8".  But now that I have part of the border quilted, I'm not so sure....

This amount of quilting on a border will probably not be very durable and the lightly-quilted fabric will probably not weather the wash and wear necessitated for a baby quilt.  In a word, I would describe the border as flimsy. 

Originally I imagined extending the diagonal lines of the stars to the outer edge of the border.  I didn't do that because the diagonal print on the fabric is at a different angle than the following the lines of the star point angles would be.  Has that conflict ever influenced any of your decisions about simple diagonal quilting?  Or do you (and perhaps I should) just ignore the print on the fabric and quilt across the diagonal print? 

At this point I have to decide where to add more quilting to this border, either so it doesn't detract from the center or enhances the center.  I still have a week and a half before the baby arrives and perhaps a little longer until we're able to meet him so I'm good to add more quilting.  I just have to decide where and how.

Have you ever quilted, bound, washed, and dried a quilt, then decided to add more quilting?  How did that work?

I happened to have this 10" hoop, below, purchased ages ago at a yard sale or thrift store, just in case.  It worked great when I finished quilting the centers of the stars, and I found it easier to take in the car.

I love having supplies and tools on hand "just in case" of a possible future need.  Is that a quilter/creator thing or does everyone do that?

--Nancy.
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Trying to Beat the Clock

I have just another three weeks till grandbaby boy is born.  I'm working overtime, trying to beat the clock, to finish this quilt before he arrives.  (The photo below was taken on the diagonal.  You can see the border in the lower right corner.)

There are twelve 12" blocks and a 6-inch-wide border all around.  I think I'm coming along well until I remember that the borders are almost equal to the center in size and will, therefore, take just as much quilting time.

This is how I've been quilting the blocks, below.  I have 10 of the 12 finished with this much quilting.  But I think the stars need double diagonal lines from the on-point squares in their centers to the edges of the stars, and maybe all the way to the centers of the adjacent blocks.  There's just too much unquilted space, especially for a quilt that will likely get lots of use. 

I thought about quilting with an all-over pattern for this quilt, particularly Baptist Fans, which is one of my favorites, but I couldn't reconcile the points in the stars with the curves of the fans.

Have you ever noticed that too little quilting makes a quilt wear out faster?  I have heard it is so but I haven't used any quilts long enough to tell.

Wherever you are in the world I hope you're enjoying October.  Last week we had temperatures in the high 80s here in central Ohio.  This week it's been in the 40s and we had frost this morning.  I'm hoping the trees change color soon.

I'm linking this post to
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Let's Bee Social #246 at Sew Fresh Quilts
> MidWeek Makers #145 at Quilt Fabrication

Nancy.
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Just Don't Think

This week I finished sewing my enlarged variation of Kim Diehl's Barn Stars, made with autumn tones for a grandbaby coming in November.  They will finish at 12".  (Kim's finish at about 4".)

I love everything about these stars.  I hope baby's mom will love them, too.  (It won't matter so much about baby because he will be too little to notice till he's a little older.)

All along I thought I would use rich autumn colors for the sashing between the blocks, but when I laid them out with using several fabrics in several colors between blocks I wasn't happy with them.  So unhappy that I didn't take any photos.  (Probably a bad idea since photos often reveal to me what my eyes don't see in real life.)

For this monthly goal finish photo I scooted them close together and suddenly I had a different idea about possibilities.  What if I added on-point triangles in the light squares where the blocks meet to repeat the stars' centers?  Like this, on the left...

...and this, below?  Using all the same fabric?  In light, medium, bright, or dark?  Or repeating the fabrics of the stars?

Then I started thinking of more possibilities.  And then I told myself, "DON'T THINK!  Don't think of possibilities.  Just make a decision and finish this top.  Grandbaby will be here in early November and you want to have a quilt ready for him, right?  Just don't think!"

I'm trying to take my own advice but making quick decisions is not one of my strengths.  So I'm still considering those on-point squares at the corners where the blocks join.  I'm still considering sashing, possibly a light sashing to let the stars shine.  I'm still considering border fabric.  And backing.  Can you see a newborn baby lying on a dark, medium, or bright fabric on the back of a quilt?  Can you imagine a baby on a light back?

As much as I love these stars, I just need to decide and get on with it to have a finished quilt!  Do you sometimes have trouble making decisions about quilts?

This was my One Monthly Goal for September.  Now that it's finished I can link this post to One Monthly Goal - September Finish Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Thank you for hosting, Patty.

I'm also linking to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts.  Thank you for hosting, Myra.

--Nancy.
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Cut and Sew or Cut All, Sew All?

As I was pressing a section of these star blocks I was taken by the symmetry of the center backs.  Wouldn't this make a fun block?

I had been cutting and sewing the star blocks one at a time.  I like the quick finish of one block and then moving on to the next one.  But it occurred to me that this might not be the best approach when time is of the essence:  I want to finish this quilt before early November.

So I changed my method.  I cut all the pieces for all the blocks, then sewed the pieces assembly-line style.

I'm not keen on production lines.  It seems like joyless sewing.  But it is probably quicker.

Star points about to have the second point stitched.  They look like flying geese before they're sewn into the blocks.

Nine of the centers.  The other three are already in the stars.

 Centers with star points pinned to two sides, ready to be sewn.

And now I have just 18 12½" seams plus pressing to finish the blocks.

It's true that shouldn't take long, but time is a precious commodity just now.  Still, I'm sure I can finish these stars by the end of the month.

Do you prefer to sew blocks individually or cut all then sew ll?  

--Nancy.
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A Broken Iron, a New Tool, and a Barn Star

My trusty old iron broke a few weeks ago.  Sadly, it was less than two months old so I guess was neither trusty or old.  I knew there was a problem when it began ticking like a time bomb, and I knew it was dead when the ticking stopped and it quit heating altogether.  What is a quilter without an iron?

Then I found a new tool.

Quilters on Facebook had mentioned that these little rollers work well for pressing seams.  I doubted its effectiveness but when I found one at a local craft shop in its recycle/up-cycle area, I made a donation and brought it home.  Gosh, it works like a charm for pressing a seam with two fabrics.  I wouldn't use one of these for a all blocks for a whole quilt, especially where seams intersect, but it's great for small seams.  I think it will be handy for pressing log cabin and similar blocks.

And I bought a new electric iron.  I hope it lasts longer than two months!

I finished my first baby quilt block using a variation of Kim Diehl's Barn Stars pattern.  I don't have the pattern, which makes about 4" finished blocks.  These blocks will finish at 12".

Kim's blocks are adorable but is that because they're so small?  Do they translate as well to a large block?  I had to fuss with the on-point square in the middle to get the right size and now I wonder if it's too small.  I think it's smaller, proportionately, than the one in her blocks but I think I'll leave it.

The background of this block is a creamy color, a little warmer and slightly golden in real life.  I've cut two more stars using different background fabrics in the same color range.  All three have small, unobtrusive prints.  When I choose such similar fabrics for backgrounds I often question whether scrappy/variety would add more interest.  The color ranger for this quilt is here.

Linking to
> Works in Progress at Silly Mama Quilts 
> Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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A Baby Quilt for September's One Monthly Goal

As I pondered my choice of a goal for September my first thought was just survive September.  August was a challenge but perhaps less so than September will be.  There's too much on my plate and part of what made August busy has shifted into September.  But really, just getting through the month isn't much of a quilting goal.  So I reevaluated.

I want to make a baby quilt for my new grandson, arriving in November, but time is short so I have to choose a simple pattern that I feel fairly certain I can make quickly and quilt easily.  I decided on an autumn theme.

I considered maple leaves but then saw the quilt below in Summer 2017 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects.  The blocks are 13" square!  And a baby quilt!  I don't know why large blocks for a baby quilt should be such a novel idea, but it was.

And then I remembered this Simple Whatnots pattern by Kim Diehl, and wondered how it would look as a 12" block.  Just fine, I thought.  I don't have the pattern but I don't want such small blocks anyway.

So I glued together some graph paper and drew up a pattern.  I wouldn't have needed one for a 12" block except that I wasn't sure the size for those tiny on-point squares in the center.  These blocks look like they have small squares placed on top of larger squares, then sewn diagonally.  In truth the size doesn't matter but for aesthetic appeal, I think it will make a difference.

Then on to choosing fabric.  The fabrics below, with colors that are close but not exact, are candidates for autumn stars.  Some are reproduction-style, others are ones I thought might work.  Would you add or remove any for an autumn color palette?





















Instead of using a light fabric for the stars I'll use colors as in the first photo.  I'll need only 12 fabrics  so I suppose I should audition 12 together at a time and see what I think.  Or maybe just begin by making a star with one of the fabrics I definitely want to use.  What shall it be?!

Before I make stars I need to choose background fabric/color.  It's more like me to use a variety of fabrics for the backgrounds but using the same fabric might unify the quilt a little more.  And I plan to use sashing as in Kim Diehl's quilt.

All that being said, my One Monthly Goal for September is to make a dozen 12" autumn stars (including all the decisions leading up to the finished stars).  I also hope to get them sewn into a top but am not claiming that as part of the goal for September.

And about the survival goal:  I'm sure I'll survive, just possibly a little worse for the wear.

I'm linking this post One Monthly Goal - September Goal link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Patty.

--Nancy.
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