Round 3 Strips

 I had a long band of red and white strips that were left over from an earlier project.  I had sewn the little pieces together as Leaders and Enders during that project, and the band was in my Orphan Box.  I added a ticking strip on each side.


Altogether it was long enough for two sides, contiguous or the two short sides.  This is the choice I made.Current size is 25" X 43".


Sara

Round 2 squares

Finished this round tonight, and quilted the last [bottom] border after adding it.  I wasn't sure I wanted to add on all four sides, so there was an "incubation" period while I watched a waited for direction.  Finally with the change in colors and size, it seemed like the right thing to add the bottom border in squares also.

The top squares are printed on the fabric, so no complicated construction was required.  I liked the idea of having one "regular" set of checkerboards that were NOT wonky to show that this was indeed intended to be a "squares" border.

The other three borders were pieced in a slightly wonky way.

So far the "quilt as you go" method is working well.  Current size is 25" x 31"

Sara

QAYG borders on LRR

I mention QAYG borders for this project in an earlier post.
This is how you do it:


I took the top I had with the middle and triangle borders added, and I quilted it.  [I think I will add some more quilting in the white spaces later.]


Then I laid out a three fabric sandwich on the edge where the first border will go.

Top border fabric [black and white check] face-to-face with the top; backing border fabric [green] face-to-face with the back.  Pin all three edges together.  No batting at this point!

Sew these three layers together.  I'm using a quarter-inch seam.

Now take your strip of batting and BUTT it against the edge of the three fabrics you just sewed together.  Using a zig-zag stitch sew together, just catching each side without overlaping them.

Here's what it looks like when you are done.  This method avoid having two or three layers of the batting on top of each other.

Then you flip the two border fabrics over that seam and press.

Now you quilt this border.

Trim off the excess batting and fabric.

Front has grown by one border side [black and white check].

And the back has grown by one border side [darker green].







Not too tough!
And there are no "covering" strips to add over the seam on either side.


Negative side:  You can't rip this border off easily if you later want to change your plan!


Sara

Plain borders and Off on a Side Track

My brain finally registered the "suggestion" from several in this group, that adding a "plain" border might help the looks of subsequent borders.  I mean, this could actually apply to me and solve why my next border wasn't looking right when I laid it loosely on the top!  Huzzah!  I added some plain red narrow borders.

Then I read a reminder on Melody's blog that it is easier to quilt borders AS THEY ARE ADDED, than it is to quilt them when they have all BEEN added.  Because you will always be working close to the outer edge of the project.

Having that thought in the back of my mind, I was constantly perusing my LRR on my "design wall", and it suddenly stuck me.  I could be QUILTING these borders AS I ADDED THEM.

Well that certainly let me off the hook for adding my "squares" border right now!

I set right to work:

I've done all I'm ready to try today.

And now I do have to think about the Squares Border!

Anybody else trying "Quilt-As-You-Go"?

Sara

Sara, Round 1

This Initial Block became:

Sorry to be so quick,  BUT

1) The Initial Block was out on my sewing machine, and
2) The spikey triangles were already in the Orphan Box, and
3) All the red/white HSTs were bonuses leftover from  Bonnie Hunter mystery.

So it all just FELL together.
[Don't you think the paisley does a good job of toning it down?  and hmmm... looks like I'm heading toward a rectangular shape.]

Sara

Sara, Red/White/Black color choice

This is the block I found in my Orphan Block Bin:

 Shoo-Fly block of Hershey kisses fabric.  It is a real problem because it is 12.5 inches square, far too BIG to fit in with other orphans.  And because it is so big and SIMPLE, it is a little boring!  But possibly a good size for the center of a medallion quilt.

So to make it more interesting, I slashed it and inserted a black strip four times, to add the "Asterisk" or "Fireworks" block feeling:

I cut somewhat off-center, and one strip was ripped to straighten the edge of the fabric, which made it wedge shaped.  And , of course, the whole process solved the TOO BIG problem; when squared up the block is now 12.25 inches!  Very easy fix. [?]

Oh, yes, I have several other red/white/black orphan blocks which I have pulled out to use as we go along.  [And there is my stash...]

Ready for my next instruction.

Sara, in GR, MI