I started playing and got sidetracked...

I think I said in my last post that I would be playing around with borders to my Lincoln and hoped to have it quilted by today...

I am pleased to report that I have decided on a border and have it all cut and sewn. My Lincoln is ready to be sandwiched and quilted, but you know I really wasn't in the mood to sandwich and quilt, so I dug out a kit I had purchased this winter on my travels. 

Variations On A Theme by Mauri Richey, purchased at Oklahoma Quiltworks.

It is the perfect pattern for those pieces of fabric that have a very large pattern repeat that you just hate to cut up in little pieces. You strip piece a border and then make a free hand wavy cut along one edge. No offence to the pattern designer, but after reading the directions I decided to finish the quilt the way I thought made more sense...to my mind anyway. 

I recruited help from Mr. O to help me line things up straight and square...

I had a theory on how best to do it, but I thought a second opinion would be a good idea. I try to follow a wise bit of carpentry advice... measure twice, cut once!

I added the striped border to the body of the quilt and with the help of low tack masking tape and about 300 pins I secured it well enough to move to the sewing machine and get things all sewn down.

after sewing it together, I added a bias trip over the seam and then another border on the opposite side and voila! I had a quilt top ready to sandwich and quilt. It finishes at about 45 x 65 so I think I can handle that on my home machine. 

 

Not a great photo, but you get the idea.

Well, the evening was still young and "the mood" to sandwich and machine quilt my Schnibbles still hadn't "hit" so I pulled out another project. I am a little late to the twister party, but when I was first introduced to this template and method of making "windmill" blocks, I turned my nose up at it. As it so often happens, we judge a quilt pattern by the fabrics and colours it is made in and decide too quickly we don't like it. Well this winter, I saw another twister quilt done in colours that spoke to me, so I thought I might give it a try. I expected it to be more complicated than it was, and so I picked some scrap fabrics from my basket that would not leave me in tears if I messed up the project.

It really was quick and easy...sew some charm squares together, 

sew a border around it, 

place the ruler/template so that the printed lines on the template line up with the seams and cut. 

After they are all cut, sew them back together and this is what you get.

My biggest regret...is not using a fabric I liked. This won't go to waste though, because with several grand daughters who still have dolls this will make the perfect doll quilt!

But now it's late and I really must get some sleep. If I am going to make the parade on time, I need to wake up in a sandwiching and quilting mood. Wish me luck!