Sunday, January 29, 2012

Borders how do you decide

Well well, borders are my question. How do you decided what size to make those borders? Of course that is if you are making it on your own. I very rarely go by a pattern. I may attend a quilt show and see something that I like and later, sometimes years, I will remember seeing something wonderful and try to recreate it by memory.  Oh I have patterns but you will find them in pristine condition, well there is one or two I actually followed, but normally I just go for it. So then I get to borders and sometimes I just get lost in what size to make them. Oh I had a fellow retreater pull out a book that gave 'rules' for size of sashing to block size with border size to quilt size. Well I am NOT a rules person and then to think that there are rules for being creative! So at another retreat one time I was debating on borders and a fellow retreater, Gail gave me her perspective, 'I just cut my borders the width of my ruler.'
This is Gail at a sew in we had recently.
 Well I gave that a thought and grabbed the 3½" ruler and cut, sewed, then there was an 8" ruler so I cut the next ones with that. So I went and bought different size rulers and have lived by that 'rule' now. So when you are designing on your own  what dictates your border size? Do you go with the 'rules' of acceptability or just do your own thing.








Well this is a quilt I call Simple Girl. Note the borders. Not what was found in the book. But what I wanted. When making this the fellow retreater with the 'book' kept telling me I was wrong to do it this way. She finally gave up trying to make me see it the 'book' way and left me alone. I really like the results of this. I really like how it turned out. These borders came from what fabric I had left from the center top and went from there on how to use it most effectively or efficiently. And that is how I figure my borders, what do I have left and  or cut it with what ever size ruler I have.



Well the grandson turned 9 couple weeks ago and two weeks before his birthday he and his brother inform me that they need new quilts for their birthdays this year. So I went to retreat the weekend in between and had to make his quilt. Note the borders were easy to decide, had to go with how much fabric I had. I had bought fabric couple years back for him a new quilt so I got it out and got it done. I used all fabric but about one strip 4½" x 8". Yep cut it close but he loved it.
I hope he gets some good use out of it. He loves science and that kind of stuff so the planets and space was his theme. He even told which planet was which on there.

So let me know what are your thoughts on borders!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Record 2 days in a row

Yep, It is me again.  Back to fill you in on my of my doings. Well right around Thanksgiving my camera went on the fritz so I thought I was getting pictures but didn't. I know everyone always stops in to see the pretty quilts but I only have a few to show. I have gotten a new camera and of course learning something new again isn't the easiest.  Christmas was wonderful. The grankids were here two weeks before and help put up the tree. We had a blast. They didn't break any of the ornaments and got them distrubuted fairly evenly. Then the day after Christmas they came over and the middle child had a cold. He was just shakiing with the chills, well that didn't stop me from hugging and kissing and guess who got sick on the 29th of  DEC? Yep me. Still have a bad cough but I only missed one day of work with it. Somedays I didn't think I was going to make it but I trudged on through. I have to say this cold is horrible. Well the grandkids were here last weekend and they helped me take the tree down and we only broke 3 ornaments. hmmm taking down not near as cautious as putting up.

This is Mary's. I love love love pink and brown. This one reminds me of candy. I dont know why but I just think of pieces of hard candy when I look ot this one. Great job Mary, makiing me hungry,lol.











When the  Grankids were here last weekend the oldest boy came running into the living room yelling 'grandma ya gotta come quick you got a serious problem!' 
What is it Devon I ask
'You got water running everywhere'
Ok it wasn't everywhere but it was coming out of the ceinling of my sewing room, right onto my cutting table. UH OH that is coming from the sink upstairs. So now I have started out 2012 with a doozy of a cold, camera broke  and now my house is leaking. Yep 2012 is going to be my year I can tell.

Ok I better go try to figure out how to take my pics off the new camera and put them on here. see ya soon!

Well oh Well oh Well

This quilt was appliuqed by Paul. He is a hand stitcher and usually does a whole cloth. I had given him this kit a couple years back and when he found himself in rehab he found that all he could do was applique, so this kit was done and then he gave it to me to quilt. I thought for sure he would had quilt it, just goes to show you I shouldn't think. It is a stunner. I was given three of these old applique kits and I kept one and my mother got the other one. I told my Mom that Paul had done his so she got hers out and I am sure that she has it close to being done by now. Mine well..............................................someday. someday.


I went home for Thanksgiving, it was great to see the family, or at least what I got to see of them. It is so hard to see everyone when you have such limited time and each family was celebrating individually. For those that don't know I am from  SW MO area but raised in SE KS. All that area is 'home' to me. I don't get to go  back as often as I would like and when I do it is always a struggle to see everyone.
 I took quilts down to Joplin for the tornado victims from my local club here in IN. I had informed my sister that lives there what I was bringing so she hooked me up with some of her past co-workers that had lost their homes in the tornado, so we passed some of the quilts out to them. I then left the remaider with her and my Mom to pass out as they wished. They went down one street and handed them out to people who had rebuilt and moved back in as welcome home quilts. Wish I could have went with them, but once again that time thing.

This is Anita's cute wallhanging, loved making it into Buttflies in the Garden. The lovely floral just screamed garden to me and what better to have but butterflies fluttering in the garden. She seemed to be thrilled with it!

This is a bay quilt made by Rejena. Now I have to say that my camera has been acting up and sometimes it would take pics and then other times NOT. Like when I went to Joplin none of my Thanksgiving pics turned out.  So I tried using my hubby's camera. Why is it we get used to something and can't seem to adjust to something new. Well I am not please with the quality of the pics with his camera, everything seems orangie. I guess what I am trying to say is this quilt is more vibrant than what this shows. Once again great job Rejena!
This is Sherry's for some reason I am thinking I may have posted this one. But oh well it deserves a 2nd look.  This is a pattern I have always wanted to try but cutting by templates scare me to death.  When Sherry dropped it off for me to do she said if I had any problems just call her. So of course you know I had to let her know that a problem had arisen "I couldn't pry it out of my hands" Oh how I love it. So you know I have added it to my list to do. I wonder if I will ever get my list done or even make a dent in it.
So much more to say, like my 12 goals for 2012 but getting late and my eyes are heavy so better get off for now. Tomorrow I will come back with more.