Tuesday 19 April 2011

Quilting Adventures in Knitterland
border and backing

As DD says, we may have "the enthusiasm of beginners" but we are both very happy with the way our Sampler Block floor quilt is coming along.

After we put the blocks together with the navy sashing, we tried the yellow for the border but it didn't work. So, we auditioned all the fabrics we had. Only the navy was suitable for the border. The matter seemed settled but I didn't want to use navy - it would be the same as the sashing, only wider.

On Friday we went to the Big Box Store to buy some more fabric to make a border. We found a few that "might work".

A customer approached us to offer advice: "use only dark colours because the edges get so dirty". That advice seemed logical given that GS#1 loves the finished floor quilt and the finished top. He uses them to play "boo" and drags them around the house. He pushes and parks his car on the finished top like that was its sole purpose. These quilts are floor mats for babies. One of their purposes is to stop Grandbubby the Second (and subsequent Grandbubbies should there be any more) from bringing up milk on the carpet; as well as being somewhere warm and cosy for a Little One to lie.

During their lifetime, the quilts will no doubt be used for many things - capes, playing peek-a-boo, building cubby houses; all the things that young kids' imaginations can make them. And that's just how I want it to be. They certainly are not precious items, to be stored somewhere for the "right time".

But I digress. Back to our shopping expedition...

We had to make our decision and get out of there. GS#1 tried to climb out of the trolley (shopping cart) even though he had the restraint strap done up! He was getting more and more irascible which made it difficult to make a decision. We finally narrowed our options down to three choices and eventually, after much umming and ahhing, chose this: We weren't 100% convinced it was the right choice but, as I said to DD, we can always turn it into drawstring bags if we decide we don't like it.

But we did. I would have liked a wider border but I had bought (precut) cot wadding so needed to keep the finished size to 50 inches. Unfinished, this one measures 50.5 inches so I think I got the maths right! LOL

This is the back we pieced. It's time to move on from these fabrics and work with something else so we used as much as the front fabrics as we could. Unfinished, the back is 54.5 inches. The rest of these blue and purple fabrics will become pieced drawstring bags - no quilting needed!

And what of the yellow blocks, you ask? Stay tuned!

2 comments:

  1. Oh, it turned out beautifully for a 'floor' mat! Nice work on the selection of the border-just right!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's amazing how much thought goes into every single step of making a quilt and how every step affects the next one. So pleased for you both that the quilt is done and so well done as well. What's next????

    ReplyDelete

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