Tuesday 19 August 2014

SLOW PROGRESS.....

Borders and Fillers


It's been an aaaagggee since I have had some spare minutes to sit down and update you on the various projects I have been working on. Life just really got in the way over the last few weeks, I have had some big life changes and upheavals which have really knocked my sideways - Oh and Festival of Quilts squueeeellll- but I am feeling much happier and getting back on track, so here we go.......

You may recall I have been working on something special for my wonderful Daddy who turned 50 at the beginning of August, unfortunately I am still working on it, hence this posts title!!









As this isn't a set pattern I am following but rather finding inspiration here and there, then putting together my own design I was finding gaps and spaces between some of the sections already quilted, that I really needed to fill. So I headed back to a previous quilt I had started as part of a class and took on the mighty chevron border!!

It looks very technical but in reality it is very straight forward and is extremely effective when finished.






The first step is to cut a pile of strips 5 1/4in in length in a variety of fabrics. I tried to get in as many of the fabrics I had been using throughout the quilt top for continuity's sake and also chose to cut mine in widths ranging from 1in - 2in to create a more visual border. You can of course use just one or two fabrics and stick to the same width.


(picture 1)



The fabric strips simply get placed on top of each other, one at a time, and stitched along the longest edge, alternating sides with each strip. With the exception of the first pair which is attached along the shorter edge (picture 1) The more you add, the longer it gets!!




So that was a few borders taken care off, now for some fillers...
At last months quilt group meet up, Carrie was cutting and stitching copious amounts of Pin Wheels, which looked ever so lovely and she assured me were very easy to make......lies!!! After a few of them took a dive out of my quilt studio window I found a method that worked for me and here it is in pictures.
















And here are both these bits partially in action.....





Happy Quilting 
Kerry xx