Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Waning Days of Summer

Progress is being made on the Simply Sensational Summer Scrap mystery which I would like to finish before Fall arrives on September 23rd. It's an arbitrary self imposed deadline, but I work well to deadlines.


I had procrastinated trimming the edge of the quilt once the centre was put on point. It was all bias edges and there was so much potential to make a big mess and lose points (as in chopping off the sides of the squares, not as in losing "brownie points"!)
I cut with trepidation and gentleness.


The next border was neutral strips followed by neutral squares. I was getting a little tired of the selection of my  remaining neutrals, but resisted the urge to buy more because the goal is to use up what is in the stash. 
And I did.
I don't really like these strip sets, but I'm sure I won't notice them once this busy quilt is finished.

So then it was time for the litmus test... would the next borders fit the on point edges?
And guess what? 
sewing on a border with the bias edge on the feed dogs
To my great delight, the next border went on easily and most of the points are still visible.
AND best of all... it lays flat!
My secret was to use a lot of pins, and to sew the seams with the bias edge on the feed dogs while easing in the extra fabric from the on point centre.

I gotta congratulate Kevin because my faith in this wonderful outcome was low when I was working on it! I'm still in shock when I look at it and see how it all worked out!
Okay... now I'm moving on to sewing the colourful 4 patch blocks into strips for the next borders. I'm so close to finishing the summer mystery while summer is still here!
Here it is on the design wall measuring 56.5" square at this point.
Exactly square!



17 comments:

Julie in GA said...

Your mystery quilt is looking great! I love the mix of bright colors.

Deanna W said...

Slow and steady and you will have it done in no time. I don't really like square quilts so I might add some rows of colourful squares top and bottom to make it longer. Well that is if I ever get to this mystery!! haha

Gretchen Weaver said...

I sew the strip on the edge then trim off the corners. This way I don't need to worry about bias edges. Quilt is looking lovely! Happy Stitching!

Joy from Days Filled With Joy said...

Wow! Looks great!!! xx

piecefulwendy said...

Oh, good tips to remember when I get my nerve up to do the trimming and sewing. Thanks! Love your multi-colored blocks!

Mary said...

You could have sewn the border on, then trimmed. Hope you points all made it. Pis are my friend with bias, also.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That looks wonderful, Kathy! I love how you used multiple colors for the main section instead of just one. Great tip for sewing a border on the bias edge, too! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how your version of this quilt finishes up!

Louise said...

What a great feeling when the borders fit so perfectly! Woo hoo!!

Jenny said...

Another lovely quilt, this one is coming along nicely!

audrey said...

Ahh... the power of pinning well! Good tip about making sure the bias is next to the feed dogs. I can never remember! Your top looks so lovely. I'm like you and always so nervous to cut off the points and leave all that bias!

Deb A said...

Your mystery is beautiful! You can meet your deadline..... cheering you on from the sidelines.

Kevin the Quilter said...

Holy cow! What a wonderful, happy quilt you are making with the #ssssq! I am glad your faith is restored! LOL Forge ahead, and you will be done by summer's end! I see a little Shoo-Fly too!

Jo said...

It is a great design to use up all those little scraps. Looks good.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Thank you, again, for being brave enough to use ALL the colors for the dark sections of Kevin's Mystery. I'm not sure that I would have tried that before seeing the pattern reveal.

Sarah said...

It's looking really good. I'm impressed you chopped off those corners .... not sure I'd of had the confidence to do that!

Kate said...

I love your version of the Sensational Summer Scrap quilt. Thanks for the hints on adding the borders. I'm still making my 4-patches, but hope to have a finish before the end of the year. Your's looks great.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

It looks nice!