........WEll......sort of........seems I dread doing them! I have several tops that would be finished if only I would just add the borders. It's not that I actually HATE the borders......borders add soooo much to a quilt. The main issue is WHAT I have to go through to add them. I don't have a table or counter long/large enough to accommodate laying out the whole quilt so I can measure and fit the borders to my top.....sooooooo.....here's where my love/hate for borders begin. Push the living room furniture aside.....drag out the vacuum and vacuum ONLY an area big enough for the quilt top....after all, I'm into borders at the time and NOT into vacuuming the whole room......spread out my top and THEN.....AND THEN.....this is when all the bending and squatting starts.....crawling around getting carpet burns on my knees......struggling to keep the GOOBER dog off the top so everything stays flat and smooth. By now I am working up a sweat and I turn on a little fan close by to help keep me cool and calm AND THEN the fan keeps blowing up my quilt top....SOOOOO, off goes the fan......LOLOL.....by now my fat butt has been up and down so much it's ridiculous!!!! BUT I REMAIN DETERMINED!!! The photo above is a close up of one I am working on today.....look at all those tiny pieces......these are called PARALLELOGRAMS!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this border but I HATE HATE HATE the process of getting it attached!!
Those borders are getting added to this top. I participated in
Bonnie's latest mystery quilt she featured over at her website
Quiltville. This one is called Roll Roll Cotton Boll.....AND being a farm gal married to a guy who farms COTTON I figured I should do this one. I used up ALL of my white/off white scraps and strips. It felt good to get that bin emptied so I could freshen it up with some new prints! I didn't make mine as large as her instructions but I think mine will be plenty large. I have already been crawling around on the floor today adding a 1 3/4" bright green inner border with tiny white dots that is not shown in this photo. That tiny green border really made the top pop.....that is when I REALLY decided I liked the quilt. OK....I'm off to grunt and groan some more.....my plan is to get ALL the outside borders sewn on today. And if I'm NOT TOO SORE maybe I'll tackle the borders on my BUTTERFLY quilt. Does any of the above sound familiar?......WHAT DO YOU do when it's time for you to add your borders???
........WEll......sort of........seems I dread doing them! I have several tops that would be finished if only I would just add the borders. It's not that I actually HATE the borders......borders add soooo much to a quilt. The main issue is WHAT I have to go through to add them. I don't have a table or counter long/large enough to accommodate laying out the whole quilt so I can measure and fit the borders to my top.....sooooooo.....here's where my love/hate for borders begin. Push the living room furniture aside.....drag out the vacuum and vacuum ONLY an area big enough for the quilt top....after all, I'm into borders at the time and NOT into vacuuming the whole room......spread out my top and THEN.....AND THEN.....this is when all the bending and squatting starts.....crawling around getting carpet burns on my knees......struggling to keep the GOOBER dog off the top so everything stays flat and smooth. By now I am working up a sweat and I turn on a little fan close by to help keep me cool and calm AND THEN the fan keeps blowing up my quilt top....SOOOOO, off goes the fan......LOLOL.....by now my fat butt has been up and down so much it's ridiculous!!!! BUT I REMAIN DETERMINED!!! The photo above is a close up of one I am working on today.....look at all those tiny pieces......these are called PARALLELOGRAMS!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this border but I HATE HATE HATE the process of getting it attached!! 
Those borders are getting added to this top. I participated in Bonnie's latest mystery quilt she featured over at her website Quiltville. This one is called Roll Roll Cotton Boll.....AND being a farm gal married to a guy who farms COTTON I figured I should do this one. I used up ALL of my white/off white scraps and strips. It felt good to get that bin emptied so I could freshen it up with some new prints! I didn't make mine as large as her instructions but I think mine will be plenty large. I have already been crawling around on the floor today adding a 1 3/4" bright green inner border with tiny white dots that is not shown in this photo. That tiny green border really made the top pop.....that is when I REALLY decided I liked the quilt. OK....I'm off to grunt and groan some more.....my plan is to get ALL the outside borders sewn on today. And if I'm NOT TOO SORE maybe I'll tackle the borders on my BUTTERFLY quilt. Does any of the above sound familiar?......WHAT DO YOU do when it's time for you to add your borders???
Really pretty quilt.
ReplyDeleteSwoon! It looks so pretty. I need to get back to it. You inspire me!
ReplyDeletelooks great so will be worth all the effort..........
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteYes, this sounds familiar in another way. The floor used to be the only place where I could lay out fabric and patterns (clothing). Also, even though my grandmother didn't make fancy quilts like yours, she used to put her quilts down on the floor to add the batting and the back and then later the binding.
Hope you are able to move without hurting!
This is such a beatiful quilt! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI used to hate it too, but now i put something really good on tv and pin, pin, pin.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous!! I love all those tiny pieces!
I think making the border as leaders and enders would really help on a project like this. I'm working on an applique and there are hundreds of pieces for the border, I've prepped about 150 circles so far so when it comes times to actually make the border, they will be ready to put on. Still the same amount of work, just spread over time.
ReplyDeleteIt' so pretty, keep going it will be worth all the time yo put into it!
ReplyDeleteOh.. but it looks so pretty!
ReplyDeleteMy RRCB is living on my sewing room floor- 3 rows of blocks still need to be sewn together, and then the dreaded borders! I've been walking between blocks for months! Yours looks great, though- maybe I'll get motivated and finish mine soon!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful. Love love it.
ReplyDeleteHugs
donna
I kick and scream and yell and stomp my feet - and then I get down to the business of the border LOL.
ReplyDeleteI measure the quilt (not the edges) through the middle in two places - that is twice on the width and twice on the length of the quilt - then I average the measurements for the width (if there is a difference) and then for the length, and that is how long I make each border - - being sure to add for the side or top borders - if they add to the total of the top or side (I need a translator, and I wrote this stuff). I come put pretty good that way - and at least the sides are equal to each other and the top and bottom are equal to each other - makes for a more symmetrical quilt.
I don't have a design wall - or a big floor space - never have - so I do the measuring thing and have good luck with it.
I do love how much pieced borders add to a quilt.
Another thing that I do - if I have multiple borders - I sew long strips of all the borders together first - then cut them according to the measurements I determined in the first step - and sew on the set of borders that were prestitched together - easier than sewing on border after border - and all the measuring is done at once.
I love how your quilt came out - and the borders are terrific.
I don't do a lot of borders. But I sure do moan and groan when I am crawling around on the floor pin basting a quilt top to the batting and backing. Not good on the knees either...
ReplyDeleteMy border routine sounds a little like yours! I don't have a whole lot of room either.
ReplyDeleteI got my RRCB machien quilted adn I trimmed it today prepping for binding. I'll have to do a bit of wrestling to get that on too! Mine is as large as bonnie made hers which is huge! LOL
Your quilt is loking great!
I lay everything out on my bed. Am to old to bend to the floor. I lay out a plain sheet or quilt and work my project on top. When it is time for bed, I roll up my project in the sheet or quilt and move it until I can work on it again. Necessity is the mother of invention. :-)
ReplyDeleteJust stunning!
ReplyDeleteI totally hate attaching borders, absolutely hate it!!!! I don't like crawling around on the floor and I don't like working with the big pieces. I have a few tops waiting for their borders to be stitching on, too. Sigh. But I hope you finish this one quickly -- those borders are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI can't give you any suggestions to your border problem, but I just wanted to say that is one amazing quilt! It's just beautiful! :0)
ReplyDeleteI get stuck at borders also. The ones you've created here are fabulous!
ReplyDeleteThe borders are wonderful - can[t wait to see them attached.
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is gorgeous. Oh, the pain one endures for the beauty of a border. I find that if I feel the need for a fancy border, I lay down until the feeling passes...sort of like when I feel I should jog or something.
ReplyDeleteMy poor geocaching quilt went to the quilters full of white dog hair. Dang.
I also hate adding borders, so I don't. Whenever I cut long pieces for the tops and sides, they almost always come out wonky. Now, I just add an extra row of blocks. I do make a lot of small doll quilts and they usually turn out fine, but bigger quilts, not so much.
ReplyDeleteBelinda, Your quilt is beautiful....with or without the borders but, those borders were a lot of work and will make an amazing frame for the masterpiece. I struggle with space when I have to lay out a quilt top to get everything ready to start quilting. Have thought about kneepads.......alot!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt! Once you get through the borders you can move onto my favorite thing the BINDING! :)
ReplyDeleteYour efforts are really paying off - this is such a beautiful top!
ReplyDeleteIn stitches,
Teresa :o)
gorgeous! I hate border time too. lots of whining...
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, I whine when I get to the borders, but OMG! I L.O.V.E. your borders, they are so going to be worth it, so keep going!
ReplyDeleteI love your quilts. It is beautiful and the borders are going to add so much to the center.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to go through what you do but I don't like making borders any way you look at it. lol
Your RRCB quilt is so incredible. I have all the directions, but haven't started yet. Your is so pretty, love the borders. They are so totally worth the work. Great job.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why I call it quilt aerobics!
ReplyDeleteLaDonna
That isn't just your average run of the mill border girl. That is complex and beautiful. It isn't like just adding a strip of fabric, which I tend to do. Love what you did. This is complex.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. The borders may be a pain, but they really make it exceptional.
ReplyDeleteOh Belinda, you make me laugh! I've gone through the same routine too many times! I can't get on my knees anymore - too much of the floor time previously, I guess. Fortunately, now I have a kitchen peninusula that works out pretty well, once I get it cleaned off. LOL If I try to do the floor thing, I have 2 cats that help 2 much! And I still whine and complain too!
ReplyDeleteYour Cotton Boll quilt is beautiful! What a work of art, and a lot of work too! And great color choices too. Your borders are awesome and the quilt is worthy of them. You'll really have a treasure when you get this one done. Don't give up!
awesome. i hate them too. and mostly try to not plan them in.
ReplyDeleteOh, this quilt is just gorgeous!! But I totally understand and agree with your thoughts on borders... which is why many of my quilts are ufos.
ReplyDeleteIt is stunning! I love the border and how it compliments the top beautifully! So nice to see you blogging again :)
ReplyDeleteYour quilt AND borders look great! I think that was my favorite part of Bonnie's design in this quilt--which I have not made, mind you. Sounds like you're getting lots of exercise and entertainment out of your Border Exercise routine...I'm with you on the vacuuming only part of the room thing, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI followed right along and made mine just as big as the mystery said, and it's huge. But, like you, it really popped when I added that green inner border. I finished mine a couple of weeks ago and just need to get it quilted. Yours will be beautiful.
ReplyDeletethis is a beauty!! and what a way to use up scraps.
ReplyDeleteKaren
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
I just LOVE this quilt and keep stopping by for another peek - just gorgeous
ReplyDeleteWhat do I do when it's time for borders? I procrastinate just like you. Why is it that we quilters can have a "part" of the quilting that just STOPS us?.
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is so pretty and the border is perfect. I didn't participate in this mystery because life got in the way, but I may go back and do it later.
You must live farther South than us in the Pacific Northwest, because it is so cold here that a hard workout is the only way to get warm. No fans here!
Carline
What an amazing quilt, it's gorgeous and so worthy of those borders. I hate doing them too but I was thinking, couldn't you just measure while the top was on the wall?
ReplyDeleteYour borders are gorgeous and perfect for your quilt. I hate doing borders too! Even easy ones are a pain on a larger size quilt--too much fabric to maneuver! Your quilt will be lovely though--worth the effort!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING quilt! The pieced border is exquisite. And I'm laughing my head off at your border antics. Too funny! I don't enjoy adding borders, either -- lately I'm enjoying borderless quilts.
ReplyDeleteI bought some kneepads from home depot that carpenters wear and it helped a lot. what is it about dogs that the want to lay their dub butts o a quilt top?
ReplyDeleteYou've sure been busy.. Love those colors!!
ReplyDeleteI popped over here to let you know we're all fine.. it was a very bad tornado and just missed us by a few blocks... lots of people and businesses still without power.
WHAT a NEAT quilt! Colors are AWESOME ....and your borders are NIIICCCEEE!!
ReplyDeleteOk, it's work, but what a fabulous quilt you are making!!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is a gorgeous quilt!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on the border process. Hate it, too, but love the results. I'm trying to convince myself to take the time required to make fabulous borders.. like you have done on this gorgeous quilt. Fabulous work.
ReplyDelete*Ahem* yooo hoooo
ReplyDeletenudge. nudge. NUDGE!
Borders are definitely not my favourite - but they make such a huge difference to a quilt... this is lovely. Bonnie is one clever lady!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are back in blogland. Hope life is a little more settled...
Hang in there RRCB is worth it......yours is looking fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sewing
Your quilt is just beautiful. I love Bonnie Hunter scrappy quilts. I don't love doing borders either but sometime they just make the quilt.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am impressed! Your work is beautiful! Oh how I would love to make a quilt someday! Thanks for the big kiss and hope your hubby loves the dessert!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Maryjane
Love your roll, roll cotton ball! My sticking point is basting - hate it, don't like it, don't want to do it! I am stamping my feet here!! But now that I am clearing out a stack of UFOs by basting them I have found it is not so bad - practice in everything makes you not hate it not quite so much. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting!
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you on borders!! I just dread attaching them!! Why is that??? LOL! I have to make myself do it as soon as I piece the top or it'll stay unfinished for a long time!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when it comes to borders and I miss you and Goober. Come visit me sometime when you can. Hugs, *karendianne.
ReplyDeleteWow this is wonderful! And your Border is going to be great with it! Hang in there!
ReplyDelete