Tips and Men, Part 4

Tips and Men, Part the IVth

The challenge:  a quilt top that needs to be larger

Logical choice:  add border(s)

1.  What color?

2.  How big?

I came up with a red, white and blue 3" narrow inner border and a very large 14" Kona Paper Bag solid (thanks to your tip!) outer border.  

We can't have all that plain fabric and I've spent the past 24 months practicing free motion quilting with my home sewing machine, sew....

I created two templates for free motion quilting!

I wanted the look of a star, but also a heart to let the recipient know they are special to me :-)

Next step:

Used a piece of left-over 14" border and create a practice quilt sandwich.  Go to quilt shop and purchase variegated red, white and blue Sulky Blendables 30w cotton top-stitching thread to amp up 

the patriot theme.

The idea for the heart in the center came from Leah Day's FMQ Project

From:  rayandjeanne.blogspot.com 

(I'll share my own practice piece with you hopefully tomorrow!)

Then...

How many template stars (which are 12x12) to go into the large side borders???

The recipient's birthday is during the seventh month of the year and the twenty-ninth day, so...

three on each side and one square in the middle?

Perhaps an applique of the template smack dab in the middle of the rail fence quilt top?

I'm liking the process of creating my own quilt with your valuable feedback.

I took the quilt top into my local fabric store and the sales clerk gave me the idea to free motion quilt template stars/hearts throughout the entire top instead of just in the borders.

Any thoughts you may have to share with me?

http://lifeinwilliston.com/

All the Best,

@

P.S.  Sneak Preview:  This Saturday, I'm starting a two-block Block of the Month at my local quilt shop and will be creating my first on point block quilt.  I like that center 'star' and the angle blocks in the bright colors.  What do you think of it?

The blocks are created with the "Lazy Angle" ruler.

"Lazy Angle Ruler"

I've never used this ruler before...have you?