I don’t know about you -
But I truly believe that my quilts TALK to me - :))
I’ve been working on my Floral Applique (FA) for quite a while now -
And we have had some lively discussions along the way - ;))
Our latest one went something like this -
FA - So WHAT exactly are you going to do about my borders? It’s been a while now - and you keep staring at me. Nothing you have come up with seems to be working out - what IS your problem?? -
Me - I have no idea. It seems like everything I try just doesn’t look right -
FA - Well, your idea for the double colored border was pretty -
Me - Yeah - but the leaves look like Christmas bulbs - and the vine is starting to pucker from all of the stitching - that part isn’t pretty -
FA - But the colors are nice - and I like the grays - with a splash of color to tie them to the rest of me. You don’t want them to look like an afterthought, do you?
Me - Of course not. I want your borders to complement your center - not detract from it. I put a lot of time and effort working on your center section - that's a LOT of hand applique - and I don’t want everyone skipping that part to check out your borders. And I want your borders to look like I planned them that way all along - but I'm fresh out of ideas -
FA - So what if you took the leaves off altogether?
Me - OK - what do you think? -
FA - Naw - I still need something - I don’t feel finished -
Me - Yeah - I agree -
FA - So - what else ya got?
Me - Well - I have some left over HST from adding the top panel and changing out the gray skinny strips -
FA - You could use those to add a splash of color -
Me - And I have some of that gray with leaves that I used on your back when I thought I would stop at four blocks - that might work for adding gray to the border - but I would have to work around that fade line down the middle of the yardage -
FA - That shouldn’t be a problem - the back section doesn’t have the fade line - only the yardage. You could split the back section horizontally for the top and bottom borders and then use the yardage for the side borders -
Me - I have an idea -
FA - Maybe less is more?
Me - Exactly!! -
So we agreed -
And we got the borders on - ;))
This top is officially DONE -
And after 16 years -
I'm going to miss working on it -
Maybe - ;))
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
10 comments:
I love the borders - great choice! You and FA did a wonderful job with your selections.
16 years? Man, that FA has been mouthing off for a while then! But seriously this is a time when less is more and far more effective. The borders do not detract from the lovely blocks. The triangle extension enhances it. Well done!
Thanks, Katie - it was a long time coming - but I think it works better than anything else we came up with - ;))
Thanks, Linda - ;)) Yeah - 16 years - but that was from the VERY beginning - and all of the intricate hand applique on those blocks was VERY time-consuming. Our conversations back then were much more fabric/color-oriented - because all of the blocks had specific patterns and certain colors/values were needed in certain places. But the class and the patterns were for only the blocks - not a full-blown quilt. It wasn't until we got to the borders that the conversations got lively - ;))
I think it was quite brave of you to turn around at that point and listen to the quilt. Of course, that quilt could have spoken up sooner and saved you time and trouble.
Haha - I thought that I WAS listening all along - but it seems that the quilt didn't know what it wanted either - so it wasn't just me. Although, if it had known, it certainly should have said something - ;))
Awwww YES! Perfect! Just like a good wine. Takes time. ;o)
Thanks, Linda - ;)) It WAS worth the wait, wasn't it? - ;))
This is beautiful! I love the detail in all of the flowers. What a masterpiece! Lovely work.
Thanks, Sandra - ;))
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