This is what happens to me when chain piecing. Blah blah blah! I also feel the same way about snipping chain piecing threads apart. Most of the time I just stop doing it and start putting the blocks together one piece at a time. I know there is more thread wasted and that it takes longer but I feel like I am accomplishing something at least. When I can see the actual blocks coming together before my eyes I can stay excited. It's not a race either so I figure I should enjoy what I'm doing. Hope you can find a way to get through the remaining borders with all the great hints everyone else left for you!!

Hey! I never thought of sewing all the borders first then putting them on ! Thanks andir!! Good luck. Hope the last few rows go fast! Show u's when done!

I love your quilt! So colourful, and a clever use of the dalmatian theme. Well worth persevering!

That's what we call UFOs...can't face anymore & toss it in the UFO pile. But that's just me.

Just remember that you can only sew all the borders together first IF you are going to miter the corners. Otherwise you will not have borders that go all the way around the quilt, they will butt into the adjacent borders. See if this diagram makes more sense than my words ;-)

I like to find a sappy holiday movie to watch while I sew. (As long as I don't really have to "think" about what I am sewing!)

rusty quilter - my go to background movies are The Pirates of the Caribbean series and Nicholas Cage in the Sorcerer's Apprentice, though Gus has misplaced the Sorcerer's Apprentice disc.

I did manage to sew the two remaining brick borders before hockey practice and the fire engines after practice, so all the borders are now in place. I need to piece the backing and then can sandwich that, hopefully tonight. My first thought on seeing the fire engines attached is that they are overpowering - but when I folded the border in half, it was much nicer, so I've got plenty of room to work with on the border and will have to mark my planned trim line so that I don't quilt into the region that will be later cut off.

Cheers, K

Love the pics you showed. Can see why it was quite tedious. But you are almost there so we will all be waiting with bated breath to see the finished project. Whoever (Andir??) gave the tip on making the borders in strip sets and then mitering corners - I thank you. Why didn't I ever think of that. What a great idea. I love the look of mitered corners and now I know why my Turning Twent(Three) has been sitting in the box just waiting for boders. it is because now they will be mitered!! Thanks

YEP! I know the feeling. I am working on a quilt with 64 squares....I have finished 20 and have decided it is really boring. I do some every night while I watch TV since I am hand piecing this one. I wanted it for Christmas and I will have it done for Christmas 2012!

great job, K...this is Kim from scrapbooking :)