Iceblossom

Managed to get a pretty good night's sleep last night, or at least a couple relaxing hours listening to one of the Elm Creek Quilt books on audio before I actually got up. So instead of my coffee break after hours of work, this is my pre-work coffee... Woohoo, today is the day to finish off this top!

First thing is I need to make my inner border which will be of the light Parakeet. I'm going to cut it at 2" wide and will be joining random lengths together on the diagonal until I get the lengths needed. I have the sawtooth sides already made, but I am going to miter the border on instead of butt joint, so I need to put the pointy ends on the border strips. Then I will put on the inner border and cut my angles to give me my proper corner points and away I go.

After I get the first strip done, I'll know how wide it should actually be but I'm planning on leaving in that 1/2" seam on the diagonal blocks.around the bed of the quilt until after I get the border on so would prefer to match it with a 1/2" seam for the border too -- even though I have my stay stitching at the correct 1/4". I'll decide after it's on whether I want to trim it down. If I trim, I might actually go around the seam and stabilize it again near the actual seam line. So we put the two fabrics together and do our seam, I would generally press open but for this I might stitch again between the real seam line and the seam allowance and the press to the side.

Iceblossom

Coffee break -- ok, good thing I cut large (don't quite remember if I actually cut 2 or 2.5") because I'm using the full cut when I include my half-inch seam allowance. I have one side on and my inner border is coming out right about 1.5" while others are saying 1" is pretty sweet. I must have been sewing scant the days I did those border units. I am still having to squish in the neutral/sashing areas a bit but the star point setting triangles are behaving nicely.

All the inner borders are pieced, all the pointy ends are on the sawtooths. Don't know if I really like the corners but they are going as they are. So I have the three more sides to connect to inner borders, I can get that done today but good thing I still have tomorrow available and no real deadline because I think those other three sides aren't going on today but maybe I will get motivated/my back will hold out. Right now it is a well deserved break.

And I'm ready for the game on Saturday, we went out last night and got some Dragon team t-shirts, colors are mostly green and orange, have a safety orange knit hat I'll wear and call it good.

retiredteacher09

Angelia: I hope you get over your virus quickly.

I enjoy reading about the progress on your tops.

Iceblossom: Enjoy that game.

SusieQOH

Last 2 seams to go.
I laid it out on the floor last night to show my husband. He looked at it for a long time. Finally said " it's busy" LOL
He loves every quilt I've made but I think this is a first he doesn't

origamigoldfish

I laid some of my finished blocks out on the kitchen table today and added in the sashing pieces to get a feel cor how it will look....and the answer is very very busy. I still like it, just wow.

SusieQOH

Finished top

wildyard

LOL My husband said the same thing. And added it would make him dizzy to look at it for too long.
Origamigoldfish and SusieQOH I love both your finishes. Great jobs so far everyone.

I do think laying it out horizontal rather than diagonal calms it down a little bit.

SusieQOH

Let's try this. A bit larger.

Iceblossom

My hubby is also in the "very busy" category but he tries to be very diplomatic. "Grats on the finish honey, it took a long time and it's not your style but good for you".

Three of the four sides of borders went on smoothly and easy -- the fourth however was a bit of a beast. I have no problems at all drawing my seam lines when/where I need to (and mitered corners is one of those things) which was very important for me with my half inch seams.

Speaking of things important for me, I decided that I would piece the inner border with random lengths of my new Parakeet and I decided that all the mitered edges had to go the same way. Doesn't matter really except that I decided it did.

So here at last is South Seattle Frolic, completed top version The corner shot shows that fun Southwest (very southwest of Seattle) print I'm using for the back.

Thanks all for sharing this journey with me. I appreciate the company and commiserations more than you know. My Tuesday group just laughs at me.

edit: lol in the corner of the full shot is a strange set of items, a big rubber ducky and a dust mop. My son's grandmother gave him an Easter basket one year which was the duck. Now it's our way to shut the door from bed, or since the hubby goes to bed so early he shuts it most of the way to block any light but open enough for the pets to come in and out.

JeanieG

Wonderful finishes Susie and Iceblossom!!! I am getting there too. I only have one more row to sew together, then put the corner piece onto it. I am working on a Frienship Star border as a leader/lender.

In all my nine previous Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilts I have never taken so long to get one done! This seems to be taking forever! It has been a much more complicated quilt!