MMQAL: Cutting Border 7

Hi everyone!

First off, let me apologize for this post being up three days late. I have been legitimately, awfully sick. I had a cold six or so weeks ago which turned into bronchitis and my poor body finally gave up in disgust last Friday. I've spent the last six days struggling with basic things like making sure my toddler doesn't climb up the bookshelves and remembering to brush my teeth. I have not felt this genuinely awful since Owen was freshly born. Yikes.

So: I am VERY sorry. I would much rather have been blogging (and SEWING!)

Anyway, due to gross, aforementioned illness and resultant embarrassingly late blog post, I won't be doing a giveaway this week but NEXT WEEK I will do TWO and they will be BIG! We are getting close to the end of the QAL so the grand prize(s) giveaway is on my list...just sorting out the last few details... :)

This week I want to chat a bit about Border 6, as promised last week, and we will talk about cutting the pieces for Border 7.

Border 6

These are some of the fabric choices I auditioned for Border 6.

Constellations, Constellations, Waterfront Park, Waterfront Park, Rain Basics, Constellations.

Because Border 6 is a large swathe of fabric compared to the scrappy borders either side, it needs to either stand out or blend in. In my first Marcelle Medallion, I opted for a scrappy-looking print that exacerbated the overall scrippity-scrap look.

So for my first MM, I ended up choosing the scarves print from Sherbet Pips, which I love, and it looks fabulously clashy in all the right ways. (That is sort of the beauty of this quilt, though. It's really hard to make ugly.)

I knew that this quilt was a bit more austere, though, and since I had so much restrained scrappiness going on everywhere else, I wanted to stick to the cool, very small-print idea. I wanted a print so fine and soft that the eye could rest. White was out, and I'd used black, navy, aqua and medium blue in other places. I needed something to fill that space.

Ultimately, I chose Rain Basics in grey.

In the overall quilt, it gives a place to pause, visually. It stops you before your eye roves to those scrappy outer borders and lets you have a little rest. Like a rainy day does. Enforced calm. Ahhh.

Now, I have seen a few others doing amazing things with their sixth border...I am jealous of their fabric stash and of their boldness and brilliance! Check these out.

Mary on Lake Pulaski - love the gorgeous vintage vibe of this one!

Deb - this bright blue border adds zingy interest and makes the orange patchwork pop!

Becky - this truly amazing Waterfront Park themed quilt

Jess at The Elven Garden - I love this AMH border, it's like its own patchwork here!

I wish I had written down the quilts I particularly doted over...the ones that were so great, I would jab my poor husband in the knee with my iPhone saying, "LOOK AT THIS ONE!" but there are so, so many. And they are all so, so beautiful. :)

Cutting Border 7

By the time I got to Border 7, I knew I would have plenty of scraps. And hoo boy, did I ever.

I narrowed my scraps down to four feature fabrics in nearly the same color range - there are three different medium blues and one black with blue accents! I wanted mainly the best constrast between my crosses and the background as I could get. I also wanted to stay away from something paler - it would have been washed away by my rainy 6th border.

These I cut first into piles according to color, and then I sorted them into individual crosses. It was easy enough to chain piece them, as they were squares!

Of course I had sewing company that day, so they got done rather quickly. Thank you Sel. :)

All right! NO LINKUP this week, just because germs are gross and I have them, but I'll do TWO PRIZES next week, so look for me on Monday!

Hope your week and weekends are really lovely - think of me, I'll be attending my guild meeting as I'm not contagious, but I hope no one asks me any questions...I might not be able to answer coherently! ;)

Cheers!

Penny xx

MMQAL: Winner!

Hi everyone! It's a long weekend in Australia so I'm enjoying some time to myself while blogging this! I've got my coffee, the cafe is buzzing, and I feel like the kind of grownup who doesn't utter the phrase "potty in the big girl potty" forty-seven times a day. Ahh. So nice. :)

But on to business!

Last week for the link-up we had this fabulous prize:

And the winner of this week's giveaway is....

Lucky number 3! Ali at AliMakes!! Congrats Ali! An email has been sent. :)

Tomorrow we'll be talking about the next border - all those tiny strips!! - and I'll be exploring a few alternative borders, too!

Can't wait to see all your progress! Keep on posting on Flickr, Instagram and linking up here!

Cheers!

Penny xx

MMQAL: Winner!

Hiya everyone!

This week's giveaway was provided by the lovely Samantha at Pattern Crush - a half yard bundle of Dem Bones by Sarah Watson for Cloud 9 Organics!

This week's winner is lucky unmber 13, ChelsieCreates!

Congrats ChelsieCreates! We'll have that half yard bundle in the post for you ASAP!

See you all tomorrow for part II of our tricksy border 4!

Cheers

Penny xx

MMQAL: Border 4 (cutting)

Hi everyone!

This week we tackle a slightly scary border. So scary, in fact, there are two weeks alloted for this border...one for cutting, and one for piecing!

As you can see, I am up to border 3, and am ready to start my flying geese!

Firstly, there are several ways to make this border, but I am going to illustrate how I cut it (according to the book)! In order to accurately piece this, it must be accurately cut. This block is so teensy that it needs definite care!

Tools needed:

• rotary cutter
• cutting mat
• squaring-up ruler with 45º line

I chose to use a bright medium blue for my geese centers, and low-volume fabric as my geese corners. I cut the fabric to the directions in the book, in squares.

Then I lined the top edge of the main fabric square up with the 45º angle on my ruler. I made sure my points were exact!

Then you cut along the ruler line. I try to cut four or fewer at a time. Any more and you'll definitely lose accuracy. Cutting two at once would be even cleverer, but I'm pretty confident in my rotary cutting skills by this point!

Next up are the background triangles. You will do the same, lining the top of the square against the 45º line, then cutting across the diagonal.

Only this time you will carefully turn your ruler (and yourself, be safe!) and you will line the left hand side of the square up against your 45º line, crossing over the existing cut.

There you are - all your half square triangles (HSTs) and quarter-square triangles (QSTs!)

Now, next week there's a fabulous prize donated by the amazing Samantha at Pattern Crush. She is offering this gorgeous half-yard bundle of Dem Bones by Sarah Watson for Cloud 9 Organic.

All you need to do to be eligible for the prize is to link up with a progress shot and let everyone see how you're going! Can't wait to see how everyone is going!!

Cheers

Penny xx