Started Two New Quilts in Recent Days

[speckledhen]

First one is done and in BSA for sale (or trade for firewood). Here it is. Yep, not exactly symmetrical in the color placement but I hear symmetry is highly overrated, LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

My "Cottage Garden" lap quilt/chair throw/wallhanging is coming along, but not sure what to do next. Could do a border that looks like a fence or just a solid border to pull it all together, then bind it. Suggestions? And what color border if a solid one? My camera makes my dark purple look too blue, but it's really purple, no actual blue in there other than in the floral prints. The lazy me says just put a solid border then bind it rather than a complicated one.

The border I was thinking about, if I do the fence one would be similar to the one on this quilt top below, but in the appropriate colors. It may be way too busy and conflict with the corner pieced blocks, though.

 

[joletabey]

I like the solid color idea- do you have any of that peachy gold left to use? You have four little corner squares out of it-

They are pretty, pretty quilts!

 

[speckledhen]

I don't have enough of that yellowy gold to do a border, Beth.

I have the material for the backing in a hummingbird print and the binding in a purple and green print, but have to think about that last border a bit. I do think a solid one would be best, though not sure how wide to make it.

 

[joletabey]

Using the backing fabric would tie it all together- and perhaps use just a thin band of it- with the size of the flowered strips and dark purple strips you have going on the outer edges, I would think you could use a border maybe half the size of the dark purple - is that hummingbird fabric anywhere on the front? It seems a thinner border, especially in a fabric not used elsewhere in the front would finish it without detracting from what you already have.

This reminds me of designing window treatments- I find this all so fascinating!

Of course, it sort of depends on whether you need it to be bigger or not, too.

 

[speckledhen]

No, the hummingbird fabric isn't on the quilt anywhere; just had this for a long time and seemed hummingbirds go with the floral/sring theme. I found some nice buttery yellow plain fabric in my stash that may work for the last border, not too bright, not too dull. Have to think about it some. I'm trying to use what I have so I don't have to buy any for this project. I don't need it larger than just to add a 2-3" border or it gets too large to quilt in a decent amount of time by hand.

 

[joletabey]

I think the buttery yellow would be nice- keeps with the spring thing. I love the floral fabrics you used - I used to make doll clothes for 18" and 22" dolls using fat quarters - I liked making the old fashioned full skirted dresses - and I think I recognize the small squares of florals in the upper left and lower right-

 

[speckledhen]

I have other florals, but they have a tropical feel and that wasn't right for this. Guess I need to buy a couple good florals in decent amounts of yardage to use in the future.

 

[speckledhen]

I think I'll use the yellow. I have a neon yellow that I think is too bright. The one I'm going to use has a tone on tone print which reads as a solid and is cheery, but not neon. I may put on a 2 1/2" yellow border with it, then decide if it needs cutting down a bit.

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, border is on. Here are pics. The two fabrics at the bottom in the second pic are two choices for the binding (only 1/2" or so will show on the front). Which do you think would be better or should I keep looking?