Border Thoughts

To use the world well, to be able to stop wasting it and our time in it, we need to relearn our being in it.

~Ursula Le Guin

Quilting

Ocean Waves V has been languishing for months while I consider a border. Unless something is added to the block centers {such as appliqué or a pieced star} the pattern only seems to differ in the borders and the background color. Previously I've made dark blue, red, and white backgrounds but each border is different.

The first was my favorite border because the waves seem to run up onto the shoreline. I seriously considered reprising it but hadn't enough triangles left. {Such a happy event! I thought they'd never end.}

Ocean Waves 1

The second is the softest but has no border at all; however, it is the most heavily quilted. 

Ocean Waves 2, no border

Although the third Ocean Waves seems to have no border, I appliquéd flowers in half of the outside red triangles. This is also the only one with printed fabric in the centers. 

Ocean Waves 3 with appliqued border

Because I wanted a rectangular quilt {and also to use up more triangles} sawtooth edges were added to the top and bottom of this Ocean Waves.

Ocean Waves IV

So what can I do here? I want to use fabric in the stash and/or leftover blocks.  One idea was the remaining four Shadow Stars in the corners with more of the stripe used in BB1 stems. Two problems: the strip doesn’t match the feel of the waves and the Star is 15” wide which will make the quilt way too large.

I tried to scoot it in by trimming the corners on the diagonal but they were still too large. 

A second thought was Ohio Stars in the corners using the absolute last of the triangles.  But it doesn't seem to relate well to the center. 

Finally I simply added three borders: white, blue micro stripe, and more white. My friend, Peg, will quilt it so this gives her lots of room to play. 

Now it's off to my friend, Pat, for long-arm quilting. This one is much too large for me to handle anymore.

Reading

Dr. Rundell's biography of John Donne is interesting and comprehensive. I studied several of his poems and essays in school but didn't know anything else about him. I'm glad I read it. 

Enjoy the day,  Ann

Spiderweb Borders Complete

The top is finally finished. It measures over ninety inches in each direction which is good for a queen-size bed. The lighting is off. I tried all hours of the day but couldn't get the colors to photograph properly. {And you know it no longer fits on the kitchen floor.}

Spiderweb with all borders

Taking the wider triangles out of the narrow sawtooth border made the rest more coherent. The background of the small triangles is yellow while the outer background is pale green. It makes a nice change from the center.

In many ways these borders remind me of heavily carved antique Spanish picture frames I enjoyed at the Dallas Museum of Art. They are "important" enough to set off the center but they also stand on their own, not an afterthought. The homey, slightly awkward construction pushes it towards 19th century American folk art.

Here's a detail of the color change and the borders. These colors are very close to the actual quilt.

Spiderweb quilt border, detail

The improvisational style of the triangles is more apparent in this photo. Especially on the narrow border, the width of the triangles as well as their points vary. On the outer border the triangles were cut close to thirty degrees. The width and height still vary but not as much as the inner triangles. Because of the similar angle it was easier to exchange foreground and background within the rectangles. {Important discovery: It's very fabric-expensive when you can't change any pieces around but always have to cut new ones.}

Since everyone's taste differs, other people may have stopped at a different place or moved in a different direction. This quilt could have easily expressed several styles.

For instance, here's the spiderwebs alone. This might be the stopping point for a true scrap quilt.

Spiderwebs with no borders

While here it is with only the plain border. A quieter quilt that could highlight elaborate quilting in the border.

Spiderweb quilt with plain border only

With only the applique it could move to a very traditional finish - with our without a second border.

Spiderweb quilt with applique border only

Finally, I photoshopped this to see what the quilt would look like with sawteeth pointing out.

Spiderwebs with sawteeth pointing out,
photoshopped detail

It's interesting to discover the crossroads of quilt construction, the places where your decisions change the style of the quilt. And what a joy that we can each make quilts to please ourselves if we take the time to verbalize our reasoning. Thanks for all the help. You pushed me to articulation; I needed that.

Enjoy the day, Ann