Slowly Moving Along

 I have finally arrived at the layering up stage but it is going very very slow. I am quilting this in sections and it is usually easier to layer up sections than the whole quilt, but not this time. I ordered wide backing because I didn't have anything I wanted to piece  together for these backing sections and I didn't want to spend time figuring out the backing.

When I ordered the fabric I saw a 6 inch square and I did no know that this is what a 24 inch wide  section would look like.  Oh well, that should not be a problem. Well, it was! working with a 108 inches x 72 inches piece of fabric was not easy in my user unfriendly space. To start with, I wasn't sure how to handle the "stripes".  I wanted to avid having to match any thing across the backing so  I decided on the pattern running lengthwise. I decided to center the pattern so the seam would be in the wide stripes where I would  not have to think about matching anything. Because the sections will be quilted when they are joined  the backing seam will be what ever it is after matching the block seams on the front.

I moved chairs and other stuff that has landed in my sewing room to my bed room. I needed to move my two 24 x 48 inch tables together to layer up the sections. the Lifetime tables are slippery and it was one frustration after another to finally get the fabric cut and get all the layers smoothed out and pinned together. I have one section done. The next 2 sections should be a little easier because at least I won't be dealing with 108 inches of width. Second thought, it probably won't be easier

Jack wondered if we were going to be able to go to bed but I did manage to get everything back in my sewing room. It looks like a tornado came through the sewing room but the bedroom is in neat and clean. We slept well.

When I took a break from frustration yesterday, I wandered over to a new post on Annie's blog, freezeframe03.blogspot.com/, She made piano key borders for a wall hanging and she used paper piecing.  💡 Why have I not thought of that ?  I can do that, I can draw the foundation blocks in EQ, I can print them in my computer, I have the paper for it somewhere. 

This is what I printed on a sheet of printer paper. I will play with it little more before I print them on piecing paper but now I know I can print and paper piece 5 inch x 10 inch sections.  I can work on a few at a time and decide on the order for putting  them together. I still have the two end borders to make and I am looking forward to trying paper piecing again.  I never thought I would say that.