I am okay with whatever the majority wants. I think there are good cases for both having the borders on vs. leaving them off. My fear is I will get these beautiful unbordered blocks then I will get too lazy to sew the borders on and I will never get it done, vs the borders are all already on and all I have to do is sew them all together....I have this wonderful quilt my grandmother made from all sorts of scraps and things, and you know nonething really matches, but that is the homemade, heartwarming part that makes me love that quilt. Just my thoughts ; ) The morning glories will be blue/perwinkle/mauves and the tulips will be in the pink/red family with contrasting borders should we decide to go that way. I am going on vacation the week of April 7th, so I will be bringing the stuff with me to do while I sit on the beach ; ) So my stuff will go out to everyone when I get back if that is okay. Sorry this is so long ; ) Let me know!!! Paula

Excellent thread Kate, a splendid & VERY generous idea. Am a self taught quilter, from magazines like Quilter's Newsletter, etc. Excellent instructions, pix & yes, explanations of basics. But I was also a textile designer & learned to weave as a child & was doing batiks & silkscreen prints as a teenager. My involvement w/ fabrics has been lifelong, so to start learning quilting, I knew I might GET DISTRACTED BY ALL THE PRETTY FABRICS & only allowed myself to work in solid colors, no prints. To study the basics of quilting assembly, the of mechanics how designs & patterns go together. I always make a small test block, if I don't like it or the colors don't work, I've minimized the time lost. I'm sure lots of folks start out over ambitiously, & get overwhelmed. If you always make a small test block, things will go more easily. From time to time step back from your work, even hang it up on the wall, take a few steps back or walk across the room & look at the quilt from a distance. We work on them close up yet see them from some distance unless sleeping under them. Viewing them from a distance can make a big difference in the design process. Small patterns read as solids, contrast becomes more apparent, etc. Well known old instruction, squint at the quilt (or take your glasses off), you can see it better. Don't cut or piece when you're very tired. (Don't iron on top of synthetic area rugs, duh.... can you tell I learned THAT the hard way?)) Buy the best tools you can afford, an investment over time; w/ a little care, they'll last you for years. I'm addicted (since high school) to a special ruler, 18" x 2", see thru w/ 1/8 markings & 1/4" edges, even have one w/ a metal side built in to use against rotary cutters, invaluable. I use it to mark 1/4" seams on my piecework, helps w/ accuracy, helps w/ squaring up right angles.

I moved a two-step ladder out of the g'houses to the sewing room, so that I can easily reach high up on the design wall to pin blocks. Moved a wheeled, swivel office chair out of my old office to put on one side of the quilting frame, so that I could slide easily from one work point to the next as the quilting progressed, and leave another chair on the other side of the frame. You can't believe how often you change positions at a floor frame. I use the compass from my old EKG interpretation class for making circles, the straight edges from my drafting supplies, old crocks with bails for things like straight pins, a sprayer from my house cleaning supplies for water when ironing, paper from a huge roll of butcher paper salvaged from my hubby who is a retired butcher I use for paper piecing, cone thread not related to quilting for basting. Knitting needles for stiletos to turn seams. Use the old pole lamp light brackets to hang sections of sashing and bindings as I make them. Washable markers I borrow from my 'kiddy fun supplies' for marking complex quilting lines. OMGosh.........everything can be multipurposed. My fav is an old stuffed bear my dd was going to throw away as a pin cushion at the ironing board. I keep another pin cushion also at the machine and when it fills up I just swap the nearly empty cushion from the ironing board, where I often pin blocks. Saves a lot of steps.

I had seen the video previously. She is soo inspirational & yes Wanda especially to us quilters! My mom is blind & she is still crocheting @ 97. She recently said she was not going to do it any more, but this past week when I visited... there she was back at it again! It's just "dishcloths" but I am so glad she does... it's like therapy for her. (Her memory & focus have been slipping recently.)