Orange Crush - Clue #6 - Bonnie Hunter - Mystery Quilt - THE BIG REVEAL

Ah yes --- the big reveal.  Well that is a wee bit funny since one could peek ahead and just about everyone did.  I tried really hard not to and simply moved ahead a couple of times during the clues.  Now we are on the last week.  Whew.  It's time to get to work again.  I have about 45 leftover shaded four-patch blocks (yep, got carried away and it turns out that for a change it is a good thing) and am going to use them in the border.  That means I need about 55 more or so.  They are cut and ready to go.  While I am working on these border pieces and other border strips, I want to get the label made as leaders and enders.  I have a starting plan using some leftover blocks and pieces from cutting the orange squares used in the album blocks.  Once I have the rest of the units put together, I make the border strips and lay everything out.

It's time to set this beauty.  Working from the upper left half down and the lower right up, I soon have two very large diamonds.

Once the two diamonds are sewn together, the next task is to make the small inner border.  This takes some math work to determine how wide it needs to be in order for my pieced borders to fit.  I sure hope I did the math right as I cut my strips and sew them all together.

I have learned the hard way to measure my borders correctly (if you really need to hear about it check out this LINK.)  so I lay the new border down the center of my top and cut; then repeat for the second side.  I now have the two sides to attache.

Once those are sewn on, and yes it does take a bit of easing to fit properly but not much, I repeat that same process with the sides, including the border in my cuts.

The first border is on

Next comes the big test.  Will the pieced border fit right?  Oh yes, they are perfect.  Back to the machine.

Does the top and bottom fit?  Oh goodness, I am doing a little jig.  I could not have asked for a better fit.  I flip them over and pin in place.  I do not know how many quilts it took before I learned this simple trick.  Pin the borders on while it is on the floor.  SOOOOOO much easier than sitting with it in your lap and trying to get them to line up.  It is another hard earned trick that I wish someone had mentioned to me about 15 quilts earlier.

Another trip to the machine and we have the pieced borders in place.  I'm lovin' this more and more with each addition.

I now have a decision to make.  Originally I bought some red fabric for the outer border, but I'm just not feeling it.  I also have an orange that I thought to use for the binding, so I try it out also.  Still not happy.  Finally, I grab the leftover fabric from the blocks and ding ding ding -- we have a winner.

I want this border a bit wider than the pieced border and when I measure the fabric I have about 4 inches more than I think I will need.  It could not be more perfect.  Soon the strips are cut and sewn together.  My top and I go back to the floor to measure again.

Sides on and one last trip out to measure the last two borders.  The end is in sight.

Again, I am pinning these on as they lay on the floor.  Here is a close up of the last border being pinned on.

I have been working consistently on the label by using it's parts as leaders and enders.  I had just enough black left to run the top strip and it is finished at the same time the top is.  Woohoo!  All that is left is for me to piece a back and I think I'll be using that big orange piece that was originally planned for the binding (it's been in the stash awhile and there is quite a bit) plus some other odds and ends red and orange pieces.  I just may go back to the black that was used in the stars for the binding as I have enough of that left as well.  The plan is to have this ready to handstitch the binding at the next retreat.  Cross your fingers all.  I can't wait for the next one to start -- Old Tobacco Road coming up soon.  Fun times. (The borders look wavy in the next picture, but I assure you they are not.  I am just plain tired of crawling on the floor straightening it out today.)

Oh -- you can find Orange Crush on the free patterns tab on Bonnie's website.  Please give it a try -- you won't regret it.