Thanks Margo. I've had a look at the videos and I'll give that a try. What would be the largest measurement you would suggest that the floaters could be without throwing out the rest of the quilt and looking unbalanced....just in case I can't eliminate all the excess?

cqteach wrote:
I think that I would just try to steam "block" the borders and see if you can shrink their length a little. If you've never done something like that, you might want to watch these videos by Sharon Schamber:
part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6aplw_tVZc
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIjZqABo2NY

You should be able to make them a little shorter, and adjust your floater to the new size.

Hope that helps.

I'm a bit behind here, but working diligently to catch up! . Up until today my quilt was right on size-wise. However.....I've just finished the first of my 4-patch side borders that were supposed to measure 3 x 45"....and they are 3 x 47". I'm thinking that will make my floater 1 1/4", which is going to look awkward. I was wondering what I should do? If I remove one four patch, my border will be less than 45". If I take all my diagonal seams in, my 4 patches won't be square. Can you suggest any options other than starting over? This is the first time I've had a problem with 'too scant' 1/4" seams!

Norma! How very pretty!

I finished part of month four and placed a photo in Show and Tell for you to see

Kathy, this is the first quilt I've ever made where the finished size of any block was critical, so a steep learning curve for me. I know that the end result will be worth it though. Yes, TQS rocks!!!!!!!

Pam, I am thrilled with it! The almost endless repetition of sewing so many units, and then checking for size at each step, is giving me that immediate feedback I need to improve. And then re-inforcement when I do it right! Just finished the April swags, and they measure correctly.

I can remember an early quilt, I think it is Jewel Box, with HST and 4 patches, that I never checked for size on the units, and when I sewed it together had to ease quite a bit in at almost every seam. That was maybe 6 years ago, because I bought my Janome 6600 to do the quilting on it because it was Ginormous and heavy. Nice to think that I can make progress.

I do think TQS is helping me tremendously, It's wonderful to have a supportive guild like this.

Kathy

Kathy, I love your version of the BOM. It sure has alot to teach us doesn't it? You must be thrilled with it!

Thanks, Lotti and Jill. I really debated about this kit vs the original kit, vs making my own color choices. This one kept calling me and I'm glad I went with that one. I'm getting hours of practice at precision sewing, which is what I wanted out of this year's BOM. Oh, and getting pretty good at applique too.

Those swag borders are much easier, thankfully!

Kathy

Looks lovely Kathy

so do i, kathy, beautiful

Today I finished sewing on the April borders, yippee!! Making quilts is a humbling experience, for me at least. Even though it was starched, I have still had challenges sewing everything together properly. BUT, I love it so far!

Kathy

Thanks, Margo. It looked like there was another floater, I just couldn't tell how wide the other one was! The half inch wide floater looks kind of clunky but that's the way it is. I am so looking forward to being on the way to caught up.

kathy

kathyst2 wrote:

Kathy, if your quilt measures close to 50-1/2" square after you've added the last floater you will be fine. One more floater will be added before your basket borders go on and Sue gives good directions later in the year to do the math for that next floater. You were right to ease in the fullness to match the measurement of the center, and it's a good idea to do that with every floater/border!