I have been having interesting times in my quilting studio. My rotary cutter broke while using it the other day.  I had an old one I pulled out that I dno't like as well, but it was getting the job done...until this morning when it also broke.  They are both Fiskars brand so I intend to see if they are covered by that lifetime warranty they offer.  They replaced my husbands shovel a few years ago when he managed to break it and I was really impressed.  All I had to send was a photo of the broken one and they covered shipping and all on the new one.  In the meantime I may just have to break down and get one of the pretty new colors they now offer since I purchased my old gray ones.  I don't know how many rotary cutters my husband will be okay with me owning, lol, but they are rather a necessity.  So wouldn't that count as a need and not a want?  We have these kind of discussions all the time.

But back to our quilt on hand.  I recommend that you read through the entire instructions so that you understand my approach to adding the sashing and cornerstones.  It may be different from what you have done in the past and it helps to see the whole picture before beginning.

When it comes to the borders I prepared this video during my Little Bo Peep Sew Along.  If you have ever had issues with border strips that come out rather wonky when you cut them I recommend you watch my video.  It also eplains why I wait to cut the length of my border strips until I am ready to add them to the quilt.

Since I have cut my border strips on the crossgrain rather than the length of grain of my fabric I need to do some piecing so they are long enough for my quilt top.  I like to use a diagonal seam to join the strips.  That means I start by laying the two strips right sides together and draw a line using my ruler which will serve as my sewing line to join the strips.

I find it helpful to place a couple of pins to keep things from shifting as I move to my machine and start sewing.

I vary in how much to trim this seam allowance, but I like it to be wider than the usual 1/4 inch we use when piecing.  This time I am cutting it 1/2 inch from the seam line.

Next I press the seam open.

And finish it off with a little press on the front side as well.

I always pin my border strips to my quilt top starting with a pin on each end.  I place several more pins along the way making sure the border lays evenly across the entire side of the quilt.  Off I go to the sewing machine.

And just because it has been that kind of day...I ran out of bobbin thread just before I reached the end.

Some days you just have to smile and move on.

For your copy of the pdf file for the finishing instructions click on the link for my Free Patterns page.

I hope you have a beautiful day!  Happy Quilting!!

Perhaps the hardest part of the setting process is deciding on fabrics.  I am going with a polka dot for the sashing strips from my stash and four different fabrics for my cornerstones which are leftovers from fabrics I used in my blocks.  I am breaking out of my mold here by using a variety of fabrics for the cornerstones,  but I think it will add another layer of interest to my quilt.

I am sewing with the sashing strips on the bottom.  This allows me to keep an eye on all of those seams and to use a stiletto (or in my case That Purple Thang) to help guide thick seams under my needle.  I also place a pin or two, to keep the sashing lined up with the edges of the block.  I always place a pin at the bottom, and then sometimes somewhere in the middle if I feel it is needed to keep the edges aligned.

And just like when piecing the block  I always S-L-O-W down when I come to bulky seams.  It really helps to keep the seam nice and straight.  Otherwise it can get a little wobbly going over the bulk.

I can be so hip!  Is that even a cool thing to say anymore?  When I was looking for a word to describe my day "totally-tubular" won hands down.  I mean it is just a fun thing to say, which is how my day has been.  It means "really cool; totally excellent"
I mean Totally.

Having a cool day does not mean I have it all together all the time though.  It has been another day where I've spent far too much time with my seam ripper.  How many times can I sew the wrong piece onto the same block?  Oh, let me count the ways.  

First though my 30 Minutes of Freedom Challenge saw me cutting purple strips to add to my Log Cabin Dream blocks and start sewing them on.  I have to keep reminding myself when I start to think that they are coming together sooo slowly that there are 36 of them.  And that good things come to those who wait.

I try to get in my sewing time in the morning and then work on other business related tasks in the afternoon.  I probably should have flipped it around today-but hey it is all cool and it led to a moment of clarity that saw me repurpose some things in a drawer to aide in putting a quilt together the way I have it laid out on paper.  There was nothing particularly difficult about it, but you wouldn't know it if you had seen me standing at my design wall scratching my head several times.  I quite literally started laughing out loud when I realized I had sewn that block wrong for the THIRD time.  I even toyed for just a moment with moving that particular block so that I would not have to rip out the seam again.  But I persevered and soon you will see the beautiful result.  Problem solving is cool too.  It is nice to have a problem that can be solved so easily sometimes.  Thankfully I have a drawer full of blank address labels that I was not using.  They work well for labels to keep things straight.

One of the things that happened today was the little oil can symbol popped up on my machine.  This is my public service announcement:  Remember to take time to clean and oil your machine.  It is amazing to me how different my machine sounds after I have done this.  The ole' workhouse sounds like new again.

I am off to get more work done...I hope you have a Totally Tubular Thursday!
Thanks for being a part of my day!