Borders Define Us

I spent the morning working with 'strip piecing' and this time actually have the correct words for what I did. Instructions said to cut material 9.5" long in widths that vary from 2.5" to 1.25". Then randomly sew side by side.

Tyra Banks was known to say, "I'm competitive with myself. I always try to push past my own borders." I say that too in various ways that use other words like riding the edge, or being outside the box. 

The next step to this process is to trim the strip to a 9.25" block. It ceases to matter how the strips align because they are all coordinated colors. The final cut is at the diagonal with the strips on each block going the same direction. I screwed up with one, but then realized I would need to make two additional blocks to have 12 for the border pattern.

I have learned that borders can make the quilt come alive. This border will be so gorgeous because the fabrics in the center of the quilt are also here. The focus will allow your eye to dance across the top.

Borders mean something in my family because we came from the old country (Europe) where borders changed all the time depending upon the political or religious rulers. One generation might be able to identify with a certain nationality for as long as that king or emperor stayed in power. What people called their nationality was not how they identified their core. It was only a word, only a name, and it was someone else's name for who they were, how they lived and what they believed in. 

I will enjoy this quilt as it progresses, again for one of the Great-Nieces who enjoys a late fall birthday.