Endings on a Quilt

Adding border treatments as a way to make the quilt more interesting seems to be gaining popularity. When I think of it, endings are difficult from how we say goodbye after being together, to breaking up or severing relationships to actually passing away. Doing the borders on quilts is a real finishing act, an ending.

I've chosen to do flanges on a quilt I am working with. A flange is cut no larger than an inch wide, folded in half and basted onto a border. Then the next piece is joined and the flange lays between the borders, not actually adding to the dimensions of the quilt, and only giving it a way to pop the colors. I really like what its done so far. There is one last border to be added now and this top will be completed and ready to baste, quilt and bind.

When I think of how healing this work is, I realize that it like the balm of fresh love that heals my heart and help me move toward fully loving others and letting go of all expectations.

The swaps are like that. I never know what is coming or how it will look. Each one is a surprise that invites my inner joy to emerge. Most of all, the small treasures that come in the mail are ways to connect us. Loneliness leaves; isolation lifts. I open to the love that I see in the work of others that contribute to my day, to my next projects, to the sense that we belong. I have lost all judgement of their work & mine, lost the expectations of timing, and I have given in to being open to receive. Love, like these small quilting items comes as surely as I give some of mine away. The plan is loving others as well as myself, and its working.

Two swaps came in the mail.
This one is a 12" block swap where I requested colors of black, white & orange. I plan to use it for the back on one of the Halloween quilts I am making next year. My backs are going to be sampler blocks, so any style will do. 

The other envelope held more Halloween Fabric Squares. These are wonderful selections & some I had not seen. While most of the squares I've received in this swap will be joined in a planned random look, some of them, like these, will have other designations.

Winter Solstice quilts are moving along to the great finish next year, and the Halloween quilts will at least be started and in progress as well. Ideas for endings on them are often in my thoughts. It is a small plan in my head to learn free motion quilting on them. I have to admit that I am feeling pretty inept, pretty cautious, and have all sorts of fears for failure that are most likely nonsense. 

But until I actually give in to that process, I sit in that fear of loss, fear of separation, fear of the unknown. Oh so many lessons to learn.