Crow Quilt

We need our friends. Not just for good times, but for basic health. Without others who help us form our boundaries and perceptions, sometimes what we imagine can become monstrous reality. Most of my good friends live back in the midwest. Through the convenience of the web, we stay connected.

I am working on a scrappy quilt top for my friend Rex who is one of my FB14. It is a quilt made by shopping from my closet, but one I am thrilled with so far. (Yes, that is Rico sitting on the table next to the ironing board.) This photo is shown in black and white so it doesn't give away the look of the quilt. Quilting is about joining pieces of fabric to remake a whole project. I really didn't have a pattern to follow here so have had to calculate and did rip one section away to make it a better fit. I am pleased with how it is evolving, and have used a bit of what I learned elsewhere to make this one come alive. 

Personal lap quilts often run about 50x60 in the patterns. My own favorite is not as wide and is a little longer. I do make larger ones for taller folks. Thing is, most of the time, they end up however they end up. Over the past few years, I have come to understand the way borders make the quilt come alive. Where I used to think of things as being too busy, now, I enjoy seeing the different patterns and fabrics of scrap quilting. The more variety, the more it will 'go' in a person's house and with their sofa.

The first border on this one is what the Aussies call a Peeper. It is used on this quilt to define the center panel and separate it from the 2nd border which will be 5" charm squares. After that, I have no plan. I will measure and see if a 3rd border is needed. I do have an idea for a back, and again, need to measure where it ends up before I start on one. Such an adventure this kind of quilting is!

Such a friend this friend is.