Halo Star Medallion--Month 10 My Alternative Border

We all  have favorite blocks, borders and quilt designs. I am not a fan of Delectable Mountains, it's just not my favorite. I also wanted to get my focus fabric back on the outside of the quilt, more than the Delectable Mountains would allow.

As I thought about what alternative block I would use, I looked at border books, block books, and "quilts I like" photos I've saved over the years. I spent a lot of time thinking about this. Each time I thought I had decided, I made a block or two to see how they looked next to the quilt:

I was sure this was it until I put two of them side by side, no focus fabric. NO...

Love this block, lots of focus fabric--looks awful!

How about half focus/half focus background--still NO...

This might be it--NO...

More scrappy, better, but still NO...

I was running out of ideas and losing sleep--this was what I thought about each night when trying to fall asleep. I wanted the decision made--I was just tired of thinking about it.

One night I was teaching a class that used 3.75" finished Nine-Patch blocks. Set on point they would be 5.30" across finished, a wacky number. But I didn't want big Nine-patches--the next size up would be 4.5" blocks, almost 6.375" set on point. That would make the floaters needed larger than I wanted.

Ultimately, I decided to go with the 3.75" finished Nine-patches--those squares are 1.25" finished, small enough to be in keeping with the rest of the quilt. Some I made from 9 individual 1.75" cut squares, some I made by strip piecing, using 5.5" x 1.75" strips for maximum scrappiness.

Yes, this will work. Time to move forward...

If anyone else wants to make this border, be my guest. The rest of this blog provides the information to make it.

Each border starts with half square triangles on the outer edge, then quarter square triangles for the perimeter sides. This keeps straight of grain on the outside edges, no bias wanted here:

By the numbers:

Side borders contain 14 Nine-patch blocks, 4.25" unfinished
Top and Bottom borders contain 16 Nine-patch blocks, 4.25" unfinished
If you want to cut individual squares, that's 300 colored squares, cut 1.75" and 240 background squares

Perimeter Side Triangles cut from Focus Fabrics:  Cut 6.75" squares, in quarters, diagonally--this puts the straight of grain on the outside edge. You do not want bias here. You need a total of 28 squares, 6.75" for all the borders.

Corner Squares cut from Focus Fabric: Cut 4" squares, in half, diagonally. You need a total of four 4" squares for all the borders.

Steps to Create:

1. Make Nine-patches, a total of 60, 14 for each of the side borders, 16 for the top and bottom borders

2. Lay out the Nine-patches for desired color placement:

Top border laid out, ready to sew. Enough focus triangles to keep me on track. Start and end with half square triangles

3. Sew a perimeter quarter square triangle to one side and a corner half square triangle to the first block:

4. Press toward the focus fabric triangles, use a ruler to remove the excess "dog ears", then add the other corner triangle.

5. Continue to add perimeter quarter square triangles to each side of the blocks, being sure to keep them going in the correct orientation. Finish the other end with two half square triangles:

Laid out, ready to sew

The first two blocks with their Focus fabric triangles in place, ready to join together

6. I trimmed all the edges with a 3/8" seam allowance. This will allow the 9 patches to appear to "float" on the background. Also, I use a 3.8" seam allowance when sewing on the binding--if I don't add another border beyond this, the 3/8" trim is what I need for the binding.

7. Measure the side borders and the top and bottom borders to be sure they are all the correct sizes. My sides were 75.5" x 6" unfinished, and the top/bottom borders were 86.125" x 6". I fold them in half and use a metal tape measure them--here is the top border, in half the border is 43 1/16":

These measurements are more than would be expected mathematically--with all these bias seams, that is what can happen. Fortunately for me, the space  I needed to fill with floaters/borders was 2" finished--perfect! I repeated the 1/2" blue finished "border" around the quilt center, then added a 1.5" purple finished "floater" that I used previously.

After looking at this quilt on the wall for a week or so, I knew I wanted to add one final border from the purple woven fabric used 5 other times for floaters. I cut it 2.5" wide by the required side and top/bottom measurements and added this last final touch. My quilt is 90" square unfinished:

And, before anyone says I was "wrong" to change Sue's border design, let me say this:

Sue would be the first person to tell you to make your quilt your own. She loved it when students or customers took her design and changed it. She celebrated those choices, often saying she wouldn't have thought to do that, but she loved the variation. It's your quilt, you decide.

I was inspired by Sue's earlier quilt designs I have made. We both love blocks set on point with triangles to offset them:

Joyful Journey from Sue Garman's pattern Washington Medallion

Old Stars, New Day from Sue Garman's pattern Old Stars for a New Day

Joyful Journey Too, also Washington Medallion

Both of these patterns are available from Sue's website: ComeQuilt.

Feel free to create your own border--I would love to see what you come up with.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara