Borders on my log cabin quilt

Borders are the last thing that go on a quilt before you sandwich and quilt it.  There are as many choices for borders as there are for the centre.  There are times for pieced borders and times for plain ones, depending on the mood you want the quilt to have and who you are making the quilt for.

I find that sometimes you look at a quilt and feel that there is something missing or off with the border.  That is when the match does not fit.  I have to admit that I tend it stick with plain borders instead of pieced ones up to this point.  I have done pieced borders in the past, but still gravitate to plain.  A plain border does not mean boring. Even with a plain border you still have to consider a few options, like what size, colour and how many borders.  A border makes the quilt, so when it does not fit you feel it.

I had my log cabin quilt done now for about a year and I believe it was in March sometime that I pinned the quilt and shortly after started quilting it in the ditch following the zig zag lines between the dark and light of the blocks.  I got the whole quilt done and there it sat since.  It wasn't until a couple of weekends ago when I realized why I was stuck on this quilt.  I couldn't bring myself to move forward with it.  I get this way from time to time, where I can't seam to move on.

The picture here is the border selection.  I hade it on the quilt and quilted in the ditch.  I have to say honestly that I really did not like the border from the start.  Some people may like it but it just is not me.  I find these colours so drab, they seem to drag the quilt down.  Even though they were partially quilted I had to take them off.  I would never be happy with them.  One weekend whirl at my parent's house for the after I started taking it apart.  My daughter decided she would help.  Before we left in the evening it was done.

The next day was when I decided to make a trip to The Hobby Horse.  We found just the right borders to liven up the quilt.  This new border enhances the centre and bring out some of the dominant colours.  The centre has a majority of strong colours that stand out and call for your attention and the border calls out to be recognized as well. 

I am much more satisfied with the border.  It is still a plain border, but it stands out better.  So, now I have the border sewn back on and quilted in the ditch.  I feel that now I can move on.  I am motivated to work on it and have already picked a few quilting patterns to start with.

There is one thing that I learned from all of this, and that is to go with you gut feelings.  Don't let anyone push you into a choice.  Everyone is different.  Again you have to remember that there are as many choice for the border as there are for the centre.  The options are endless, but when you find the right options for you, you will know.