Originally Posted by dilyn

1. You really should start with a plan…winging it has it’s charms but it sometimes creates ‘issues’ like running out of fabric, making blocks that don’t fit with other blocks, etc.
2. Borders are adjustable. Change the width if you need it narrower or wider but try to make it balanced.
3. If you get a ‘great idea’ in the middle of making your quilt (this happens often when you are winging it), give it LOTS of thought before you actually do it.
4. FMQ…I have read many times on this board – practice, practice, practice.. That’s what I did on this quilt. I learned very dense quilting gives you a stiff back…oops no, I meant a stiff quilt. Not a problem on this one, it’s going on a guest room bed. (Don’t want some guests to get too comfy).
5. In the wall hanging, I learned that thread painting should be done BEFORE you quilt. When you do it after sandwiching the fabrics, all that stitching shrinks the quilt unevenly. By the time I finished thread painting the center of the picture, it looked like it was wearing a ruffled border. I did not bind it (seemed like a waste of time for something I will eventually re-do) so I made a frame and stretched the ‘ruffles out and stapled that sucker down!