Civil War Bride borders

I've been meddling with the Civil War Bride pattern again (yes I know - never satisfied). I've kept the winding vine, added some curls, a few pears and loads more leaves. 

I'll show you my method - just what I do but there are always other ways of going about it.
Trying my paper sketch out for size against the quilt:

Cutting a strip of background, placing it over my pattern, and tracing it on to the back of the fabric ready for back basting applique) with the help of a light pad. Thank goodness for a long kitchen bench - just another surface clearly designed for quilting! 

Then I made some 1/4 inch bias using the iron and a little Clover bias gadget. I think we've all tried this method but here is a link to a tutorial just in case. Then I pinned it to the fabric. I have tried glue in the past to hold the bias in place, but I prefer pins as I can make little adjustments as I stitch it down, and there is no risk of glue stains. I pinned the bias down with my light pad underneath - so I could see the placement lines that I drew on the back of the background fabric. 

Once the bias was all stitched down I used back basting to prepare all the rest of the applique and needle turned it. 

One border complete  -  three more to go, and some corners!

It's time to put another quilt in the hoop. There's no one so keen as the recently converted - and that's me with hand quilting! Remember this one? Ann Randoll - my verson of Rhonda Pearce's reproduction. 

The top was finished in October last year and put on the quilting queue while I revisited hand quilting. I think am sure I can tackle it now.  It was complex to piece this quilt but I'm hoping the quilting will be relatively simple - mostly outlining and highlighting the shapes. But maybe some fill in places...will see as it goes. 

Here is the backing prepared and I'm just waiting for delivery of the wool batting - can't wait to get it in the hoop!

(In case anyone asks...yes, this does mean I have finished hand quilting my Auntie Green -  but shhh - secret sewing - all to be revealed at the end of the year.)

Seeing as my CWB top is nearly finished I've been rummaging among the stash planning the next quilt to start. I bought Dawn's pattern Harrison Rose a little while ago and it has been waiting patiently. 

Nancy  is making her version in pink and green prints and I love it. But I'm going to take this chance to make something that has been on the 'one day' list for a long time - a quilt in solids. I've used plenty of red solid in quilts before but have not touched my little collection of cheddar. Each of these fabrics, from different manufacturers,  is called "cheddar"  and yet so different..

In deciding on my colour scheme I spotted some quilt images on Pinterest  - in colours that appeal to me - and printed them on a page to take to the stash. I love the way the greens in some antique quilts have washed/ aged to a taupe. So I thought I'd bypass the aging and go straight for the taupe in this quilt. 

The reds that are faded in antiques are so lovely too - as in this cutter scrap (that I showed a couple of posts ago). So I'll carry on the aged appeal by selecting reds in these old tones.

How about these colours for a start? 

While I was fossicking for fabric in the cupboards I ventured on a little tidying - had seen some of this going on in blogs and was inspired to try it! The tidying developed into a re arrangement  which then steam rolled into a full on clean out. I am now relatively back in control (phew) but have many boxes full of books and bobs for donation in the garage, clearer shelves, and have my 35 odd quilts in better order.

A Spring clean at the beginning of winter...that's what comes of reading blogs the other side of the world!