RSC2016 Update

Last year was my first year participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I got a late start and spent most of the year trying to catch up. I chose a scrappy bow tie quilt made up of 2" finished blocks. Nearly 800 of them!

I was so excited to get it all put together and add an appliqued floral border. I wanted to do the applique before I put the borders on so I wouldn't have to do so much twisting and turning of the large quilt. (This quilt top was surprisingly heavy - I assume it's because the extra small blocks have a lot of seam allowances on the back side. In fact, they almost cover the backs of the blocks, so it's like the quilt has twice the normal amount of fabric.)

Anyway, I made the borders but when I laid them out to pin to the quilt, the vines didn't meet at the corners. I felt pretty dumb for not having the foresight to see that was going to happen. And at that point, the quilt immediately found a new home crumpled up in the closet!

I posted a picture on Instagram with just one border and mentioned how I messed up and had kind of given up on it. Then I received some kind and encouraging words from @redbirdquiltco.

I did eventually get it back out and put together as best I could. I made four more flowers and tried to make the vines "grow" out of the corners.

It's a bright and cheerful quilt - it'll never be a show quilt. But, it never would have anyway...even if the borders had been perfect.

And now I'm a big fan of the saying "finished is better than perfect"!