Laundry on the line...

dontcha just love that? When we drive through Amish country, it is so pretty to see all their laundry out on the line. Usually it's a Monday. Yesterday, I got the first laundry on the line for the year. I about froze my fingertips, but it was worth it! I watched the sunrise and the breeze seemed so full of spring. The flannel sheets froze stiff in no time, but once the sun came up... they melted right away. Whenever I see a gorgeous sunrise, I always think of Darcie, knowing she's up and seeing the same sun rising. My Mom is probably up most sunrises, too, but in WV... well, I remember my sister and I were determined to see the sunrise one summer. We got up at 4:30am because the guy on the weather news said that the sunrise was scheduled for 5:30am. We took our blankets out to the porch and waited and waited and waited. It was full daylight and 9:30 before the sun came up over the hill!! We felt seriously jipped. No gorgeous color or majestic grandeur... just broad daylight. Now here in Indiana, the sun heralds the day, and it was a stunner, yesterday.

Just thought I'd share a quick tip that I do on borders. I have the hardest time making my triangles in my borders come out even with the edge of the quilt. So I used to just whack off the triangles and that would do it. This quilt is a pineapple blossom and I used all those extra HST for a flying geese border. But... how do you get the triangles to end at the end of the quilt? Well, you could figure out what size inner border you need to make it all come out evenly... but that would involve math. I'm getting wiser, and I really don't want to use any valuable brain cells figuring out something like that. So now, I just make sure my triangles run short on the length- it doesn't matter if they run the same amount of short on the sides and top and bottom- chances are, they won't. Then I slap a rectangular piece of fabric, extra long, to the end. Sew the sides off,wack it off even, then sew the top and botton on. I use the 45* angle on my ruler and line it up with one side of the quilt and then whack off the extra, making sure to leave a 1/4" seam allowance. I cut a square of setting fabric that is large enough the cut on the diagonal twice- these go on the corners. I like to make them big and trim them after they're on and Voila! It makes a nice little setting around the corners- as if I planned it that way! Works like a charm every time. Clear as mud, huh? Hoping the pictures help.