As the Possum Magic quilts get bigger, I can see it will become trickier to add to them! In the third round, I had to add to Sharon’s quilt.
Each time a new project arrives, I think it is my favourite, and I really like how this scrappy quilt is developing. Sharon (of Motherdragon’s Musings) started with a Dresden-plate centre, in which she used eighty different fabrics and some tiny fussy-cut hexagons. Jo of Riddle and Whimsy added the print border and loads and loads of tiny triangles, setting the Dresden plate on point and framing it really well. Jo took Sharon’s scrappy plan to heart and deliberately added 140 different fabrics. Then, Serena of Sew Giving added some granny squares, separated by white space, which I think was precisely what was needed to frame what had been done before. My job was not to muck it up!
I knew straightaway that I wanted to continue the traditional scrappy look that Sharon had started. For me, the obvious step was to include more scrappy triangles like Jo’s so the two borders looked related and balanced on either side of Serena’s.
I started sketching.
Then, I transferred some of my ideas into clearer drawings using Adobe Illustrator.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
I asked Serena and Jo for their opinions, and, as always seems to be the case, we all liked different borders for different reasons. In the end, I threw reason out the window, and went with my gut and chose pinwheels.
Because of my neat-freak nature, my scrap box is tidy and small. I started by using any of my pre-cut triangle scraps that were large enough and any scraps that I had not yet cut into small squares, but I soon had to start cutting into my stash. I simply do not have enough scrap! I put in a little bit of most colours, but I avoided brown and black, as I did not see any of those in Sharon’s centre, and I also did not use much of anything too bright or garish that might draw the eye. I wanted the attention to stay focused on the middle.
Pulling all of my stash out of the cupboard and cutting small bits from the fabrics forced me to do a bit of a tidy and sort. My fabric stash is nice and neat at the moment … until I start rummaging about in it again.
My border contains 192 coloured triangles, and I never used the same fabric more than twice. Many are one-offs. Without counting accurately, I am confident that I have added at least a hundred fabrics to the quilt, and that does not include the several white prints I used. Adding together the different fabrics contributed by all four of us, I estimate at least 330 fabrics have been used. The total is probably closer to 340.
The quilt top is now 46 inches square, and it is ready to send to Jane of Where Jane Creates.
What do you think? Did I make the right call with pinwheels? What border would you have chosen? Or, what would you do next if you were Jane?
You absolutely made the correct choice with the pinwheels. They have given more breathing space to the prettiness! I think Jane will need to mimic the granny squares in some way! It’s lovely!
Thanks, Suz! I think Serena’s plan to add the well-spaced granny squares was the magic touch when it comes to ‘breathing space’.
It’s looking great Carla. Reading your blog post was like reading a suspense novel. I resisted the temptation to scroll to the bottom and take a sneak peek, and instead I carefully read through your thought processes first. I love what you’ve done, but the problem you’ve created for me is that I might have to give in and buy some white fabric when it’s my turn. Everyone else so far has used white, and I don’t own any white. Can you believe that?
I see different parts of this quilt coming to the fore each time I look at it. Great job.
I wasn’t being deliberately suspenseful. I simply forgot to take a ‘before’ photo of what I received from Serena and only had one image of the finished article.
I love that you do not have any white fabric. Yes, I can believe that in your colour-rich world boring white is not very useful, but it is my go-to background colour. By the time it reaches you, it might need a colour-rich frame to add some pop to all that white!
The pinwheels are fantastic. Great call!
Thanks, Afton. I was just happy that when I sewed each border together it was the correct length! Happy dance!
It really had to be triangles…. The ones you’ve used and the white are at the same time the perfect scale and balance of colour and breathing space.
I carefully measured Jo’s triangles and deliberately made mine the same size, and that is why the scale matches. Serena cleverly added a bit of extra white so that I could trim it back to suit the measurements I needed to make it all work.
You done a good job. It fits well!
Thanks, Vera. With so many small pieces, I was nervous about seam allowances messing with my calculations and making it not fit.
The Pinwheels are perfect, they tie in great and really frame it nicely.
And I hope I have left it in such a way that Jane has room to move when it is her turn next.
I do like what you chose. You did a beautiful job. It’s not easy to fit those borders on!
Serena gave me a bit of room for movement by adding extra white to her border. It is a thoughtful and clever trick that allows the next person to adjust the size to suit. It made it much easier to fit!
Great choice with the pinwheels ! The quilt top is gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see the next addition.
Izz
Me too! That is the fun in these projects: I do my bit and then I get to excitedly watch what happens next, with a personal connection to the project.
Holy Balls Carla this looks perfect……..man the pressure is on to keep up with the scrappy/charm philosophy of not using a fabric more than once! My attention span isn’t that long LOL
I used some fabrics twice. I am sure that – with your great stash – you will have lots of fun adding all sorts of fabrics in!
Hello Carla, I love your triangular border… and it is a harmonical quilt: it starts with quadrangles in the center circle which is surrounded by triangles… then a rectangular border, surrounded by flying geese triangles… then squares surrounded by your triangular windmills … perfect!
I confess I briefly considered adding more hexagons, like in Sharon’s centre.
I am glad you think it harmonious. My aim was to add something subtle that added to the overall effect of the quilt without being the feature.
The pinwheels are perfect! I have to say I’m glad I got this one at the beginning. The bigger it gets, the harder it’s going to be to find enough scraps to use 😉
I am rather proud of how neat my pinwheel points and joins are. I was surprised by how well they came together.
I am glad you got this one early too. You set the tone for the project, and I think your plan has worked beautifully.
I think the pinwheels look great!
Thanks! I am not unpicking them! 🙂
Your pinwheel round added the perfect whimsical intensity and balance to Jo’s triangles and the center medallion. Really nice project. So much pressure to come up with the next border. I know it will be great. Thanks for sharing this quilting journey..
Oooh! ‘Whimsical intensity’! I don’t know what it is, but it sounds good! Whimsy is such a lovely word.
The pinwheels are fantastic! That is a lot of different fabrics, and even with the scrappy nature it is very cohesive and the movement is fantastic.
Jo and I both liked the flying geese border for its ‘movement’, but this border kept the triangles looking the same size as Jo’s, and I felt that helped with the balance.
Oh my goodness, this is incredible! If something scrappy could win me over this is definitely it. I think you chose the right border since it offset Jo’s triangles perfectly. I’ll be curious to see what Jane comes up with next.
Have you ever heard of ‘planned scrappy’? I quite like that – where you edit your scraps looking for common features. Also, I find scrappy plus one (such as white in this case) can tie a whole load of what might otherwise be mismatched fabrics together.
I can’t remember which one I chose? I think maybe the diamond border? Doesn’t matter now anyway as you absolutely nailed this border … love all 192 scrappy pieces of it 🙂
I don’t really remember either. I hope I get to use the diamond border later. I like it, but I thought the scrappy triangles looked more like Jo’s when separated by white. There are 192 white triangles too! So that’s 384 triangles. Eek!
Really like how this turned out – not sure what i would have picked not that I see the chosen pninwheels on the quilt – seems to be perfect for it!
It is always tricky to go back and think ‘what if …’, isn’t it!
Wow, can I just type wow – uninsightful yes, but. . .wow!
If you are impressed by this, you should see what the rest of the group is up to!
The knitting bag arrived, safe and sound. It’s even more lovely in real life. Thank you so much!
That was quick! I am glad it reached there safely and that you like it.
Wow! This is amazing. How am I meant to follow this one? I think I have an idea…. maybe… kinda… I know it involves as many fabrics as possible. I can’t wait to see this in real life!!
It is on its way, so watch for the postie.
I am very proud of my pointy points, so please notice them!
Pingback: Bathing In The Summer Lights | Riddle and Whimsy
I just LOVE the round you added! It was PERFECT! I have wanted to join an “Add a pieced border” group. I have a couple of quilts made this way that I just love! If a new group ever starts I’d love to be informed!
We formed this group in Australia and New Zealand as most of the similar groups are based in North America, and we couldn’t sensibly take part. With the round robins, unlike block-based groups, the quilt grows and the cost of postage grows with each round. They get too big to post internationally, so it is better if you can find people within your own country or region. Maybe the other Stash Bee girls might be interested!
Pingback: Possum Magic: Border 4! | Riddle and Whimsy
Pingback: Possum Magic: Border 5 (Jane’s Quilt) | Riddle and Whimsy