Series #4

This project is seriously making my eyes cross and my brain matter go on the fritz.  I probably better go clear back to the beginning.  Our 'Pieceable Souls' quilting group had a four part series challenge last Fall/Winter.  #1 started with a basic block pattern (I chose a nine-patch) which could not be made with more than 2 fabrics and had to be set together in a simple design.  Each new series had to be made with the same basic block pattern, but the challenge elements changed.  This would be the project from series #4 in which I still (obviously) use nine-patch blocks, but they are incorporated into a much bigger block.  Which would be the main source of my frustration.  What did I think I could accomplish with 20 inch blocks???  I found this particular quilt in Sharyn Craigs' wonderful book called 'Great Sets', although I think it was actually made by Sally Collins plus it was a much, much smaller quilt.  Regardless, that quilt had a fantastic border that totally made the quilt.*smirk.  Enter my gynormous quilt blocks and queue the music for total depression.*sigh  I won't tell you how much time I have spent trying to add cute little bits of applique or how many fat quarters I've wrecked auditioning fabric for said applique.  On to the border! Because I am determined it needs something.:)

I didn't know I was going to turn out an 'almost' Amish look

The discarded border candidates & lots of lint and thread

On a different note, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed whacking away at the edges of each big block, (blunting the edges of random triangles) as I squared them up to an even steven 20 1/2".  The right side of my brain was positively dancing with glee.  Maybe that's why it's seems to be so frazzled trying to figure out what to do next?