Don't Be Afraid to Piece Your Fabric

It happens to all of us: we run out of fabric and need just a little bit to complete a border or sashing. Don't be afraid to piece your fabric. I have done this dozens of times and it's never kept one of my quilts from being published - or even making the cover of a quilting magazine!

Case in point: I was ready to put borders on a quilt and discovered that I was short by about an inch. AN INCH!! Here's my Fun at the Zoo quilt using my Circles of Geese pattern.

Fun at the Zoo

Now, I want you to look closely. Can you find where I have pieced the border? I'll give you a hint: look at the top right.

Piecing from the front

And here it is from the back (so you can believe me). I could have done a better job, but in essence, the two patches are of the giraffe's body!

Piecing from the back

And, do you really think some little child will care? He/She is certainly not going to enter it in a quilt show! And neither will I. Circles of Geese is a playful quilt - not going in a quilt show!

I have several more quilts that are still tops that have quite a bit of piecing. When I present my trunk shows, I bring them along and show the quilts from the back. It makes people feel better about piecing! When you have to get a quilt to the finish line, you do what you have to do! And I didn't break any rules, either!