Gwennie-Inspired Medallion QAL - Part 3

Our challenge for the Gwen Marston-Inspired Medallion Quilt Along this month was Log Cabin borders.

Basket #2
19" wide x 22" high

The photo will supersize if clicked on.

Sorry this photo is so crookedy.  The quilt top really is straight and flat.  I just can't seem to take a straight picture these days.  (It may be all the "quilt stuff" on the floor in front of the design wall.  Shhhh....)

I was excited about this theme, as I love log cabins.  But sadly, I spent most of the month flailing about in the quilt studio.  Nothing seemed to "gel" for me.  I tried so many different things, and I have a pile of rejected 'orphan' blocks.  I know that the flailing is part of the design process and try to be patient with myself, but I do get frustrated at not making much progress.

And then, finally, it started clicking!  Yay!  I added the white border as a resting place for the eye, and a little breathing room. I also added a different color/fabric square in each corner of that border, just for a bit of whimsy.  Once I'd decided on the black polka dots for the centers of the cabins, then all those crazy colors and fabrics started playing well together.  I actually had a lot of fun just sitting and sewing all the log cabins.  And I thought it was time to repeat some of that wonderful vintage fabric that's in the basket in the corner squares.  I don't have very much of that fabric left at this point, so I'm not sure if or how it'll show up again.

These log cabins are very liberated!  It was a challenge to get the borders to fit.  I ended up adding coping strips in the bottom border, as I didn't have quite enough room for another log cabin.  Very Gwennie, right?  And, to add to the Liberation going on in this quilt, none of the borders ended up the same width!  

This quilt top is very, very bright.  I'm hoping that a good dose of the blacks and whites will calm it down to a reasonable level as it's almost too bright, which is not something you'll find me saying often.  *grin*   We're normally pretty overcast and grey here in the Pacific Northwest, even when it's not raining.  But now it's summer and the sun actually comes out once in a while.  Then those bright colors I love really show up.  Whoa, it's even brighter than I thought!  I may need sunglasses!  I just hope it's not too bright.

On the other hand.....

Basket #1
still unfinished

Click to super-size this photo too!

This quilt top is still not done, but I thought I'd show what I have so far.  I think I've decided on these Courthouse Steps log cabins.  I'll be adding these as only the top and bottom borders.  It's getting to be pretty wide and so I want to make it more vertical.  I'll be posting this again when I have the log cabin border completed.

To see what all the other QAL participants are doing with their medallions, click on over to Lori's blog Humble Quilts to see the link-ups.  

Our challenge border for this next month is Stars.  I've got my fingers crossed that the stars will go better (faster!) than the log cabins!  *wink*