Let's Book It! July 2016

As the month closes out, I can't say that I got much done this month (as my Get It Done! report will show tomorrow).  However, I did do some work on one project that, as it turns out, is totally appropriate for this venue!

I was supposed to start work on Quilt of Valor projects this month.  When I went to the bag with the stash of projects that I've already coordinated fabric for, at the top of it was the fabrics for this quilt:

This is "Across the County Line" from Judy Laquidara's book "60 Pieced Quilt Borders" published by AQS (2012).

Reading Sharon's comment on her Book It! post that she hated doing borders was what prompted me share this project and book today.  Judy has always been a big fan and proponent of doing multiple pieced borders on her projects which you can see is true if you check out her free patterns page.  Her book provides 60 (!) pieced border designs and fifteen projects that can be mixed and matched with the different borders.  She also gives tips on measuring your borders, determining how to make them fit and using coping strips to help with that. 

However, for me this didn't originally start out as a Book It! project.  I originally found out about Judy's design from her blog, Patchwork Times.

Back in May of 2010, Judy announced a Memorial Day Quilt Along.  She was taking one of her previous designs called "Tiger Trails" and doing it up in patriotic colors with the intention of using it for a QOV donation.  At the time, she also made the generous offer to quilt any tops made in the design by her readers if they sent them to her with binding fabric.  After quilting them, she would send them to Alycia at Alycia Quilts who would distribute them through her QOV donation network.  At the time I was always excited about making Red, White and Blue quilts and was just starting to consider doing a QOV so figured the QAL would be perfect for me.  I did get fabric for the project in the weeks following......

....but unfortunately didn't get started on the project right away although I did print out the first two steps.  By the time I was ready to work on it in late 2011, I went searching on her blog and couldn't find the posts for it!  I emailed Judy and she told me that with her blog recently updated, the posts might have been lost but if she found them she would either re-post them or would include the design as one of the projects in her (then) next book.  Needless to say that's what happened.  I eventually got the book but STILL managed to not start the project until now.   This is as far as I got this month:

I've got two more blocks waiting to be pieced on the mini design boards but I need to cut more of the dark blue and red into strips to make four more four patch units.  My hope is to get this to a top before the summer ends.   At this point, it won't be a QOV donation since I don't expect to get it finished any time soon and foresee it taking me a while to get to quilting it.  I've got easier projects planned that will make for speedier donations so need to wrap this up so I can get to those!

Got a project and a book to highlight?  Then add to Sharon's linky over at her blog Vrooman's Quilts so we can see what books and projects we're missing out on!

P.S.  In addition to the recent announcement of the demise of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, it has also been announced that AQS will also cease publishing books.  Judy mentions it here and there is a great blog article on the Generation Q magazine site about how the quilt industry is contracting in general.  Expect a lot of conversation on this topic in the coming months.