Arrows

I finished all the arrows, and border 2 on my modern medallion quilt is complete!  I’m so glad I took the time to do this.  Not only was it fun to try paper piecing for the first time, it looks as good as I pictured.  Relief!

I mentioned last week that I found the pattern on Craftsy, by Sew What Sherlock.
I shortened the length of each arrow by 1/2 inch so it would fit on each side.  Because the measurements of my center block were a little bit random, I decided to add a third border that is just a single print to bring the measurements to a number that’s a little easier to work with.  With the arrows, the quilt top now measures 24 inches unfinished, or 23.5 inches finished.


I cut four strips that are 3.75 inches wide by 24 inches long, plus four 3.75 inch squares to make the third border.  I love this Jennifer Paganelli print from her Poodle collection in the perfect shade of mint.  It looks fabulous with the Carnaby Street prints! The corners are fussy cut from another Carnaby Street print.  Now the medallion measures 30.5 inches unfinished, or 30 inches square finished which makes the math much less complicated.


I went scrappy with the arrows, using lots of little pieces in the general color scheme of my lone star.  I must say it is really fun to have those tiny strips of white show up between the arrows.  There’s a precision about paper piecing that’s awfully fun, although I felt like I made a new mistake every time.


I’m so proud of myself for figuring this out!  I’m in spring sports mode with my children, which means that sewing has come to an almost standstill, but I find myself walking into my sewing room just to peek at it again.  I used a navy blue text print for the arrow shafts and love the little patches of white text that show up along the shaft.  It gives each shaft a bit of variation that I’m pleased with.


In fact, I like it so much I keep thinking “maybe I should do another arrow border…”


And this medallion thing?  I really enjoy it, and there are so many different things you can do!  SO much fun.

I’ve got the next border planned and hope to work on it soon.

Jennifer Linking to Freshly Pieced