Borders for The Fabric You Ran Out Of: A Cautionary Tale

Sue Mackinen's been hexing. And she doesn't seem to be able to stop. We tried to take a picture with her and her quilt top, but she refused to stop giggling. So this was the best we could do on that.

But the sad part is she ran out of that great burgundy background. She thought she'd bought enough. Maybe the project grew as she got going. The colors are so great they gleam.  But there isn't enough and there isn't going to be more.
So she brought it in and we started looking with her.

We used a ruby beholder when we were picking out fabric. If you look through the beholder, you can see how light and dark the colors are in comparison. It really helps.

We tried prints. We tried to match it. Neither worked. 
Then we found a burgundy about 5 shades lighter. It didn't quite match. But it did blend.

So we brought out the secret weapon fabric, LIME GREEN.
A single hexie row of lime will separate the colors that really don't match and come close enough that people will think you tried and failed. It's actually a complementary color to the burgundies, so it's got a extra visual punch to it.

Sue's thrilled. We can't wait to see her quilt. But there are some lessons to be learned here.

• You never know when a project is going to grow, get out of hand, or when something will be messed up. Buy extra fabric. A lot. It may not be there when you get back.

• If you cannot match a  fabric, border it with a contrasting or blending fabric.

• If the fabrics don't blend as well as you like, separate them with something completely different. 

• Don't giggle so much when you get your picture taken. or you can traditionally hold your quilt up so no one can see you. And after all, we love you. But we really want to see your quilt.

• If you want someone to help pick out the fabric to match what you don't have any more, we're right here. Come in and we'll do our best.