I took my Ohio Star to Barbara Graham, the quilting lady, to have it quilted. I had it all pinned ready to go. She said, “I should have it back in a week.” I was ecstatic.
Quilting is like writing. You get your story or post written. It sounds good. You go to publish it and the WP editor says, “I have changes.” You make the changes. You publish. Your husband calls and say, “Listen to this, Blah blah blah,” and he reads you a sentence or two out of your post. It makes no sense whatsoever, and it’s out there for cyberspace friends to see! You rush back, open it up, and correct it. Now it is better. 
Sewing is the same way. In my case the border was too puckery. There was too much on one side, so the quilt wasn’t square. “There is ONLY ONE remedy,” Barbara told me. “Rip off the border and press the quilt in half, then remeasure.” Apparently I can expect the measurement to be different down the middle along the fold than along the side.
So last night I ripped until 1:30. Even with eye surgery, this is hair-splitting, tedious work. It would not have been so bad if I could see as well as the camera does, but those stitches look invisible to me. And, of course, my sewing machine sews a pretty tiny stitch especially across the heavier chenille fabric.
Ripping is a little like car racing. through the thick fabric, it rips like going around a corner. Carefully. Down the straight-away. Zoom.
I measured down the middle 80″, down the edge, 81″ – not good, but now I average, and cut my border 80.5″, and squeeze that along the edges of the fairly square quilt. The other two edges measure 80″. This precise tape measuring reminds me when my first husband went in for a hip replacement at age 27. They measured the length of his leg with a frayed tape measure three times and took the middle measurement, and that’s how long his finished leg came out. Very scientific.
It’s not so painful if you put something away for several years, then have to go back and rip it out. I hope Ohio Star makes the grade this time!!! I don’t know if I could bear to rip it out AGAIN!!! I might be advertising one of my quilts on Ebay if it doesn’t work this time!
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