The PBJ Border Quilt QAL - Center

I'm excited to be part of The Border Quilt QAL from Patterns by Jen.  Jen kicked off the QAL on September 12th and I wanted to share with you the progress I've made on my quilt.

In an earlier blog post, I asked you to help me decide which panel I should use for the center section. 

Well, the winter panel won... which is fine with me because I have another pattern designed for the other panel sections :) 

I love sewing with panels.  If you aren't confident with panels, be sure to check out my Learn to Quilt with Panels DVD and online class available from Annie's. 

My first step was to get my panel cut to size.  As you can see the actual panel was larger but I trimmed it to the needed width.  Yes, it's perfectly acceptable to only use part of a panel!  I think it really changed the focal point of the panel and you don't even realize it has been trimmed.  

I also trimmed and restitched the printed swirl border to bring it in closer to the panel center.  This allowed me to achieve the correct size for the center section. 

I'm working with stash yardage for my quilt and opted for a dark, hunter or evergreen fabric for the first border. 

So now I have my center section done!  yippee!!  

If you would like to be part of the Border Quilt QAL, you can join anytime.  Jen's blog post gives you all the options for purchasing the pattern as well as the other bloggers who are participating in the QAL.