When you know better but do it anyway.....(sob!)

It's that ol' getting into that boy's car at the teen dance cuz he was cute thing all over again!  You know when you start out to do something not quite right that it's only going to end badly... and you think to yourself why? or why didn't I listen to that inner voice?!

I mean, well - sure it's a cute quilt, and sashing between blocks isn't so bad - but long sashing strips between rows (or columns).... Really!?

You see?  The problem is not with the quilt design or instructions.  Oh no!  The problem is with me.  I made these blocks over time and on different sewing machines (i.e. different seam allowances).  They aren't exactly the same size.  Some are a sixteenth or almost an eighth of an inch smaller (or bigger as the case may be).  Not necessarily a big problem really, just a smidge here and there that you can easily stretch to fit as you sew a block together.  But if the Quilting Gremlins have their way, and they did, you might just put all the smaller ones in the same row....  You know where I'm headed with all this hand wringing and whining don't you?

Ahuh! Some of the columns are a tad shorter, and by a tad I mean more than a half inch. I'm going to have to have to pin the sashing strip to each end and stretch it out as I sew, which also means my blocks aren't going to be perfectly straight as they go across the quilt... not that I expect anyone to lay a ruler across the quilt to check.  Sigh!  But I still like the quilt.  I think it's very sweet.  And after I finish wrestling with the strips and muttering under my breath, I'll like it even more.

You know what I should have done?  What that little quilting voice in my head told me I should do?   Sash two sides of each block, then join them into rows.  Then I would have only have one short edge and one long edge to add a muslin border to... and I wouldn't be in this predicament.

But it's not all bad.  I need sashing strips three inches longer than two yards, and decided to cut them from the length of muslin I had left... rather than across the width and joining strips.  Would you believe it?  The muslin piece I have left is three inches longer than I need!  Had it been too short, I would have joined cross cut strips.  At least this part worked out.  More luck than good management, I assure you.

I wonder what ever happened to that boy at the teen dance... whether he ever got around to fixing the passenger door handle... he's probably balding by now.