It’s Bullseye Tuesday!

What to do on this frigid day? Work on your Bullseye quilt!

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Here is my pile of Bullseye blocks ready to be pressed – actually I don’t even have them all sewed yet and I’m hearing that lots of you are still working on blocks so today we’ll talk about borders but for those of us still making blocks, I’m going to give us another week. Wow – that was a mouthful of bad sentence structure, wasn’t it?

On the original quilt of 48 blocks arranged 6 across by 8 down, two borders were added.

Here is a closeup.

Until next Tuesday, keep working – making blocks, sewing rows, sewing rows together and then add borders if you so choose.

The first border requires 6 strips, 2″ x wof.

The second border requires 7 strips, 4″ x wof.

As I look carefully at the original quilt I see that I mitered these corners but Martingale wrote them as sew top and bottom borders, fold out and press. Then add side borders. It’s easier and perfectly fine either way you want to do it.

33 thoughts on “It’s Bullseye Tuesday!

  1. Jo in Wyoming

    Wow, I’m first! I’ll check back later to have some ads to click.
    Did all the critters in the barn do ok last night? I hope so. How about the geese? Will they cuddle up together? We had ducks a long time ago, they were too fat to fly, so we had to herd them into the barn every night. What a sight that was! They were fun to watch.. they loved playing with the water hose.
    What little water we get in the pond dries up pretty fast so we don’t get many ducks any more migrating. I miss them.

  2. michele

    Not quite as cold here in Chicagoland but we are very cold also with too much snow. I have been enjoying your blog and sewing bindings on quilts that have been sitting bindingless for years. Maybe later I will look for the bullseye quilt made many years ago. Stay warm, stay safe.

  3. Pam

    Mary, I have to laugh since I’ve just now piled up the fabrics I intend to use for the Bullseye quilt! Always a day late (or maybe a month) and dollar short! Love watching the quilt along though. Maybe I’m not a team player……or simply a procrastinator! I’m into small quilts right now and I’m not saying this because….. but I have four of your smaller quilts in various stages of progress. Some day I’ll take a picture of all my Mary and Connie quilts and send it to you! I worry about your bitter cold as I have grands in the Des Moines area who typically walk to school. YIKES! Take care and thanks for everything! Pam in NC.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Pam – I think the schools all across Iowa are closed today and tomorrow so don’t worry about your grands walking to school – I could be wrong but I don’t think so.

    2. Deb

      My sister works in the administration office of the Des Moines school district. Schools are closed today and tomorrow in Des Moines. Grandkids will be safe.

      1. CountryThreads Post author

        Deb – I thought so – now Pam can quit worrying about her grands! Thank you – this is the best part of the blog – the connection among us!

  4. Marsha T

    Hi Mary, Love the mitered borders! I am arriving late to the Bullseye quilt along.
    I have cut most of the background and circle block squares. For such a large scrappy stash, I can’t believe how hard it is to come up with the light, medium and dark variety of fabrics needed. I just might have to do some fat quarter shopping! lol I will be saving your excellent instructions and great pictures for a future finish. Hope all is well with all the barnyard animals. Stay warm and cozy, stitch on!

  5. Mary hawk

    My momma would have called that a run-on sentence. Made me laugh! Freaking cold and windy-be careful out there Mary. The kids here have been in school 2 hours in 2 weeks.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Mary Hawk – as of tomorrow our school has had 5 full snow days in a little over a week! Very bad out there!

  6. Sue in Oregon

    I just finished clicking three ads today. When I counted my blocks I found I was about 6 short. Well, must admit I sliced two of the blocks wrong. So I used the larger halves, trimmed them to fit and discarded the short ones. Now I have made two more blocks for the shortage. Whew! Today I hope to start sewing blocks together. I love your borders. Doubt I will miter though.
    I was so glad to see your post this morning. Then I knew you are okay.
    Stay warm, stay safe.

  7. Phyllis

    Made a bullseye quilt around 20 years ago. Is still on my bed. Love it as much today as the day I finished it.

  8. Launa

    10 sunny degrees here in Idaho this morning. Haven’t quartered my Bullseyes yet. Through no fault of our own we are having to replace all 10 of our huge solar storage batteries. The original homeowners would occasionally replace one…not a smart thing. Going to take 5-6 weeks for the batteries to arrive! Had trouble with the recently rebuilt propane house generator so my husband bought a huge portable generator and we are getting along and staying warm with the new wood stove!
    Am so thankful we don’t have the frigid temperatures you are experiencing, Mary! Stay safe! Keep all the critters warm.

  9. Diane in WI

    Just clicked on a couple of ads. We had light rain last night; the temps were in the twenties. Everything is covered with a thin coating of ice. It has helped cut down on the blowing snow. It hasn’t quite reached above zero yet. I think it is a good day to work on quilting and cross-stitching projects. Keep warm.

  10. Marian Stever

    Hi Peeps! Hope everyone is safe in this frigid spell. It is one for the weather history books. Mary, I trust all your animals are huddled together and warm with your heat lamps. Bullseye 🎯 is coming along. I love it so far. I am checking my stash for a border. Clicking ads like a mad woman! Some are inviting actually! Enjoy the sunshiny days in the Polar Vortex! I really look forward to Tuesday’s. Greetings from Rochester, MN.

  11. Betty Klosterman

    I’m here in Rapid City and haven’t been out of the house for 3 days. It just seemed nicer to stay inside. The wind was 50 mph gusting to 70 mph. Today it is 20 degrees and wind is still blowing but has let up to 30 mph. I’ve got to go out today. We haven’t had much snow so we are lucky there.
    And what do you do on a nasty day? Iron! That will keep you warm. Then sew or cut or maybe look at the quilt patterns and fabric and dream? Don’t forget a good book either. Hang in there, ladies, it will be 50 on Friday.

  12. Jeanine

    I made a small Bull’s Eye quilt when your book first came out, and have it hanging in my sewing room. I still have your book, too. I decided last week to make another one, but am making this one as big or even bigger than your measurements. I had some left over blocks from that first quilt, so am using them as well. It is one of my favorite patterns of all times! I am in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and very brutal weather here as well as other parts of the midwest. I have to check on my chickens more often in this weather. I so enjoy your blog, and like others feel like you are part of my family.

  13. Brenda Archambault

    Mary, I’m still in a quandary regarding the ads. Is it sufficient to just click them off or do I have to open them first? It’s 63 here in Phoenix. Too bad I can’t send some of the warmth to you.
    Haven’t had a chance to get the bullseyes on the design wall yet as I’m working on displays for our biennial show special exhibits, and looking at the slide show my husband prepared for our featured quilter, to be shown on a continuous basis.
    Always something! Keep warm.

  14. Donna

    Has anyone ever had this happen before? I have a Bernina 550 Quilters model machine that I bought in 2012. The bobbin used to wind just fine, nice and even and tight. I quit sewing for about two years and now the bobbin winds very loose and tangled. I have tried several different threads on it and it does it with each one. I need to get out my manual and see if I can remedy it. In the meantime I have been winding my bobbin by hand. This is very slow and my fingers are getting sore.
    I love this blog, it is the highlight of my day.

    1. Brenda Archambault

      Have you threaded the thread Properly? Check your manual. It should wrap around a “button” before traveling to the bobbin.

    2. Christina

      I have a Janome and I was having the same problem, but I was not threading it through the proper path. Haven’t had any problems since . Operator error :0

    3. Joyce C

      I would take it in to have it cleaned… otherwise since it sat for so long.. take the needle out and with no thread …. just run it on high for about 3 mins. It may just need warming up to get it running. Then try filling a bobbin

  15. Connie

    I, like Brenda, would like to know if just clicking the ads closed is sufficient. If it’s better to open the ads in order for you to get credit, I will certainly do that. Love your blog and will be happy to help out this way.

  16. Martha Engstler

    Thinking about you and your goats, chickens etc. wondering if they are all able to stay warm. I think the cats and dogs don’t want to stay outside for very long if at all. Sending my order for your new book as soon as I can get to the post office. We are having a beautiful light snow. If it keeps coming through the night we could have some depth by tomorrow. Here, near Gettysburg, at the ski resort they can use all the snow they can get.

  17. Kate

    Got my blocks sewn in rows and tomorrow during the big freeze, I plan to sew the rows together. I took a slight detour from quilt sewing to take four of my leftover blocks to make a pillow. Did you make that basket in the top picture? It looks like a basket I made in 4-H when I took basketry.

  18. Marsha from Kansas

    Do you know the determination of the ads we get? I seem to get the same ads which I click: Some kind of farm equipment, a stapler, a car dealership 30 miles north of me, and something called Insightly at the top of this blog. Is there any way to get quilt-related ads? Or different ads? I’m still clicking on the ads. I try to click three times each time you blog. It would just be more interesting if there were a variety of ads. Just a suggestion.

  19. Gwen

    The Bulls Eye quilt was very popular when I first started quilting. I always wanted to make one but it just never made it to the top of my list until now. It is very interesting to find it originated with your book.

  20. Anonymous

    Mary, I like that there are a minimum of ads. I always click on them. I have one website that I refuse to open because there are so many ads. Keep up the great work!

  21. Pam

    Thanks for the school closing updates! My daughter has been working extra “off hours” so she could be home during the day with kids. It’s cold here for here too. 17 degrees for today which the natives don’t like much! I guess I don’t either! Good day to all!

  22. Judy

    I hope that you are staying warm and safe and that all the animals are doing okay. I can’t even imagine how cold it must feel. It has been a long time since we have had any temperatures anywhere near zero let alone below where I live in Oregon.

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