Border tryouts

While I was choosing the border for the Double Anvil quilt I made quite a few units  in other colour ways.  Once I could visualise what something would look like, but now I need to make a sample and look at it for a while before I decide if that's really what I want. 

 There are usually multiple attempts, so I've accumulated a box of border samples, and I keep them all stored away for future use.

If I think a quilt might need a border of squares on point, I pull out my box and try all the samples strings of squares. 

They are all different sizes, and that helps give me an idea of what scale I want the border to be, and whether I want the squares dark or light. 

The colours aren't important, I'm just checking what sizes might work.  If I put them on my design wall and take a photo I can convert it to black and white, so all I'm seeing is the overall effect, without the distraction of jarring colours.

I have strips of double pink and red and green and mustard and cheddar and sky blue, so I can audition colours for small borders without dragging out lengths of fabric.

I even have a couple of sets of strips for borders, that I cut and changed my mind about.  I can quickly audition them as well.

I have sets of triple sashing that I can experiment with too, in three colourways.

I've tried out a few of these zigzags too.

And there are lots of HST variations to play with;

there are so many ways to put these together, I'm glad I have a lot of them so I can try several things at once.

These 6 patches are discards from an old abandoned project; rather than put them in the orphan box I can use them to make a quick checkerboard border.

I really don't mind having all these bits and pieces, but after the last effort I think I need a bigger box!