Oink-a-Doodle-Moo quilting done! (now to finish the quilt)

I did decided to put a border on it.  I found an interesting one at the Moda Bake shop for the Oink-a-Doodle-Moo line.  I'm changing the colors around and it looks like this:

Now, of course, I can't use Moda's measurements because my quilt has different dimensions than their sample.  But, look at how simple it is!  My math isn't all that bad and I've been known to figure out some pretty complicated layouts.

Sadly, this was not one of those times.

I carefully measured the blocks of my center medallion (the printed block prints and the 4-patch pinwheels).  I figured on a narrow inner border surrounding it.  I totalled up the bottom line figure (in inches) of the white background fabric.  I then measured my actual fabric.    All the arithmetic seemed to be in order, so I started cutting the fabric.

Remember that I have LIMITED amount of the white fabric.  It's a large-ish piece leftover from some other project; it's not even yardage.  

I made the border blocks (as shown above) for the top border.  In order to be more efficient, I also cut the white fabric for the bottom border (since it's the same as the top).  Imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered that the blocks for the top border came out TOO SHORT for the center medallion.

?!?!??!?!   Holy moley, how the heck did that happen??   And even worse, I've replicated the problem for the bottom border because I've already cut out those pieces.  I can't just toss those pre-cut pieces because .... I have a LIMITED amount of the white fabric.  Ay carumba.

Well, I came up with a Frankenstein solution and it mostly looks OK.

On to the side borders.  And dagnabit ... one of them came out "not exactly correct" either.  This is very annoying.  Remember .. I have a limited amount of the white fabric.

But, pressing onwards, because I really do want to get this top completed tonight so I can start quilting tomorrow.

I re-calculated the side border pices and cut them out.  Uh oh.  Something is seriously wrong.  Remember that I had a LIMITED amount of the white fabric?  Well, that "limited amount" has now become ... none.

As in, I've run out of the white fabric.  I still have 2 border blocks to make and 2 corner stones.   See that bloody mark on the wall??  That's where I've been hitting my head.

Well, my Mama didn't raise no quitter, so I Frankensteined another solution for the 2 border blocks but there was NO magic solution for the 2 corner stones.  What I eventually ended up doing was using a plain white fabric for those 2 cornerstones.  Luckily, if you squint just right and have less than adequate lighting conditions, I don't think you'll notice that 2 of the cornerstones are a completely different white fabric than the rest of the quilt.  ::sigh::  It was the best I could do, seeing as this quilt needs to be completely finished and gift-wrapped in 4 days.

On to the quilting .. which THANK GOODNESS .. was completed without any complications at all!!

All the seamlines were stitched in the ditch.

 The border got a scroll:

The pinwheel blocks got a free-form flower and leaves:

and the panel (pre-printed) blocks were outline stitched:

The next step to be done is to square up the quilt, make the label, bind the quilt and the final step ... launder it.