Applique Vine

Today was the day to add the vine to the star quilt border!  I ended up choosing a green with a small print instead of using the darker solid green I started out with.  Not a lot of contrast, but on the other hand, I didn't want the vine to be the first thing someone saw.

To make my vine, I cut bias strips 1 inch wide from a half-yard piece of fabric.  That gave me segments about 25 inches long.  Two pieces are needed for each side, but the break in the center will be hidden behind the birds' tails and the corners will be covered by flowers, as will be seen in the next step. 

I lightly sprayed each strip with starch before running them through a half-inch bias tape maker (loaned to me by Helen, THANKS HELEN!)  The starch really helped make a nice sharp edge that stayed while I worked.  I made a few registration marks on each side to help me with placement of curves that are close to symmetrical.

Baby is at my side, helping whenever she can.