Whose Woods are These?

Yesterday, I wasted no time getting to work on the little blue table topper. The first task was to add trunks to the trees:

After that, there was a little piecing required, and then I was ready to sew the four trees together.

After that, the only thing left to do was to add the borders. Even though I haven't noticed much of a dent in my blue scraps, I have used up some pieces that have been hanging around taking up space in the bin for a long time...this blue polka dot, for instance.

Originally, I used it as a background fabric in a quilt I made as a house-warming gift for a friend.

Several fabrics were auditioned for the outer border, and I settled on this gradient blue snowflake fabric. I can't remember where I got this. When arranged properly, I liked how the dark and light met up in the corners.

I'm going to use this "Silent Harmony" fabric for the back. If memory serves, I purchased this when we visited a quilt shop on our ill-fated trip to Rocky Mountain National Park...the one when we got caught in rain that the National Weather Service described as being of "Biblical proportion". We ended up running for our lives. In fact, I just now looked it up. If you're a fan of quilt shops, you can read about Cabin Quilts & Stitches in Grand Lake, CO, right here.

Also, I'm going to use a solid royal blue for the binding. It's another piece that has been hanging around for a long time. Originally, it was used in the blocks and the back for the Plain and Simple quilt:

It was used in the center pinwheel for the table topper. Now, I've used it to cut the strips for the binding, and all that was left were the fringy edges. The blue bin is still stuffed full, but a few things actually did get used up completely. That's gotta count for something, right?

When I can't decide on a name for a quilt, I often Google poetry using some appropriate term. In this case, it was "snow poems". I came up with quite a few, but settled on the name "Whose Woods are These?" in honor of my favorite American poet, Robert Frost. Here's his poem. Most of you have probably heard it before.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though; 

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep. 

Today I'm heading into town for a haircut, grocery shopping, and some general errands. There probably won't be much time for sewing today.