This is my next-to-last batch of sashing … well, if you don’t count the skinny sashing strips or attaching all the completed sections to each other.

And it’s good that I’m almost done with the sashing, because I’m almost out of the cornerstones that were precut by Paulette. Thank goodness this batch was at the top of the quilt, so half of the blocks in this segment didn’t even need a cornerstone.

I know, it’s not as though I couldn’t just cut out more 1-inch squares to use for the cornerstones, but it has pleased me to get to use some of Paulette’s missing fabrics.

While her precut squares can’t be used for any of the blocks (even Block K2 required 1 1/8-inch squares), I can still make them a part of my quilt by using them for cornerstones.

I never expected the cornerstones to be the thing that ran out … this whole project has been overlaid with low-grade anxiety about whether I would have enough of the red background fabric. And for all that drama, I’m definitely going to have enough left over. I may even bind the quilt in the red fabric!

Now I’m realizing that I’ll have miles (okay, about 28 feet) of binding to sew on by hand, first through all three layers of the quilt sandwich plus two layers of binding (Eek!) on the front, and then whipstitching it to the back.

But after ten years on this project, I’m committed to completely handmade at this point. I’d better restock my dwindling supply of sharps for the stitching marathon ahead!