I learn so much. It has nothing to do with first-time newbie’s just learning how to make a quilt. I think the most I’ve done was 3 borders. Sew the border to the quilt with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. When you reach the end, return to center and sew the seam in the opposite direction. Pin one width border to a width edge of the quilt top by placing right sides together and matching raw edges. Lizard Eyes – This look so interesting. The key to adding borders that help keep your quilt square is measuring correctly. Others, like you said, feel like pictures without frames. Sometimes it just really makes the quilt. Heather Hoodie Vest – I’ll use Cascade Eco+ in Valentine. Find the quilt's horizontal midpoint. Homebody – I’ll probably use Kathmandu Aran 100 or Cascade Eco Wool. Size is 54x81". Match and pin the bottom end of the border to the bottom edge of the quilt, then match and pin the other end of the border to the quilt. Cut or piece two borders that length. Measure your quilt through the middle horizontally. I do not like the one without borders. I see we are finishing up the February quotation weekend. whatever makes you happy. I am gobsmacked! To sew the borders to the quilt, pin the mid-point of one of the border pieces to the middle of one of the edges of the quilt. Your borders do add so much to the overall quilt. Use pins. Strips lose 1/4 inch for each seam it takes to stitch them together, so allow a little extra length when cutting. Measure the quilt from top to bottom through its vertical midpoint. Arkansas River Pullover – 1/3 done. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Raw edges should be aligned along the quilt's entire side. I want to add a narrow "stop" border, and then a wider border and binding. Lucky Nicole! Started September 15, 2020, Avalance – About 1/3 done. I mostly have 3 plain borders on my quilts but admire your pieced ones. Place the border along the side of the quilt, right sides together and midpoints matched. After I cut the borders, then I place a pin at the center of the border and the quilt, and pin them together. Don't just sew on a border and cut it off when you get to the end. Kudos to you! This one has the pieced border but one of the ecru and brown borders is removed. The Piano Keys Quilt Border Pattern makes a delightful quilt border that will surround your quilt with vibrant, playful contrast. I have to say that I never would have thought to have 8 borders on a quilt. Although you can have dozens of border options to think about when planning your quilt, you most likely will use one of two basic types.The easiest and most common border style is the plain border, shown in Figure 1. Some group members of a Yahoo quilting group I belong to bought EQ7 when it was on sale right before Christmas. Thanks. Pin the midpoint of the border to the vertical midpoint at the top of the quilt, right sides together and raw edges matched. Repeat to sew the remaining border to the quilt. When I say that a quilt has 7 or 8 borders, I hear groans. Some quilters prefer to measure a quilt's length and width in multiple spots, add those lengths together, and then divide the total by the number of measurements taken to determine an average. I have read online that the quilt police will not come to take me away if I cut the top and bottom borders shorter, but I would love to hear what PR folks think. And lately have been using a few pieced ones. This one left off a few borders and has no pieced border. I’m really thinking of getting one. LOL I know you aren’t! I like pieced borders but if I’m making a comfort quilt and it’s off the top of my head, I don’t have time for calculations. I like them, but do not have them in my house. Sew both width borders to the width edges with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. You need to spark the imagination with the right Border designs. Pretty sure I have yarn for this. Borders made with. I guess I’m old school I love borders too. I think it is so funny that people question how you do your quilts. =), I am a border sort of gal. Take accurate measurements. Then I pin the ends, and add a couple of pins in between and sew it all. 1. Pin opposite side of quilt and sew both borders on to the edges of the pieced portion. Also, please don’t sew on a border strip and then cut it to length. Pin the borders to the sides and mark in at 1/4" from the end on all four corners. I have been discussing this with someone doing a presentation at QuiltCon. I have your “borders” book and have some quilts in the works that I plan on adding pieced borders to. I also think that it has to be harder to bind a borderless quilt. By adding the border the same width on all 4 sides, it is way too long now (long enough to fold over a pillow like a bedspread). The first drawing is what I used. The length of the two side borders should be exactly the same length as the quilt so far. This isn’t a debate about which drawing looks best. That’s why almost all my quilts have borders! In addition, it's also a good idea to change out your needle - you'll need a new sharp one since you'll be going through multiple layers! Started December, 2019, Itatiaia Cocoon – Not much Done. Micki. I love borders! Let's walk through the steps. By sewing the long border seam from the center out, it attaches even more evenly! Then match up the ends and center point of your border and your top and pin in place. when you make mine…. Did accomplish a few things, that is always good! But in this case I can see that it makes a lovely addition to a quilt. Download a great quilt border and instructions on how to make it in this article. Since there were so many of us that were new to it we started a sister group dedicated to going through and discussing all the PDF lessons that came with EQ7. All borders strips are cut to the quilt top side lengths, plus an additional 2x the border width plus 1".The 2x the border width makes sure to cover each adjoining border, and the extra 1" is added insurance. Mitered Borders Require Extra Length You will need to add extra length to sew mitered borders, but the amount depends on the mitering technique you use. Use the same method to sew the remaining border to the opposite side of the quilt. Seems like it would be a lot easier than getting the calculator out. You can stitch the plain border with squared corners or with mitered corners, depending on your expertise. Pin the other width border in the same way. Pin ends and creases together before sewing, including extra pins between your crease marks. I would not have been able to visulize it so glad you put it out there to look at and ponder. How to Sew the First Two Borders to the Quilt Fold one of the borders in half crosswise to find its midpoint, using your fingers to crease it slightly at that spot. However, once I see all of your drawings, more borders make total sense, especially when one (or more?) Next, match and pin the dots on each side of your border with the dots on the quilt corners. Now this is a really formal traditional kind of feather but I have a fun feather variation that's really easy to quilt and it's perfect for borders… To perfectly fit your borders, first measure the length of your quilt in the center, then on both ends. From main fabric: measure each side of quilt and add 6” for the length of each strip. It just makes me groan to go past five. Wow! Why Is It Important to Carefully Measure and Sew Quilt Borders? You are the Queen of Borders. All of them look nice but the finished product is awesome. Measure the quilt from side-to-side through its horizontal midpoint, including the width of the first borders. Mariechen – Using Madelinetosh Longrider in Raspberry Cordial. Since Nicole’s quilt is for a large bed, I think all those borders will add lots of interest to the section of the quilt that drops off the top of the bed. Press the borders open and flat working from the front side of the quilt. So what is so modern about that? It is a conflict personally for me, because I like modern art and modern furniture, but not most modern quilts. The Spruce Crafts uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. The quilt that hasn't been through the machine yet will rest on your lap. They do add a lot to the quilt. Continue pinning the border to the quilt… Match pins at the fourths and eighths and ease the quilt to fit borders. I really love the way it looks with the 8 borders, and it doe look naked w/ o any. I guess “naked” is the right term.. Unless I’m making a quick quilt, they almost always have multiple borders. I’m always figuring something out wrong. These instructions for measuring and sewing straight borders to a quilt can be used to add any type of border. This quick tutorial explains how to create easy quilt borders with mitered corners. Sew the border seam, starting at the center of the border where you placed the unique pin. Sew with the quilt border on the bottom so you can make sure quilt seams don’t get flipped in the wrong direction. Some don’t need them, borders would feel like they were being hemmed in, or trapped. On that note and I know you’ve told us all before, but what quilt making program do you use? Continue matching and pinning the border to the quilt just as you did side borders, working with ends first then matching and pinning the remaining length. Do the same for each corner of the quilt. About as much as the bell bottom pants I see back in fashion, again. I always do multiple borders and lately I’ve gotten into doing tons of borders after starting with a 12 inch block in the middle. It's not unusual for the four edges of an unfinished quilt top to all be slightly different lengths because the edges of quilts are often stretched out of shape a bit during construction. Sew the border strips in place. It is nice to see the different variations you have. I love borders and if not lazy I add lots. of them are so beautifully pieced! I agree No borders would not work for me. Pin the borders to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top, matching the center marks and ends, and easing as necessary. Repeat the process on the other edges. For multiple borders, sew strips together first and attach to quilt as one unit. Use the same method, but measure horizontally first and start at the Short sides. I would like to but I don’t do much w/ color in my quilting but Nicholes quilt is inspiring me to think about adding & enjoying some color in my quilting.Thanks for sharing your wonderful work! My borders depend on the quilt. Cut two borders to the measurement you just took and s… Thanks for sharing, I don’t have EQ so it is great to see it done wth all the options. The Weekender – Not sure about yarn for this one. Janet is the author of the Rodale book "Classic American Quilt Collection: Stars" and has contributed to dozens of other books and patterns as both a writer and editor. Started March, 2019. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! You are a very talented lady. Press the top/bottom sets towards inner border and right/left sets towards outer border. To me, it just looks naked .. like a picture on the wall with no frame. Determine the best width for your border. Stained Glass Cowl – Not much done. I don’t have an EQ and I don’t think I. One of them, I”m realizing,has too many planned blocks to add many borders, but maybe I’ll reduce the # of blocks so I can do something more interesting in the borders. If your quilt body has large-scale print, look for a smaller-scale print for the border. Ravencliff – Test knit currently working on. Well said. I love the way it turned out. . Borders are usually sewn to the two longest sides of the quilt first and then to the remaining two sides with the final two extending straight across the ends of the first borders. The best set-up for quilting is putting your sewing machine at the very edge of a table so the quilt has somewhere to go as you sew it. If your quilt colors are bland, use brighter colors in the border. Penny in S CA. I think your border selection is the best. Please, DO NOT do that! To make sure your quilt lies flat, you must measure your border strips before sewing them on the sides of your quilt top. Started October 10, 2020. Rattlesnake – I need this to remind me that I survived living in the wilds of Texas for 9 years. No borders looks like you couldn’t be bothered finishing it. Border Length. Quilt top is log cabins, blocks are 9" finished, with 3/4" finished logs. Cut 2 strips the width of the quilt plus twice the border width and 2″ inches extra and 2 strips the length of the quilt plus twice the border width and 2″ inches extra. This step is the second task in making a quilt. Press the seam allowance towards the border. The steps are: You could also opt to place a diagonal seam between pieced border strips instead of a seam that runs across each strip's width. How to Sew the First Two Borders to the Quilt, How to Sew an Easy Log Cabin Quilt Pattern, How to Make Quilt Sashing With Cornerstones, How to Sew a Carpenter's Star Quilt Block. Attach a walking foot to your sewing machine. We did one on border and it had so many I’d thought I never see a quilt with that many borders! The last time I was debating borders for Nicole’s quilts, someone mentioned that “modern quilts” are leaning towards having no borders. Superbloom Cowl – I made one of these as a Christmas gift but I’d like to make one for me. Some how I have problems when making a bed quilt for it to be made of a dozen or so color rectangles and lots of background. Press to the border and measure again through the center. Cut two borders to this length and sew them to both sides of the quilt, matching the center of the quilt top with the center of the border. Step 1. Started February, 2015, Brickless – Not much done. More Tips for Adding Quilt Borders. Love the finished quilt! Fold both borders and the quilt in half and iron in a crease (or place a pin) at the halfway mark. Sharie. Remove pins as you sew. Sew each multi-border unit to the quilt in one piece, stopping 1/4" from each end and leaving the mitered ends uncut and unsewn until all borders are in place. Sew the strips together along their ends, press seam allowances open to reduce bulk, then trim the strip so that its length matches the measurement in Step 1. Pin through both layers at the match to keep fabrics from shifting. Unless I’m making a quick quilt, they almost always have multiple borders. Started February 10, 2020, Match & Move – Over halfway done. Sometimes you will find that it's best to add top and bottom borders first to avoid the need for piecing those border strips. If this were “throw size,” I would probably pick an option with fewer borders. Get DIY project ideas and easy-to-follow crafts to help you spruce up your space. Start with right and left pieces. Mark the centers of the quilt edges and the border strips. On the subject of modern quilts, I see many vintage quilts made in the 30s were made without borders. Miss Babs Yowza Mini Set, which I have. When I am deciding border options, I also like to think how it will look in its intended location/use. It’s done! 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