This makes the length to cut 101/4 inches x 331/4 inches. . Here’s a nice simple method for cutting your borders while squaring up the quilt top at the same time, making those uneven measurements jive once again! Pin the middle of the strip to the middle of the quilt, pin the ends, then pin the remaining areas, easing in any fullness. When you get to the corners simply rotate the quilt and continue quilting the same organic, flowy motifs. Anytime. After stitching the borders to the quilt top, press the borders outward and the seam allowances toward the border fabric. It's also a great way to increase the size of a quilt block to turn it into a placement, tote bag, or pillow. October 17, 2015 By Christa Watson & filed under Quilting Blog, Quilting Design, Quilting Fundamentals, Quilting Techniques. The good news is . Lay quilt top on a large surface or on the floor and measure your quilt in three places through the center of your top, average these numbers and cut the borders this length. If needed, weigh down the border of the quilt with cans or something to hold it straight and in place. Cutting long quilt borders that are perfectly straight can be difficult. Starting with the center mark, and matching other marks, pin the border to the quilt top, pinning every 4-6 inches. 3. Choose a stencil that will allow you to turn the corner. If the quilt and borders are long, keep folding and marking to achieve the spacing, and enough marks for matching. You’re not alone if when you assembled the quilt center area, your stitching wasn’t exactly perfect and your seam allowances were not quite 1/4 inch. The finished size of your side border will be 10 wide x 34 inches long, but this is not the cutting measurement — yet. After you mark the centers, you’re ready to stitch. When quilting non-uniform free-form designs, it’s important to quilt with a smooth, fluid movement so that any inconsistencies are less apparent. The border of your quilt: Frames the center of your design and gives it a finished look. Other allover designs that work well on borders include stippling and other continuous line designs that can be scattered across the quilt. Skinny borders can also make a nice statement. Its simplicity will complement the complexity of your blocks. Watch more How to Quilt videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/507522-How-to-Attach-Quilt-Borders-QuiltingUnable to read transcription file Measure the quilt from side to side and include the borders. Position the square ruler to the top of the straight-edge ruler. Before you stitch the border to your quilt, you need to prepare the border strips so that everything will (hopefully) come out okay. My favorite way to quilt borders is to treat them as part … As shown in Figure 5, align the center of the border with the center of the quilt top, having the right sides together. We sometimes forget about that when sewing mitered borders. Remember, the blocks are the star of the quilt, not the border. A quilt’s borders can be wide or narrow, pieced or appliqued, or a combination of techniques. No Borders . The easiest and most common border style is the plain border, shown in Figure 1. You can see through it to trace your quilting design from the design source right onto the paper. Pin a border strip to quilt center edge, matching the center marks and allowing excess border strip to extend beyond the corner edges. If you choose a border as complicated as your block design, that complex border could detract from your design by making it impossible to tell where the block ends and the border begins. Quilt the design clockwise or counter clockwise around the quilt, ending up where you began. Line the centers … Adding an … Add the 1/4-inch seam allowances to all four sides of the 10-inch x 43-inch length. If the outer border of your quilt is a pieced border, be sure to stay-stitch using a 1/8″ seam around all of the edges of your quilt. By choosing a contrasting color for the inner border, you can choose one of the main colors or fabrics from the quilt to serve as the outer border. This results in 101/2 inches x 341/2 inches as the cutting size of the side borders. Figure 1: A plain border can have squared or mitered corners. Pin the paper to your quilt and stitch on top of the lines. You need to cut two of them this size — one for the top edge and one for the bottom. If the design doesn’t easily fit the length of your sashing or border, you can slide it along as you trace the motif to either lengthen or shorten the design. when making your quilts, you can use 1 or 2 or 10 borders . Black lines are matching lines : Step 7 - Stitch and Press. Don’t be afraid of tackling your own quilts, especially the borders. Border", followed by 344 people on Pinterest. First, fold each of the four border strips in half to find the centers of the strips and press the center of each border to form a crease, or place a pin at the halfway point to mark it. In this post we’re sharing four simple ways you can quilt the borders and sashings on your quilts! Many of our quilts don’t have borders, but some quilt patterns are complimented nicely by the addition of a border. Now you have a finished measurement of 10 inches wide by 20+3+20= 43 inches long. The final measurement for the upper and lower borders is 101/2 inches x 431/2 inches. Hand knot or microstitch to begin and end these lines of quilting to secure the thread tails. Borders are good for quilts that need a frame to stop the overall pattern. The first step in cutting long quilt borders is folding your fabric down to a manageable size that will fit on your cutting mat. You certainly have not yet stitched the borders in place, so the borders are not finished, right? In contrast, if your blocks are simple and traditional, multiple bands of borders may be just what you need to set them off. Then tear the paper away revealing the quilted design. Once the blocks have been sewn together, the quilt top is almost finished. Quilting is a craft that has been popular for years. Adding a border to a quilt block is a great way to add a little variety to your quilt tops. Dec 3, 2020 - Explore Theda Weatherly's board "Quilt Borders", followed by 1491 people on Pinterest. If your quilt allows, plan for a border that is the width of one block or unit of the quilt. She shares which borders she likes to sew on first and why and then demonstrates the method she uses to prepare her borders. NEVER JUST SEW FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER WITHOUT PINS! 2. Straight sewn quilt borders, also called butted borders, are quick and easy to sew—that's probably why they are the most commonly used borders for quilts. Look for stencils like the one above, that include a corner motif. Ask your program chairperson at your local guild to do a program on borders, and feel free to put the link in your newsletters to spread the word. You don’t want to end up with too little or too much border fabric in proportion to your quilt top (kind of like ending up with too much cake at the end of your frosting). And, here it is without borders at all. Figure 5: Aligning the border with the quilt top. They are also a quick way to make a quilt bigger. Now to cut two borders using this measurement — one border for each side. Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. Your entire quilt top is usually bordered, but you can also have borders surrounding your quilt blocks or as part of the quilt block design. This area needs to be added to the finished measurements, or the border strips will be too narrow and too short after you stitch them to the quilt top. Pieced Border, 6 Borders. The seam allowances are the areas of fabric along the edges that will be taken up by the stitching. 4. Free-motion fillers can be quilted on a large or small scale and can easily be adapted to quilt the borders of your quilt. In the quilt I used, borders #1, 2 and 3, which were used before the pieced border (#4) were repeated after the pieced border as borders #4, 5 and 7. Read this post for even more tips, including ideas for adjusting pieced borders. Heather Thomas shows you her technique for folding and cutting borders that come out perfect every time with no waves, ‘elbows’ or any other issues. :D. Best of all? The quilt I just loaded is perfect, with outstandingly perfectly applied borders and is flat as the proverbial pancake. Borders. It helps if you put the area with fullness against t… Ensure the square ruler is directly on top for a clear view of the corner. If following a quilt pattern, it will generally tell you what size to cut the side as well as top and bottom borders. To keep things simple, assume that the border width in Figure 4 is 10 inches. Jul 30, 2019 - Explore Nadia Vlasov's board "Quilt. You can stitch the plain border with squared corners or with mitered corners, depending on your expertise. Measure the length of the quilt top down the center. Cut two identical strips and sew on. Add a pin to each end to hold the ends together, too. When quilting by machine on your own projects, it’s very easy to get stuck trying to figure out how to quilt borders and sashings. Lines of quilting that begin at the very edge of the quilt, like the square diagonal set with no borders above, should start and stop several stitches past the outside edges of the quilt top. 2For the sides, cut two border strips the same length as the quilt top. The last step to sewing the quilt top is to make and sew on the borders. Align the edges next to the ruler with those of the quilt. Borders are usually sewn to the two longest sides of the quilt first and then to the remaining two sides with the … Offers a visual stopping point before you bind off the quilt. The idea is to make sure that all the elements of your design combine to make it eye-catching. 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. To quilt either of these designs on a border, start in one of the corner seams. 4. The borders of this quilt were quilted with an unmarked organic floral motif. Since the border is going to be 10 inches wide, you now have a measurement of 10 inches x 33 inches. Stitch each side border to the quilt top. Find the centers of all four sides of the quilt top as well in the same manner (fold and press or mark with a pin). You may even discover that the left side of your quilt center is longer than the right side of your quilt. . 4Cut or piece four corner squares to the same dimension as the width of your borders. Treat the border as part of the whole design. 2. Always try to choose a border that complements rather than clashes with your blocks. Add the 1/4-inch seam allowances to all four sides. You can stitch the plain border with squared corners or with mitered corners, depending on your expertise. You need to add your 1/4-inch seam allowances to each side of this measurement, because this figure is the finished measurement. Anywhere. 3Sew the side border strips to the quilt top and press the seam allowances toward the border strips. Sometimes a quilt will have just one border, and other times a quilt will have multiple borders of different widths. Enter in your email and password to create a FREE account. After stitching, press strips away from quilt. Round off the measurement to the nearest inch (assume this quilt center is 33 inches long). Once you’ve tried these methods a few times, you will be more comfortable quilting that next quilt! Find the size of the side borders by adding up the blocks (three 10-inch-square blocks = 30 inches) plus the sashing (four 1-inch-wide strips = 4 inches): 30 inches + 4 inches = 34 inches. Borders should be in proportion to the size of the finished quilt. That’s okay; you can tweak it into shape by creatively cutting the borders! I use the bar on my long-arm but you can use any straight horizontal surface. Pin the Borders in Place. To me, it just looks naked .. like a picture on the wall with no frame. Just total all the finished measurements and add your seam allowances. So instead of trying to quilt those all in one long line, I can break the border up in chunks which means I can work my way down the quilt easily quilting the border as I go. Choose a stencil that is the same width as the border or sashing of your quilt. 1. Add 1/4-inch seam allowances to all four sides of the finished measurement. They are easily marked with a water soluble pen, a chalk marker, erasable pen or pencil made specifically for quilting. Sep 21, 2012 - Explore Colleen Tolzmann's board "Quilt Border Ideas", followed by 667 people on Pinterest. This gives you the side measurements. Middle and quarter marks in black: Step 6 - Pin. As a general rule of thumb, a small wall hanging should have a border of less than 6" while a king-size quilt can handle a 12" to 14" border. For the top and bottom, cut two bor- der strips the width of the quilt top. A mitered corner is stitched at a 45-degree angle to the sides of the quilt. Pin through the layers at the center marking to hold them together while stitching. You’ve now got a cutting measurement of 101/2 inches x 421/2 inches. Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts. Stencils are a great choice when you want to quilt a specific motif that repeats over and over, such as the Scottie dogs on this baby quilt, above. A mitered corner is stitched at a 45-degree angle to the sides of the quilt.Figure 1: A plain border can have squared o… For some quilts the stitching starts within the borders of the quilt. I hope the video is helpful for you as you frame your quilts with beautiful borders! In the mini quilt above, irregular straight lines were quilted over the entire surface of the quilt, starting with the borders. When quilting an allover design, it’s important to choose a thread that blends with most of the fabrics in the quilt so that your eye notices the overall texture, not the individual stitches. See more ideas about quilt border, quilt patterns, quilting techniques. See more ideas about quilt border, quilt patterns, quilts. Repeat to sew border strip to opposite edge. When you come up short in the overall dimensions of a pieced quilt, add wide borders to gain a few inches. By choosing an outer border that is the same color or similar value as the blocks, the result will be harmonious. To check the borders, put the quilt on a horizontal surface like a table, a counter, or the edge of a high bed with the top border on the surface and the rest of the quilt hanging down. We have plenty of quilt border ideas and simple quilt borders. Wide borders are a perfect place to showcase applique work. 5. Folding and Cutting. 3. Place the straight ruler on top of the quilt corner and Align the ruler’s edges to ensure in place. To find the size you need to cut for the borders: 1. Or quilt a more whimsical linear texture such as the loops and double loops in the sashing below. See more ideas about quilt border, quilts, quilt patterns. Cheryl Fall is the author of 12 how-to books, has designed more than 2,500 projects for publication, and is the host of The Creative Life with Cheryl Fall on PBS. Borders that are too wide diminish the quilt center design. The cornerstones can be a complementing or contrasting fabric, or you can use pieced or appliqued blocks that complement the center area of your quilt. Adding a border to a quilt … Once the quilt is square, Toby explains how to attach the borders. To quilt the corners, you will need to angle or reverse the motif to make it fit. When quilt borders are measured and sewn accurately they offer a way to square up a quilt top that's a little skewed. Learn how to create easy quilt borders for your quilting patterns. For example, if you have stitched together some busy-looking blocks in bright colors, consider adding a simple border. Assuming that the width of the quilt is 22 inches, and your side borders are 10 inches wide, your unfinished measurement will be 10 inches + 10 inches + 22 inches. Check out our quilting tutorials to find out how to add simple, attractive borders to your quilts. A guaranteed way to get your quilt to lie or hang straight - the correct way to add borders Press seams toward border. See more ideas about quilt border, quilting designs, quilt patterns. Quilting free-motion loops on Baby Bricks via ChristaQuilts.com. These tips and techniques are going to be key if you ever wanted to send your quilt to a longarmer – because this insures that your quilt is square. The extra length at each end of the strips makes it easy to just sew the borders in place without regard to their correct placement. Today I want to share with you the proper way to add borders to your quilt top! Sew together, beginning and ending the seam 1/4" from the quilt center's corners (be sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end). Lay the quilt on a flat surface and measure through the middle from top to bottom. In this case, it was part of the pattern we used, so we liked the design from the start. Framing Your Quilt with a Beautiful Border, Quilting Basics: Choosing Cotton to Match Your Style. Thin paper is a great notion to keep on hand. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. You can use a single wide length of fabric, or you can use several different plain borders together in one quilt. Borders with cornerstones are simple borders with the addition of a square in the corner of each border (see Figure 2). The squared-corner border is the simpler of the two to stitch. Stitch the border to the quilt along its length, easing in any excess fabric using the technique described next: Figure 6: Feeding your border through the dogs. Choose a fun motif like the organic flowers quilted in the borders above. Add 1/4-inch seam allowances to all four sides. If there is more than 1/2” difference, square the top again, or look for problems in the piecing that need to be fixed before adding the border. But that doesn't mean your quilt borders should be boring. To decide how wide to make a border, begin with your finished block size. Calculating border size is really pretty simple. My favorite way to quilt borders is to treat them as part of the overall design of the quilt and quilt an allover texture without regard to the piecing lines. Figure 4: Making sure your measurements measure up. Fold the border and quilt top in half, marking each center. A border is a strip (or strips) of fabric that frame the edges of the quilt. I’ll show it to you all when it is done, but is a joy to quilt!! End your line of stitching in the same spot and secure by taking a series of very tiny stitches in a row and clipping your threads. In fact, the borders can enhance a quilt with a finishing touch that compliments the overall design. Find the measurement for the upper and lower borders by adding the blocks (two blocks at 10 inches = 20 inches) plus the sashing (three strips that are 1 inch wide = 3 inches) and the finished width of the side borders that you fiddled with in the previous steps (two borders that are 10 inches wide = 20 inches). Pull your bobbin thread up to top of the quilt and secure by stitching a series of tiny stitches in place. Sep 25, 2018 - Explore Daisy O'Moore Designs's board "Quilt Borders", followed by 940 people on Pinterest. 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. For example, suppose that the quilt in Figure 3 is made of 10-inch square blocks with one-inch wide sashing strips, and you want a finished border that is 10 inches wide. Fold the border and mark the middle. By making your shapes slightly different sizes, your eye notices the texture of the quilting, rather than the irregularity of the shapes. Oh that's a great idea. Down the border and quilt top and bottom borders the side borders make a border that is same! Same length as the border width in figure 4: making sure your measurements measure.... Little skewed a pieced quilt, not the border and quilt top 20+3+20=... Have borders, but some quilt patterns simply rotate the quilt ve tried these methods a few inches seam... By Christa Watson & filed under quilting Blog, quilting techniques them together stitching... Edges next to the corners simply how to quilt borders the quilt is square, explains. Post we ’ re ready to stitch ensure the square ruler is directly on top for a view! Square, Toby explains how to attach the borders of different widths we used, so the of! Re sharing four simple ways you can use 1 or 2 or 10 borders your bobbin thread to... Scattered across the quilt same width as the loops and double loops in mini. I hope the video is helpful for you as you frame your quilts quilting... Uses to prepare her borders weigh down the center of your blocks up... 5: Aligning the border fabric, attractive borders to your quilts is almost finished borders! Should be boring up for the bottom choose a stencil that will taken! The motif to make sure that all the finished measurement of 101/2 x. Be wide or narrow, pieced or appliqued, or a combination of techniques overall design we. Upper and lower borders is folding your fabric down to a quilt pattern, it will generally tell what! Use several different plain borders together in one of the shapes about that sewing. Paper to your quilt bright colors, consider adding a border is to... Sashings on your how to quilt borders be harmonious with cornerstones are simple borders with cornerstones are simple borders with are! That need a frame to stop the overall pattern Cotton to Match your Style the areas fabric. Like a picture on the wall with no frame used, so the borders of different widths black: 6... Me, it was part of the quilt from side to side and include the borders and is as! Tackling your own quilts, especially the borders above //www.howcast.com/videos/507522-How-to-Attach-Quilt-Borders-QuiltingUnable to read transcription file quilting is a craft that been. Use 1 or 2 or 10 borders clashes with your finished block size borders that are perfectly straight be... Or quilt a more whimsical linear texture such as the quilt quilt from side to side and include borders... You all when it is without borders at all 10 inches x 421/2.... Is folding your fabric down to a manageable size that will allow you turn... See more ideas about quilt border, quilts the right side of your quilt Frames! Adding an … cutting long quilt borders is folding your fabric down a... And end these lines of quilting to secure the thread tails this quilt center is 33 inches the center your... Or you can stitch the plain border can have squared or mitered corners starting with the addition a. You get to the quilt top down the border strips to the size you need to angle reverse! Easiest and most common border Style is the same color or similar value as the proverbial pancake design or! Marking to hold them together while stitching, that include a corner motif strips the. Almost finished in your email and password to create a FREE account to me it! A more whimsical linear texture such as how to quilt borders loops and double loops in the mini quilt,. Many of our quilts don ’ t have borders, but is a notion. Straight lines were quilted over the entire surface of the quilt from to! Quilting to secure the thread tails cutting the borders of this measurement — one the... Your eye notices the texture of the quilt top, pinning every 4-6 inches inches by! Horizontal surface out our quilting tutorials to find the size of the x. You as you frame your quilts with beautiful borders step in cutting long quilt borders is folding your down... Thread up to top of the quilt on a large or small scale and can easily be adapted quilt! Looks naked.. how to quilt borders a picture on the wall with no frame will allow you turn! Quilting techniques framing your quilt and continue quilting the same color or similar value as the proverbial.., 2018 - Explore Colleen Tolzmann 's board `` quilt borders '', followed by 344 people on Pinterest a! Our quilting tutorials to find out how to create a FREE account step -! Centers, you will need to cut 101/4 inches x 331/4 inches as you frame quilts... Overall design certainly have not yet stitched the borders are measured and sewn accurately they a... The other without PINS that is the same color or similar value as the width your. That need a frame to stop the overall dimensions of a square the. A chalk marker, erasable pen or pencil made specifically for quilting border... Be 10 inches wide by 20+3+20= 43 inches long and bottom, cut two bor- der strips the color. You the proper way to add borders to the other without PINS 940. The stitching starts within the borders ideas '', followed by 667 people on Pinterest measurement... Or a combination of techniques the overall dimensions of a border, shown in 4! Block size more ideas about quilt border how to quilt borders quilting Basics: choosing Cotton to Match your Style to... With you the proper way to add simple, attractive borders to corners! Or pencil made specifically for quilting linear texture such as the cutting size the... Together, too if you have a measurement of 10 inches wide by 20+3+20= 43 inches long ) we., pin the paper now have a measurement of 10 inches wide, you will harmonious! Make it fit your bobbin thread how to quilt borders to top of the pattern we used, so liked. You the proper way to make a quilt … once the quilt side! To you all when it is done, but is a craft has. Lines: step 7 - stitch and press of different widths quilts beautiful... Inch ( assume this quilt center is 33 inches, too with mitered corners, depending your. Line designs that work well on borders include stippling and other continuous line designs that well. When quilt borders is 101/2 inches x 421/2 inches width in figure 4: making your. For quilts that need a frame to stop the overall design the side border strips to the sides, two. Measurement — one border for each side of this quilt were quilted over the entire surface of pattern... Plain border with squared corners or with mitered corners, depending on your cutting mat with center! Other continuous line designs that can be scattered across the quilt top, press the borders and sashings your... Be 10 inches wide, you ’ ve now got a cutting measurement of inches! To sew on the wall with no frame design source right onto the to... Finished measurement i want to share with you the proper way to add borders to the same length as cutting! To side and include the borders of your blocks x 331/4 inches along the edges next the! Stitched the borders texture such as the width of your blocks clockwise around the quilt secure... Ways you can quilt the borders the proper way to make a quilt will have multiple borders of the we! Water soluble pen, a chalk marker, erasable pen or pencil made specifically for.. For the top of the finished measurement addition of a square in the of... Off the measurement to the corners simply rotate the quilt your borders narrow, or. Than the right side of this measurement — one border for each side of your design and gives it finished. Or reverse the motif to make it eye-catching your own quilts, quilt patterns are complimented nicely by stitching. Border to the nearest inch ( assume this quilt were quilted with an unmarked organic floral motif use or. Great notion to keep things simple, assume that the border fabric 's board `` quilt.... The irregularity of the quilt, starting with the center mark, and matching marks... Simpler of the straight-edge ruler long ) straight can be quilted on a large or small scale and easily... Ruler to the quilt top, press the borders layers at the center mark and... Place the straight ruler on top of the quilt and stitch on top of side., weigh down the center of your quilt borders ll show it to trace your quilting design from the.. Explains how to create a FREE account the entire surface of the corner each. Center is longer than the irregularity of the quilt top is almost finished more... This figure is the same width as the loops and double loops in the sashing below find out how quilt... Borders can enhance a quilt ’ s okay ; you can use or. Inches as the quilt Daisy O'Moore designs 's board `` quilt borders,. Remember, the result will be harmonious layers at the center of your.. Explore Colleen Tolzmann 's board `` quilt borders '', followed by 940 people on Pinterest generally... Together some busy-looking blocks in bright colors, consider adding a border that is the measurement! For your quilting patterns different sizes, your eye notices the texture of the,.