Measuring for the Border
July 2nd, 2009
The next statement I make will cause many of you to remove my blog from your blog reader, never to return to my blog again but, here it is:
I do not measure before adding borders! I just don’t do it!
I use Electric Quilt. Let’s just do a shameless plug here and get this part out of the way. If you don’t have EQ, you can order it from me here. Thanks! If you’re not an EQ user, well . . why not? 
Back to measuring, there are two reasons I do not measure (well, three if you count that I just don’t like that part!):
- If I’m measuring a quilt, depending on the size, I can come up with a very wide variation in numbers. It can be stretched ever so slightly to yield a slightly larger number than you need; it can be scrunched just a bit to yield a slightly smaller number than you need. Even with pressing, the top can be distorted a bit so that your numbers aren’t totally accurate.
- If you know your blocks are measuring perfectly at 10″ or 12″ finished, and you know your sashing is measuring at 2″ finished, why can’t you just figure that 4 blocks x 10″ plus 3 sashing strips x 2″ = 46″ plus 1/2″ seam allowance (1/4 on each edge) . . your border needs to be 46-1/2″.
Who wants to measure down the left side, measure down the right side, measure down the middle, add them all up and take an average? Not me!
The only potential for a problem that may arise is when your blocks are supposed to be 12″ finished and you have one that might be 12-1/4″ or one that may be 11-3/4″ but quilters . . make sure those blocks are right! If your blocks aren’t right, your sashing isn’t going to be right and then one side of your border may need to be 46″ while one side may need to be 46-1/2″. So, figure out how to get those blocks as right as possible.
If you don’t have Electric Quilt, you can simply make yourself a chart:
# of blocks x size of blocks = ________
# of sashing strips x size of sashing strips = ________
This is the size of your top with no borders. Don’t forget to add 1/2″ for the two 1/4″ seam allowances.
Then for each additional border you add:
Start with the size of your top without borders. For this example, let’s say the top is 46″ x 58″.
You will know that your side borders need to be 58-1/2″ before you attach them. Let’s assume this border is 2″ finished.
Your width of your top is 46″ plus you’ve added 2″ on either side so 46 + 2″ on the left and 2″ on the right. Now your top width is 50″.
Here’s a chart that I use when making borders. If I’m sewing away from home, I always make my borders before leaving home, whether pieced or straight, and layer them with the outer border on bottom and continue stacking them til the first border to be added is on top. Then I roll them up and tie my little bundle loosely with a selvage or strip of fabric. When I’m ready to sew, I untie the bundle, unroll it and the first border gets added to the sides of the top, then the next border gets added to the top and bottom and so on. I keep this little chart with the bundle so I have it for reference if needed.
Now, if you’re using Electric Quilt, this is very easy! This is what you see when you have just the top drawn out. Click on these to make them larger!
Notice:
- In the top of the “Horizontal Layout” box, you see the size of the center of the quilt.
- You see the size of the blocks, the size of the sashing and the number of blocks used.
- Towards the bottom right, you see the size of the quilt at this point.
Let’s add that first 2-1/2″ finished border (cut 3″).
Notice:
- In the “Borders” box, you see the size of this quilt after adding these borders. Since I always add the side borders first, I use the measurements from the first box where no borders were added yet so my side borders are cut 3″ x 58-1/2″.
- This particular borders box tells me that once the side borders have been added, the quilt measures 51″ x 63″, seam allowances not included. So, I know my top and bottom borders need to be cut 3″ x 51-1/2″. My top, including seam allowances now should measure 51-1/2″ x 63-1/2″.
- I know that the next border (next round) I add will be the side borders. So, whatever width they need to be, the length will be 63-1/2″.
My next border will be a pieced border. I’m using 3″ finished squares. I needed to be sure that the top at this point measures numbers that are multiples of 3. We will talk more about this later. I know (because my calculator tells me) that 63 divided by 3 means I need 21 – 3″ blocks for the sides. 51 divided by 3 = 17 so I need 17 – 3″ blocks for the top and bottom. And, I need four 3″ corner squares. So, I need 21 and 21 (two sides), 17 and 17 (top and bottom) and 4 (corners) blocks for the border. I need 80 – 3″ (3-1/2″) blocks for this pieced border.
Notice:
- You see that we’re working on the 2nd of 2 borders.
- You see that this top will be 57″ x 69″, not counting seam allowances, after the addition of these borders.
- You see how many blocks are added to the sides and top/bottom. You have to remember that you’ll also need the 4 corner blocks.
The final border is going to be 4″ (cut 4-1/2″). I know that since the quilt was 57-1/2″ x 69-1/2″ after the previous border, my side borders will be cut 4-1/2″ x 69-1/2″. From this screen shot, I can see that the top and bottom borders will be 65″ long finished so I will cut those 4-1/2″ x 65-1/2″, for a final measurement of this top top to be 65-1/2″ x 77-1/2″.
Some may find it easier to measure than to do the math. I find it easier to do the math and keep the chart. However you do it, please make sure your borders fit properly! One method you might want to avoid is taking long strips and sewing . . without regard to measurements. Ask me how I know this method doesn’t always work!
Woweee…….what an education you are giving us. DH got me EQ as a surprise a few years back…got EQ5 and I was totally lost trying to work with it. (Someone told me if I upgrade to EQ6, I will NOT have trouble learning how to use it…but I’ve hated to spend the money and then find out otherwise.) I do know a lot of you depend on it….yourself, Pat Wys, and several others. I guess someday I will have to just DO it and get the upgrade!
I had EQ5 and it wasn’t fun for me at all, couldn’t get the hang of it. Get the EQ6 upgrade. You will be singing a different tune! I love it.
I don’t measure my borders either Judy, I trust EQ’s math much better than I do my own! In fact, if I’m making a quilt from a pattern, I will draw it up in EQ first, and use those measurement.
I know that method doesn’t always work from experience! In fact, I have a quilt now that I’m going to have to remove the borders – it waves & rolls when it isn’t a good fit. I have EQ6 – got it last winter. I started at the beginning of the book doing the exercises. I love the program although I’m still learning.
Karen, which method are you saying doesn’t always work?
You go ahead and don’t measure, it works (stellarly, judging by the finished products) for you. I’ll keep on measuring; I’m as precise as I am willing to be on piecing and sometimes that’s off by a bit. On the other hand, I rarely have trouble with the measurements being different each time.
I very much agree that EQ rocks for setting up quilts and borders and so forth. If I don’t have it available (here in the RV on the laptop, for example) I tend to sketch things out (just on notebook pages) much the way you show above in EQ, and write out all the measurements so I don’t miss anything and can refer back to the sketch when I get confused.
I also, usually do NOT measure, simply because those numbers never come out the same on large quilts – why is that?
So, on smaller quilts I lay the top on my cutting table, smooth it all out, and just lay my border on the edge. No stretching, no ooching. Now this works with a smaller quilt – bigger quilts DO take more care.
I don’t even want to tell you how I do borders – you all would kick me out of quilterdom! But, hey, they lay flat and it works! LOL
Ha! I don’t measure either! I sew accurately. I can just add things up and cut to size.
I know, it freaks people out. But it works for me.
LOL Vicky~ now you have me curious!
I always add up the blocks and sashings too~ but then I check it by measuring the quilt too! Isn’t that crazy?!
Maybe that is why it takes me so long to get the borders on anything.
Judy – I so agree with you about not measuring. I cut and piece my borders to the size that EQ tells me they should be and it works every time. (Among other reasons, who has a table big enough to lay out and measure a big quilt?) claudia w
Judy,
I don’t measure my tops to put borders on, either. Whether I’ve used EQ or scrap paper to figure out my pattern, I have the border sizes figured out, so why measure. I did find when teaching classes that not everyone sews a scant 1/4″ seam. I urged my students to measure for their borders. A flat quilt is much easier to quilt!!!! Bugs the heck out of me when patterns call for sewing the borders on and whacking them off. We demoed that techinique in a class one time. On one quilt, we stretched the border and on the other, we streched the quilt. Very eye-opening!
1) I don’t have EQ because it would be of no use to me. We have Macs here, and each and *every* software package I’ve seen for quilt design is Windows only OR will possibly work on the Mac *after* I’ve handicapped the thing by asking it to run Windows emulation. Since quilting programs are graphics-intensive, this kind of misses the point of having a Mac in the first place.
2) Re. borders: I measure ONCE. I get a real measurement, not some mythical “average.” I measure ONCE through the center across the quilt while it’s flat, either on my design wall or on my cutting surface. Then I measure ONCE through the center from top to bottom.
My borders look great! No tables, no software. Just one easy number.
CJ over at tinkletimes.com runs EQ on her MAC and I don’t think she has any problems with it at all. It can be done and I doubt CJ feels her MAC is handicapped at all. She’s pretty picky about her computers. Not everything I post will help *everyone* but I do hope it helps some. If you don’t need software or tables . . that’s great! Some do need it and those are the ones I’m hoping to help.
I ran Windows in a virtual OS for about a year on my Mac, it works fine but I can also understand the “crippling your Mac” thought.
Nowadays, I simply run Windows (Vista) via Bootcamp on a separate partition on my Mac. It’s a beautiful thing… Vista flat BOOGIES on Mac hardware, and all my sewing software (EQ6, Bernina DP V5, Bernina My Label, Bernina border calculator, Patternmaster Boutique 4) all run beautifully.
The best of both worlds!
I also run EQ6 on my Mac. Before I bought this Mac, I had an older one, and running *anything* Windows-based was torture, plain and simple. But these newer Macs can run Windows software at native speed, and I have the best of both worlds this way. I never go online via Windows, though, except to authorize EQ6. Instead, I download whatever EQ stuff I want on my Mac and then open the files in Windows. It works great!
Wow, Judy…..I’m glad to hear that you don’t measure either. I like the way you are showing us that we need to start at the beginning of the process with cutting and then sewing. What I have found is do things consistent so the blocks turn out all the same size……..it doesn’t matter what the number is. Keep up the good work!!
Karen L
I just use patterns that tell me what it should be. grin
My DH has EQ6 and he’s making a broken star quilt that he designed with it. I have absolutely NO idea how to use it and we don’t mix very well when it comes to sitting down at the computer.
But………………(Can you see me dragging my feet?)I guess I’ll try
Judy, you are a clever girl! I am fascinated by how organized your mind is with regard to quilting. I like your description of your little border jelly roll! Thanks for sharing your methods.
Thanks so much for helping all of us! I never thought of using EQ6 for this. (I barely know how to use it) But I need to learn now.
Judy make it stop, make the math stop. Now I know why my quilts always seem to wave at me