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Border Bundles

July 22, 2010 By Judy

Before I cut the first piece of fabric, I create a border chart:

The numbers in parentheses indicate the halfway point so I don’t have to figure it out when I’m at the cutting table.

Once the strips are sewn together to give me the length I need and using the long cutting mat, I spread the border out, lining one end (which I’ve squared up already) at the zero mark.

I mark the center of my borders.

Then move the marked line down to the zero line again.

As I’m marking the end of the border, I only need to make one mark and not a second mark at the top of the border.

Line up a horizontal line of the ruler with the edge of the border, placing the cutting edge of the ruler right on the marked edge and this is where I cut off the end of the border.

This quilt has 6 borders.  The third border was a pieced border and that’s the very first one I made.  Then I start with border #6.  I make the side borders first, then lay them out of the way.  Then I make the top and bottom pieces for border #6 and lay them right on top of the others.  I do the same with #5, sides first, then top and bottom, then border #4, then stick the pieced borders on top, then do borders #2 and #1.  Then I roll that all up and I have a border bundle.

You can see the big border bundle here in this picture.  Don’t ask me why that tiny little triangle is laying there . . guess it just wanted to be in the picture too.

Once the borders are all done, the blocks are made and it’s very quick to put the top together.

This method may not work for anyone but me but I love doing my borders first!

Tagged Borders Filed Under Quilting 9 Comments

Border Measurements

July 22, 2010 By Judy

Most all quilters are taught to make your quilt top, then measure that top before making your borders.  Supposedly, we should measure the center, top to bottom, then measure left and right side, top to bottom, then average those numbers and that’s the length of the borders that should fit.  But, I say . . why?

When you’re making a top,  if you’re cutting accurately, making a 1/4″ seam (if that’s the size required), carefully pressing and squaring your blocks, then you know exactly what size your blocks are.  If they’re supposed to be 12-1/2″ unfinished, then at this point, if they’re not 12-1/2″ unfinished, either the cutting wasn’t accurate, the seams weren’t 1/4″ or the pressing either folded some small amount near the seam allowance or stretched the block out of shape.

Now that you know your block is perfect, and it can be . . then you’re going to make your sashing.  Do you measure your blocks and make all the sashing to fit the blocks or do you cut the sashing the size it is supposed to be . . in this case – 12-1/2″ long by whatever width is required?

So, if your blocks are perfect and your sashing is correct, you know exactly what size your top is going to be before you start sewing?

At this point, you can say I hate math!  I’m not doing math! Fine . . you need read no farther.  But if you can multiply, divide, add and subtract some simple whole numbers and want the power of being able to figure out a border to fit your quilt, stick with me for a minute.  If this seems confusing, grab a Post-It note and sketch this out.

Say you have 4 – 12″ finished blocks per horizontal row and you have them set with 2″ sashing, thats:

  • 4 x 12″ (for the 4 – 12″ blocks) = 48
  • 3 x 2″ (for the 3 sashing strips between the 4 blocks) = 6
  • 48″ + 6″ = 54″ plus 1/4″ seam allowance at one end and 1/4″ seam allowance at the other end means the border for this quilt needs to be 54-1/2″.

How hard was that?  That’s simply how I do it!

This afternoon I’ll post about how I make the borders to make the border bundles.

Tagged Borders Filed Under Quilting 7 Comments

Am I Backwards?

September 30, 2009 By Judy

Who ever said you have to make your blocks first, then you borders?  Can you make you borders first?  Then make your blocks?  Yes, you can and I mostly do.  Since most of my quilts seem to have 7 or 8 borders, I often make the borders first.  I’ll lay the outermost top and bottom borders down first, then the side borders . . say that’s border #7.  Then I’ll put the top and bottom borders for the 6th border down and keep going in order so that the sides for the first border are on top.  I can pick them off, sew them on, then pick up the next ones, sew them on and not have to deal with making borders when I’m near the near the end of the quilt and already wanting to start another quilt.

The quilt I’m working on is set on point.  The center blocks are not difficult blocks but instead of using plain setting side and corner triangles, these are pieced and I wasn’t sure how easy they were going to be so I did them all first.

DSC08221

Looks kinda like a jigsaw puzzle, huh?  Don’t you always work the edges of the puzzle first?  That’s what I thought . . I’m not backwards after all!  :)

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Tagged Borders, On Point, piecing Filed Under Quilting 11 Comments

Borders – Odd & Even

August 18, 2009 By Judy

If you’ve tried to plan a pieced border, you may have come across a border design that has to have either an even number of blocks or an odd number of blocks in order to work correctly.  This is an example of a border that has to have an odd number of blocks in order to achieve the desired look.

1

On the example below, notice the top and bottom borders, over on the right side . . this is what the border would look like if the top and bottom borders had an even number of blocks.  If you’re not working with Electric Quilt, or your preferred computer program and you’re not sure if your border is going to require an odd or even number of blocks, or if it even matters, make 2 or 3 blocks, or draw them out on paper and see if you’re getting the design you want with an even number of blocks or if you’re going to need an odd number of blocks to create the design.

2

The above border design doesn’t appear complete, or planned and looks choppy.  This is where your coping strip will make it work for you.  Don’t forget to use this sheet to calculate the coping strip.  Suppose the border blocks are 6″ and after adding the border before the pieced border, the top measures 44″.  Seven 6″ blocks would be 42″ and the top is already too big for that to work.  Nine 6″ blocks would be 54″.  That means the top needs to be 10″ larger for nine 6″ blocks to work.  A 5″ border at this point in the top might look chunky.

6

Here’s where you can add a couple (or more) narrow borders and create a more balanced look while getting your quilt to be the size needed.

7

In order to help carry that balance to the end of the quilt, the border pattern (narrow ecru, narrow green, narrow ecru) is repeated after the pieced border.

8

This example now has 8 borders but sometimes, that’s just what has to happen. Here’s the exact same center with only an ecru and dark green border.

9

Nothing wrong with this quilt but if pieced borders are what you’re wanting, sometimes you simply can’t add just one pieced border.  You may have to build up to the pieced border and then build out from it to achieve the look you’re wanting.

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Tagged Borders, Pieced Borders Filed Under Quilting 7 Comments
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