Applying Borders

[Enchanted Quilting]

This week at our LQS we celebrate Oktoberfest (the shop owner is from East Germany).  There are always mini workshops.  I am doing one on applying borders. Do you have any tips to share??

[ffq-lar]

Every longarmers pet peeve---full/stretched borders.

 

Measure starched fabric carefully when cutting. Use a walking foot when seaming. Pin like a porcupine before attaching.

 

Since showing is better than telling, Perhaps make a sample of a wonky top and attach the borders to use as a bad example.

 

Most instructions recommend measuring in several spots to get an "average" which is used to make the top square. But square doesn't equal flat when borders are applied this way. If you take a piece of yardage and cut to a square ( like 42" x 42") then make it wonky by shaving a thin triangle off--starting in one inch and ending at the next corner--you end up with a wonky top. When you measure "in three places" as recommended you'll get 42" and 41 1/2" and 41" across. Averaging will of course give you 41 1/2" to cut the border. You apply that measurement to the one side and you'll be easing in a half inch of border---fullness. The other side will have you stretching the border and easing in the interior, again a half-inch--resulting in cupping and fullness inside the seam. While not noticeable when hanging, it'll show a lot when loaded.

 

If they want a top to be square and flat, careful piecing and measuring each unit as it's assembled is crucial. Ending up with a square top should be an end result, but it's hard when the top is big.

 

If there's time, multiple borders sewn as one piece (like for mitered borders) need the same care, precise cutting, and dedicated pinning when assembling so there isn't an accumulation of fullness as the strips are joined. 

 

You probably won't have enough time to delve deeply into the subject, so maybe the shop will print a handout for you to include with the class.

[T Row Studio]

Great advise Linda...It is important to get your borders done right for a square quilt. Thanks for the mini class on Borders

[Bonnie H]

My quilts are usually pretty square so when I cut my borders, I like to spray starch two border strips and iron them together before cutting the length they need to be so that both pieces get cut the same length. Having a long ironing station and cutting station really helps get an accurate measurement, too.

[Busy Quilting]

AND if they are joining strips on the 45 degree angle make sure it is a proper 45 degree angle.  Those borders seamed like this give me many problems!

[cegates]

As Linda said, pictures or samples can really help people understand what happens when you sew borders on without pinning first.

Carol

[jimerickson]

Great advise Linda.  Almost all the quilts I do have "full" borders.  Your advise about starching is something I never thought of.

 

I have experienced difficulty in obtaining accurate measurements for quilt tops.  I attribute this to the piece seam pressing.  If the seam is not pressed sharp and tight, you'll get a different measurement depending on how much pressure you apply to the edges.  Jim

[sewingpup]

Hi,

 

Not an expert here...but I really have never had problems with wavy borders on my own quilts...I do press each seam as my quilt goes together...and usually what I do is simply cut a longer than needed strip for the borders attaching it to the quilt with a walking foot and then pressing it and squaring off the ends with my large 12 1/2 inch square ruler before attaching the other ends...I know this is not how you are supposed to do it...but it has always seemed to work for me...maybe it is because I haven't done a lot of quilts with biased edges or maybe I just have been lucky... and when I brought my quilts to professionals to do...they have always told me that they are nice and square and I sure was welcome to come back....lately I have been doing a few quilts with setting triangles....and when I go to attach the borders I have measured to make sure both sides are the same length and I did do stay stitching along the edges prior to attaching the borders....this seems to work well too....I do use best press on the fabric for the setting triangles also.....Lin

[loraquilts]

I have one repeat customer whose borders never lie flat.  She adds borders by making one really long strip of fabric and sewing it on one side, then cuts off the excess and sews to the next side.  The result is that either the border fabric or the quilt top itself stretches as it goes through the machine (depending on which one she has on top for that particular seam).   When I put her quilts on the frame, I often have to take several tucks in the borders to get them to lie flat. 

 

I recommend you explain how attaching borders can shift the fabric of the quilt or the border fabric and that is why measuring each side of your quilt and then cutting the borders to size is best.  Then when you get to the end of the stitching, if you have one part longer than the other, you know you've been stretching or pulling on the fabric.  After ripping out a couple of these, your students will get the hang of measuring and sewing without distorting either the quilt top or the borders. 

 

Also, I agree with Linda and don't recommend measuring in three areas and averaging the size to cut your borders.  Measure the length of the side twice, cut the border fabric, sew it on, then do the same with the opposite border.  In the end (IMHO) it's better to have a quilt that lies flat than one that is 100% square.  Your eye won't be able to notice that one side of a quilt is an inch longer than the other, especially not after it's on the bed.  But a wavy border, well that's pretty hard to hide (and really hard to quilt).