fivepaws

I have always done it this way and have never had wavy borders etc. I start pinning in the middle and work to both ends. Then, sew from top to bottom. Occasional I will start sewing in the middle to the end and that works just fine also.

GramMER

I remember a discussion on types of borders not long ago and someone said that piano key borders tend to wave more than straight strips. At the time I had one under construction that was piano key, and I became pretty nervous about it. I was careful to be sure I had the same number of "keys" on each side and even did mitered corners that turned out well. I think quilters do have to be careful when they attach borders, but I would say don't be afraid to do what you want to do. Just for the record, I pinned mine to be sure my sides matched and that the same "keys" came together in the mitre.

AndiR

It's very easy for the outer edges of a quilt to stretch, and if you just sew a strip on and cut off the excess, you can end up with wavy borders. These can be very difficult to quilt nicely without pleats and puckers. If you'd like a handout on how to properly add borders, you can find one here under "How to Apply Borders" http://www.andicraftsquilting.com/learn.htm

BJquilt

I have found cut width of boarder I need, lay boarder across quilt in the middle center of quilt and cut boarder at other side of quilt, sew on quilt sides. Once pressed do the same for the width, works slicker than all that measuring .

Pam S

I use the measure 3 times and average method. But I sew with the border on the bottom next to the feed dogs to help ease in fullness and I don't get waves (this way I can also make sure the seam allowances on the quilt top side don't get twisted). So I guess you do whichever way works for you.

MargeD

When I was taught, the instructor told me to measure down the middle lengthwise and width wise, just one measurement or a couple then average them if they are different. I have done borders just by sewing them onto the quilt, but I wound up with wavy borders. I just find it's better to take a little time to be sure your borders look good.

mommafank

Why does measuring down the middle keep it from being wavy? I always need a scientific reason because it just does not make sense to me, but then I had problems with a border and wonder if this is why.

carolynjo

I square my quilt first. Then, I measure through the center lengthwise and crosswise. I then measure the outside edge, length and then the width. I average both sides and ease to fit. Happily, I have never had a wavy border.

AndiR

The center of the quilt is usually more stable than the outer edges. Sometimes the outer edges stretch, if we're not really careful about squaring up blocks and measuring each round of borders, a little bit more fabric may end up in each 'round' that is added to the quilt, resulting in a larger measurement on the outside edges than in the middle. By using the measurement of the middle, cutting our borders to that length, and then pinning the borders to the top, easing in any fullness, we can distribute the fullness instead of adding to it.

An example. I had a customer bring me a quilt where she had done the 'sew it on and hack off when you get to the end' method of attaching borders. Problem is, she had added SEVEN borders, only about an inch wide each. Even if her method had added only 1/2" extra with each of those borders, by the time she was done the outer edges of her quilt would have been 3-1/2" longer than the middle of her quilt. I actually think those outer borders were more like 5" longer!! She didn't want to re-do them, so I quilted it as is, with her understanding that I couldn't promise I wouldn't get pleats or puckers in the borders. I was able to manage without it looking too bad, but it was a lot more work for me, and more expensive for her.

Andi

maviskw

The center of the quilt is usually more stable than the outer edges. (from AndiR)

I like the word "usually". I made two twister quilts in which the entire center is on the bias. If it weren't heavily starched, it would be quite wobbly. I took the measurement that the blocks were suppose to be and multiplied that by the number of blocks. It worked.

I like Scissor queen's method of putting the border on top to sew it on. If you put it on the bottom, the feed dogs take in a little more and that surely can cause the border to buckle.

Measuring through the middle is quite accurate (except for the Twister), and just be sure to cut two the same, one for each side.

Sooooo! What is CDO (or DCO)???