confused about measuring borders
#11
I'm lost again. I have no idea who measuring can prevent puckering, but if you say so, I guess I'm just in the dark.
#13
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
If you hand quilt using a lap hoop or quilt on a domestic sewing machine from the center out it is not so much an issue but if you hang the quilt up instead of laying it on a bed the wavy borders will become quite evident. So again, if you don't use a longarm, and don't enter a quilt in shows it really doesn't matter, attach the borders any way you want. But be advised, I have seen situations here on this board where it did matter even though the quilter wasn't LA and wasn't showing. She laid that quilt out on the floor and those borders looked like old glory flapping away in a hurricane! They waved more than the queen of england.
#14
I've also encountered quilts where the MIDDLE measurement is larger than the border measurements. THEN I have a lot of fullness in the CENTER that I need to ease in.
Ahhhh, if fabric were just more stable - less stretching, shifting or shrinking - it would make my job so much easier!!
#15
Grannie Annie, it's because measuring ensures that your borders fit the center of your quilt correctly. So when the quilt is quilted, there is not a lot of extra fabric that needs to go somewhere - like in a pucker or tuck.
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
Stay stitching does help, but its not as good as the methods of using the center measurement described above. Starch also helps. Personally I do all , stay stitch, starch, and use my center measurement.
#18
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Michigan. . .FINALLY!!!!
Posts: 6,726
But I bet you have an out of square quilt. After doing your border this way, measure the right side, then measure the left side. Are the two the same? I bet they aren't.
Do you use a longarm to quilt or hire a LAQ? If the answere is no, then it really doesn't make any difference unless you show. But if you do this and try to LA it is darn near impossible to LA the quilt without having to put a pleat in one or more of the borders.
Do you use a longarm to quilt or hire a LAQ? If the answere is no, then it really doesn't make any difference unless you show. But if you do this and try to LA it is darn near impossible to LA the quilt without having to put a pleat in one or more of the borders.
#19
I always measure my quilts through the center, up and down and side to side, I find this works really well and I never have to square them up. They are the same size on both sides and the ends. I put 5 pins in both quilt and border strip, when I sew I pinch both edges in between the pins, sew to that point and then sew to the pin. I do this until the border is sewn on. This may take a few extra minutes but, I figure I have so much time in making a quilt that a few more minutes won't hurt. I am my worse critic and try to please myself. I only make quilts for my own entertainment, although I have given many away. I always make sure I'm pleased with my work. Make yours however it works. Others know what they are talking about.
#20
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 15,639
I've seen quilts where the border was just added without measuring and it showed (one or two were my own very early on). When you measure down the middle then you can ease any difference between that measurement and the actual outside border when you attach the piece. Any difference can be distributed along the entire lenth so there are no puckers or waves.
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09-09-2009 05:38 PM