dray965

My question is about cutting my borders:

I had a quilt request from a friend to make a simple quilt. I'm designing it in EQ7. I'm including a pic.

Overall dimension is 48" x 58"
Center Medillion is 30"x40"

1st (red) border is 6" on all sides, 2nd border ( is 3" on all sides. It will have a 2 1/2" binding.

Here is the calculations I'm getting from EQ7

I'm getting:

6 patches at 3 3/8ths yard for the red fabric
5 patches at 2 yrds for the white (The white yardage includes the appliqued logo)

1st question: EQ7 is calculating all the long patches (borders) as if they were pieced. SO what do I do if I don't want them to be pieced? How would I calculate that?

2nd question: What do all of you do about your borders? Do you piece the long ones or do you cut them lengthwise?

Thanks in Advance,
Dray

dunster

I usually piece my borders. You can seldom see the piecing once the quilt is quilted.

If you don't want to piece your borders (assuming they are longer than the width of fabric), calculate the length of the longest border using each fabric. Add up the widths (including seam allowances) of all the borders using that fabric, and if the total is less than the width of your fabric, then you can get all the borders out of a piece as long as the longest border. This is assuming you're not doing mitered corners, which require a bit more fabric.

PaperPrincess

OK I'm a bit confused. You say "...1st (red) border is 6" on all sides, 2nd border ( is 3" on all sides. It will have a 2 1/2" binding..." Is the text Oklahoma Sooners in the border?, so is the white border 6" and the red is 3"?
Are you sure the yardage is being calculated with pieced borders? If you look at the red, they are telling you to get 3 3/8 yards, or roughly 121 inches. You need 40" for the center, which leaves you 81", which should be more than enough to cut 58" borders in one piece.

dunster

Absolutely correct, and if the fabric is wide enough you might need only 30.5" for the center, leaving even more for the borders. I never use the fabric estimates from EQ, since it doesn't estimate very well and usually errs on the high side. I always figure my own fabric requirements, using a spread sheet if necessary.

You might also need to consider whether you need all the fabric grain to be going in the same direction. Solid colors can have a different look according to which way the grain runs. This will influence how you cut the fabric and how much fabric you need to buy.

ManiacQuilter2

EQ has always been weak with how to cut borders. For this size, I would piece them. But if you don't want to, this is the trick I use to know the measurement of your side red border using EQ7.

Just temporarily change the size of the red outside border, just the top and bottom to 0. Then you will know what the length of that red border plus add up to the nearest 1/8 of a yard and that is how much fabric you will need. I use to cut my border lengthwise when I did larger borders for quilts in competition. Your side borders are longer than the top and bottom borders. Then cut your binding too lengthwise.

citruscountyquilter

I most always piece my borders. I use a bias seam and it becomes almost invisible and once it is quilted you have to really look to see where it is. I do try to not make the pieced seam the same place on both sides. I just pieced a border that was a plain yellow where the seam might be more visible. The pattern of the quilt had squares set on point so I just put the seam of my border at the point where the seam was for one of the squares on point and the bias seam looked like an extension of the setting seam for the square on point. Barely noticeable.

I pay attention to keeping things straight of grain but cross grain is fine for me and saves a lot of fabric. I'd rather have money to buy more fabric rather than have a lot left over because I cut the borders on the length wise grain with no seams.

jamsbuying

I always piece my borders, cutting them WOF.

quiltingshorttimer

question on the fabric requirements listed in EQ---when 1/4 yd is listed, are they meaning linear 1/4 yd or can a FQ be used? Or is it all dependent on the type of cut being made, i.e. strip vs. block?