charlottequilts

I think it's that the top and bottom borders don't need 12" added; they're just the width that's already there (the center plus the 2 borders sewn on.)

Or maybe not.

hugs,
charlotte

Ariannaquilts

Hi, I just wanted to say Welcome to the board and it is really not that difficult. Is this your first quilt? As others have said measure in several places take an average cut your border. Good luck!

Flyboy Jim

I'm new at this, so take this with a grain of salt. Faced with the same situation........I measured the length and cut the side borders plenty long, sewed them on, and trimmed them even with the ends. Then I measured the width and cut the top and bottom border plenty long, sewed them on, and trimmed them even. Done!

Jim

Peckish

Thank you for explaining exactly where I went wrong, Charlotte, you're absolutely right. I knew I should have drawn a diagram.


Jim, this is a common mistake beginners make, so don't feel bad. This is a good way to get wavy, hard-to-quilt, out-of-square borders.

The best way to avoid this problem is to do it the way dunster describes - measure, cut, and ease in to fit.

QuiltnNan

also, I just read that if you cut the borders lengthwise instead of widthwise, there is less chance of getting waves. I had done this years ago but don't remember how it worked out for me. I have even cut the lengthwise borders before cutting up the rest of the fabric so that I can get the full length of the border in one piece.

Flyboy Jim

Thanks for your input but I'm not quite getting it (not unusual). To further explain what I did. I cut my side border extra long and pinned it to the side, starting in the center and I wonder clipped in both directions. As I sewed the border on, if I started to get any bunching, I just readjusted the clips. Once done I just trimmed the ends even with the top and bottom. Didn't seem to get any bunching. My top was 1/8" out of square (taking diagonal measurements) before adding the trim and still 1/8" out of square when the trim was added. I'm not sure what tolerances I should be trying to work to. Lots to learn.

Jim

JanieW

Flyboy Jim,

I used to do borders ( which is a process I intensely dislike) the way you are doing them. Sometimes it worked well but often I had wavy borders that were difficult to quilt. I didn’t know why sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t so I consulted the interwebs and came across this tutorial . It really helped . No more wavy borders.


https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/meas...-quilt-2821965

quiltingcandy

I have done it about all the ways mentioned and for the majority of the time I do it like the Spruce Crafts lady. In all of the quilts I have made, one had wavy boarders. It seems the more borders the bigger chance of waves for me. I do try to cut the length of fabric instead of the width.

Flyboy Jim

Ah.....ha! I got it! That article helped that little light bulb in my head go off, so all of the other input here now makes sense to me. As a lifetime amateur woodworker and machinist I've found that all that experience helps a lot with my quilting..........well except for one fact, that I know, but forget to take into account sometimes. Unlike wood or metal........Fabric stretches! So far, all of my projects have been small wall hangings, so this new knowledge should save some grief down the road as my projects get bigger.

OK, now that I've got that clear in my head, a question has popped into my head. Binding. Binding seems just like another border, with the same inherent problems discussed in this thread. But in the videos I've watched about binding, it is just sewed on, starting somewhere along one side and sewing around the quilt. Wouldn't doing it that way subject it to the same bunching problems that have been discussed here about borders?

Jim

PS: In the opening picture in the article, is she using her sewing machine backwards?

HoneyJ

No problems with binding..imo it's because we leave "tails" when we start and end the binding.