AngelinaMaria

I finally finished the 221st and final block to this quilt and will start sewing blocks together this afternoon. I've been pondering the borders for a while.

Most of the examples I've seen of this quilt use a skinny inner border then a 4 to 5 inch outter non-pieced border. Other than black, which I don't want to use, there isn't really a color that I haven't used in the quilt so it would have to be maybe one of the colors that is my favorite (I was thinking of pink or aqua or a lavendar).

But, when I posted photos a while back, someone suggested a piano key border using all the fabrics from my quilt. I really like that idea and am leaning towards that at this time. So, I guess I would do a skinny white border and then do piano keys maybe 3 inches long and either finish at 1/2 inch wide (like the tiny blocks in the small 9 patches), or do the keys to finish 1 1/2 inches which would match the width of the main blocks-the shoo flyies and the double 9 patches).

ckcowl

how big is the quilt? the picture makes it look huge! i don't think a piano key border would really compliment it- it is a totally different look- if it needs a border (to finish the edges or to bring it to a larger size i would stick with a narrow white one...or maybe a wider white one (depending on how much i need to add to make it the size i wanted it to be. any color you choose is going to (draw out) that color in the quilts- so if you used the light blue- all of the light blue blocks would (Pop) out...same with any other color- so if you want to showcase a particular color in it that would be the way to do it- if you wanted people to look at it & think of it as a purple quilt- you would use purple in the border- which would bring all of the purples out...
it is beautiful-
if you wanted to use all of the colors of the quilt in a border i would use the small 9-patches that are in the quilt- you could alternate them with white squares- or make long lines of them-with a narrow white on either side of the pieced row...

sewmary

I too would use a white border. You can kind of see what thatbwould be like on your design wall.

And OMG what a great quilt! How big is it?

quilts4charity

I think it's beautiful, if it was mine I think I'd go with a white border with piping between the border and quilt in one of those beautiful colors!

Dreaming

What an absolutely beautiful quilt, how long did it take you to make?

QuiltE

It's a beautiful quilt ... and IMHO you want to focus on the quilt, not the border. A piano key would be too heavy looking against the delicate-ness of the blocks.

Here's what I'd do ... extend your Irish chain blocks into the border to complete the diamond of the chain. Then the rest of the border would be just the plain white background .... take a look at this quilt and you'll see what I mean but am not explaining well ...........
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...h-t213094.html
.

Rebecca_S

Very beautiful!
The quilt looks very light and airy against the white design wall. To keep that airiness I would do a thicker border of white first, then a skinny border that could be your favorite color or multicolor piece, then finish with a skinny white border.

joy

QuiltE has the right idea... that would be so right for your quilt... might use that idea myself... lovely.

kaelynangelfoot

Oh my, how gorgeous! I would keep the border solid so it doesn't distract or clash. BTW, that quilt just made my to-do list!

AngelinaMaria

QuiltE, that is interesting. I'll have to consider that.

The quilt on my wall right now is about 67 by 87 but it will finish (with the borders in the pattern) at 70 by 88 inches.