Pioneer Braid Border!

(and some other nifty braid ideas!)

Scrappy Bargello Quilt made by Linda K!

(Click HERE for printer-friendly version)

These directions make a braid that finishes at 6" wide.
Different widths and lengths of rectangles will alter the size of the braid. Experiment!

Cut your leftover strips and pieces into 2 1/2" X 6" rectangles.

Sew a 2 1/2" square to the side of one rectangle, like this:

Continue sewing strips on alternate sides, matching the top edge of the one side of the new strip with the narrow end of the strip you just sewed on, like this:

Once your row is long enough - and you will have to sew on a little extra because so much is trimmed off in this step - cut off the extra corners and points to the length of your border,
like this:

I piece the braid so it is "several" inches longer than I need....trim the length that I need for one long side of the quilt.....and then take the top of the braid that is trimmed off and continue adding pieces to it for my next side.... I don't need to start a new braid with a square..I just continue on where I left off!

Add your borders to the two long sides of the quilt first....and then the top and bottom. The borders will be stretchy, so measure carefully and pin. It may help when stitching the border to the quilt to have the border on the bottom against the feed-dogs to help feed it through the machine. Be careful not to stretch!

More ideas!

Did you know you can make a whole quilt with braids? Make the braids to the length you like for your quilt, and stitch the braids side by side! A wonderful way to use up scraps! I like to do one side of the braid in darks, the second side of the braid in lights. This baby quilt was made for a friend's first born son.

Happy braiding!