Along the Border Lines….

I woke up early this morning ---but couldn't focus directly on computer stuff right away, so I set out to do what has been nagging at me for the past couple of weeks.

I cut inner border lengths to attach  to the Cheddar Sampler!

I’m sure this is not a new thing ---joining narrow strips of fabric on the diagonal by overlapping the ends….but I also do this continously by folding up the end of the top strip, and placing the next strip against it with right sides together and so forth (( or is that SEW FORTH!)) so I have a loopy chain that is easy then to clip the excess triangles beyond the seams, remove dog ears, and get to the next join easily.

 Try it.  It works!

How Bonnie Measures Borders.

All of this is covered in my Border Hints & Helps tutorial, but we have a lot of new readers, so I thought I’d add this in here.

The most important measurement for me is what the quilt measures through the center – top to bottom, and side to side.  I don’t care what the edge of the quilt measures, and I am not going to average different measurements in.

If I want a quilt that lays flat and hangs straight, it’s got to be the center measurements that matter.

If my inner border was averaged, and measures longer than the center measurement, I’m going to have a wavy border.

If my inner border was averaged, and measures shorter than the center measurement, I’m going to end up with a quilt center that balloons and mushrooms, because the border is too tight to allow the center to lay flat.

So I just concern myself with the center measurement.

No measuring tape needed – just smooth out the quilt so it lays nice and flat and square, and use your border strip down the center from top to bottom.  Do not tug or pull.  The fabric should have no tension on it and lay just as the quilt center is.  I also find things are more "stable" where a seam is. Cut two side  borders this length.

What you can't see in this photo:  There are two large yellow-head pins stuck through the top of the red inner border and the quilt, holding them firmly to the carpet! This helps keep the top edge of that inner border where it needs to be while I smooth the rest of the strip down the center toward the opposite edge of the quilt.

Even when attaching inner borders – have your leader & ender project ready!

How are your Lozenges coming?

Sewing toward the center pin!

Place the border strip right sides together with the edge of the quilt, pinning ends and centers.  Add more pins between the center and the ends if needed, but don’t over pin either!  5 pins is about average for me.

Can you see by the pin, how it goes in and out of the fabric TWICE?  This keeps the pin securely in place, and stops the pin from twisting in the border.

End of the border!  Sew on to that Leader & Ender Lozenge!

I sew on my two side borders, and then get up to press both at the same time.  In this case, I pressed the seams out toward the border strips I was adding.

Cutting top & bottom inner borders

And then it’s back to the floor again for another round of Quilters Yoga –Smooth the quilt center out on the floor, making sure it lays flat and square.  This time use your border strips to measure across the center of the quilt from side to side.  Cut 2 borders this length, including the previously added side borders in the measurement.  Now go attach your top and bottom borders to the quilt in the same way that the side borders were added.

One Lozenge done in the process of adding inner borders, and another one started!

This is going to be my outer border!  I LIKE IT!

This quilt has been a long time WIP.  It’s not really a UFO because I keep getting it out from time to time and working on it as time allows between other deadlines.

I sewed a few more border blocks last night, and squared them up!

And yes, the cutter is open, I was still in the process of trimming more blocks – consider this an action shot, I was NOT being careless!

Yep.  I like it better.

I just need about 40 more border blocks to be able to call this thing FINALLY DONE!

But that will have to wait for another time – gotta get the van re-packed for heading to Tennessee tomorrow!

Am I going to meet YOU there?

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