Strippy border

[Juliet W.]

I've made a quilt top with shirt scraps in a roughly irish chain design with a fourpatch square set on point in the plain blocks. Using the remaining shirt leftovers I started to make a strippy border which looks great but not quite right. The four patch squares in the blocks are 3" square so each little square is 1.5" square. I made the strippy pieces for the border half an inch finished width because I thought any bigger would be too much but perhaps there is a rule of thumb for this only I can't find it on Google so am asking here. Also if I keep experimenting I may run out of scraps! Down in Venezuela so any suggestions welcome!

[Terry K.]

Margarita, please post a photo and/or tell us what isn't quite right with your border. Do you think the strips are too narrow?
If so, could you sew a strip of fabric on each side of your pieced border making your border larger? Would that work?

[Juliet W.]

I will try and put a photo on this weekend but it is way beyond my computer skills. I am 57, have a part time job and what is left of my brain goes into quilting not computing!! The strippy border piece I made is 5" deep so that's not a problem, in a Joen Wolfrom book she recommends the border width be half or less of the finished size of a block, so I can adjust that when it is finished. My blocks are 9.5" as I put a 0.25 strip around the ones with the irish chain arrangement of four patch blocks. The strippy border looks great really but I think it could be wider, maybe just having the strips 0.75" finished width would do it, I have a good "eye" for when it is done right but not a see into the future "eye" unfortunately. I have been thinking that as the small squares in the four patch are 1.5" then if the strips were 0.75" that would do it. Just that I see hours going in experimenting and was hoping there might be a rule of thumb!!

[Margo C.]

Your theory sounds good to me! Maybe you know someone who can work the design up in Electric Quilt or some other quilting software for you, or you can draw part of the quilt out to scale with a pencil and paper to see which scale is the most pleasing to you.

[Juliet W.]

Thank you so much, I am thinking of buying that Electric Quilt software when I next go to the USA, that is if it is fun and easy to use. Meantime your idea of drawing out a block with the border to scale is brilliant - why didn't I think of that!

[Margo C.]

Good luck, and have fun with it!! For what it's worth, I think my EQ software was money well spent! I just used it this morning to print out some foundation patterns!

[Margo C.]

I think I was told at one point to use measurements from within the quilt for borders. either the same size or 1/3. like your 3" block you could make borders 1" and 3". If its 6" block 2" and 6" borders. It keeps a consistency throughout the quilt. If you don't have time to play on the computer, use scrap strips in different sizes to see what combinations looks good to you. I do that a lot cause I don't want to get sucked into computer land. :wink:

[Juliet W.]

Thanks for the reply. Yesterday I decided to go with 0.75" wide strips for the border and now I really like it. I think this is because the strips are exactly half the width of the small squares in the four patch so it kind of fits better, looks right anyway whereas the smaller strips looked stunning on their own but too busy next to the quilt. The funny (peculiar) thing that happened is that I used exactly the same colour order/combination in both strips and now in the bigger strips the mistakes are obvious and I need to play with that. What's not to love about quilting, you are never done!!

[Juliet W.]

I look forward to seeing a photo of your quilt.

[Juliet W.]

I look forward to getting to that point with this one but I hand quilt so don't hold your breath!!

[Juliet W.]

You have solved your problem for this time but I thought I might add this idea. I lay a piece of fabric along the edge--the width I think I might like and audition it. It also lets me see if the fabric I am thinking of using is what I really want to use.

[Juliet W.]

Thank You! Although it's not the width of the fabric that bothers me, it was the actual size of the strips in the strippy border and here's the kicker - I'm not sure AGAIN if a strippy border is the right thing! Can you believe it, anyway my two quilting buddies are back (I live in Venezuela so no guilds, no expert help at hand) and I will show them the quilt tomorrow and I'll see what they say when they actually see it. I have been so impressed by the kind people helping me without even seeing the beastly thing!!

[Juliet W.]

Margarita...I just read your last post and had to laugh. All that thinking and planning and and trying and retrying and in the end it is ..."umm, I don't think so." I spent two whole days of my quilting vacation (my vacation to quilt, not from quilting) doing the same thing. Anyway, two days working on the border of a quilt...triangles?...alternating little squares?..ice cream cone? Doing the math, making samples and finally realizing..."umm...I don't think I even want a border. I like it just the way it is. But, maybe just a scallop on the edge." So, you never know! But I believe that as quilters, we love the whole process...the planning, the thinking, and the problem solving. So, good luck fom an understanding quilter in NY.

[Juliet W.]

Here's another thought to trow into the pot. If the strippy part is too much, how about making only part of the border strippy and the rest solid. Like opposite corners or just one corner. I've seen it done and looks really nice.

[Juliet W.]

I like that idea of just a bit of strippy, that would get the job done quicker too! I'm off to see my quilting buddies with my work in progress - everyone talks about UFOs but what about WIPs? Well whatever I decide eventually to do for a border no-one will be able to say I didn't try, try and try again! Thanks for the help!