How To Add Borders To A Large Quilt Project?

When you reach a certain point in the process of making your first quilt, you will realize that there are four corners that require some sort of attention from you. A great number of individuals allow their first encounter with corners to discourage them from ever attempting another quilting project again. Be careful not to get trapped in the quilt’s corners. You have choices and options that, with some effort and experience, won’t be difficult to implement.

It goes without saying that we want our quilts to have a nice appearance. They are the product of a lot of hard work, so the final step of working on the corners shouldn’t be too difficult. You can either choose to leave the corners as strips that are overlapping one another, or you can choose to miter the corners.

If you go with option 1, your borders will appear to be nothing more than long rectangular strips that come together at the corners. You have the option of making the long borders of your side borders, with the top and bottom borders fitting in between the long borders of the side borders.

You also have the option of doing the complete opposite of this, namely, making the top and bottom borders the full width of the document while bringing the sides up to meet them. You can even change the border bumping that goes all the way around your quilt if you want to.

In order to avoid mitering the corners of their quilts, a lot of quilters choose to make their borders using one of these methods. It’s possible that because it’s also a term used in wood working, we have a tendency to avoid talking about it.

Even though we have no problem using a pair of scissors or a rotary cutter, the very mention of a term that is also associated with a saw can send shivers down our spines.

There is in point of fact absolutely nothing to be afraid of. It just takes a little bit of practice to get the hang of mitering corners, just like any other aspect of quilting.

It is possible that you will need to add additional length to your border template or pattern in order to create mitered corners. First things first, check to see if the additional length has been granted permission already. If this is the case, add approximately three inches to each end of the border strips you have chosen.

Before beginning to miter, you will first need to sew the border onto your quilt top and position it so that it is centered. Beginning and ending your stitching should be done approximately a quarter of an inch from the end of the border strips. When you reach the edge of your quilt top, you will want to ensure that your stitching is secure by performing several back stitches.

The mitering process can begin once you have ensured that your borders are centered and that they are sewn all the way around your quilt top.

To begin, flip the quilt so that the back is facing you and the right side is facing down. In the area designated for you, assemble the border by layering one strip atop the other.

Create a line that extends from the inside corner of the border to the outside corner at an angle of 45 degrees. Turn the borders over so that the opposite side is now facing up. On that border, a second line should be drawn at an angle of 45 degrees.

Pinning the pencil lines on the back of the borders together with the right sides of the borders together is the first step. Join the two borders together with stitches.

Remember to reinforce the stitches by doing a little bit of back stitching at the end. As soon as you open the fabric back up, you will notice that the corners have been mitered. If you feel as though you have achieved the look you were going for, you should trim off the excess border from the back and then press the seams.

If the stitching on your project appears to be a little crooked, just rip out the seams and start over. Leaving the final trimming and pressing until the very end of the process ensures that you will have plenty of fabric to work with in the event that you need to make a stitching correction.

Practice is all that is required in order to become proficient in any of the bordering techniques available to you. You can get some practice mitering by using scraps of fabric or by adding a border to a quilt block on a smaller scale.

After you have completed your main quilt project, you can add a wall hanging or a pillow that coordinates with it as a finishing touch!

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