Border Ideas

Here are some instructions on how to sew borders to a quilt.  It doesn't work out well to just cut a strip and sew it to the quilt, cutting off the excess at the end.  To have a square quilt, you need to measure the quilt from top to bottom down the center of the quilt.  Then cut your strips (or piece your border) to that exact measurement.  Pin the border to the quilt before you sew it on.

How to Measure and Add Quilt Borders

Here are a few links to some cute border ideas:

Borders at The Quilters Cache
Quilting Assistant
Piano Keys Border Pattern
HGTV Quilt Border Videos (kaleidoscope, braided borders, prairie points)

Share any border patterns you've found online in the comments!

Round Robin Instructions

1.     Each quilter makes a center block and brings it to the first Round Robin meeting.  It can by any style or color, and should be between 12-18 inches-ish.  Also bring any fabric scraps that you would like included in your quilt

2.     We will put our blocks and scraps in brown paper bags, and write our names on the bags.  Each person will then choose someone else’s bag to take home.

3.     You will have about 1 month (until the next quilt group meeting) to add a border to the quilt.  Borders can range anywhere between 3-ish to 6-ish inches. 

4.     We will swap quilts 6 times.  At each meeting, please write your name on the bag of the quilt you were working on.  We will then put all of the bags in a pile and will each choose a bag that we haven’t worked on before.  The quilts will remain a “secret” until the last meeting.

5.     In the end, our quilts should finish up somewhere between 60-70 inches.  So if you notice that the quilt you are working on is a bit undersize, you might add a little bit wider of a border.  Or if you notice the quilt you’re working on is a behemoth, you might not need to add so much.

6.     You are free to use up the scraps that are traded with each quilt, but we will each be expected to add some fabrics to the quilts as needed. 

7.     Please make sure that every fabric you add is colorfast.  To test, fill a glass with hot water and a drop of detergent.  Add a small sliver of the fabric to the glass and let soak for a few minutes.  Then, scrunch the fabric up in a white paper towel; if no color transfers to the towel, the fabric is colorfast.  If color does transfer, please do not use the fabric.  Another quilt group had an entire swap quilt ruined by a runny red!

8.     To make sure the quilts remain square, please measure the quilt down the center, and cut (or piece) your border exactly to that measurement.  Pin the borders to the quilt before sewing.  If you just cut a random strip, sew it to the quilt, and cut off the excess, the quilt will end up skiwampus. 

9.     If you need to drop out of the Round Robin, please make sure you finish the quilt you are working on at the time and bring it to the quilt meeting when it is due.  At that meeting, you may take your quilt out of the pot and skip as many months as you like.