How to Determine How Much Border for a Quilt

A pleasing quilt border enhances the quilt's overall design.

Creating a pleasing quilt border is more art than science. Choosing a design can be difficult, since border patterns are nearly as limitless as center patterns. A good quilt border enhances your quilt's center design, rather than clashing or competing with it, while still providing enough visual contrast to differentiate between the two. Deciding how wide your border should be is also a matter of personal taste — there are no hard and fast rules, but a few general guidelines can help.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape

Instructions

Choosing an Appropriate Width for Your Border

1. Measure the width of your center pattern's largest block. As a general rule, to maintain symmetry, your quilt border should be no wider than its largest block.

2. If you plan to hang your quilt on the wall, think of the border as the frame for your artwork. Opt for simple patterns, or simply contrasting solid-strips of fabric, and choose a width that is visually appealing.

3. If you plan to use the quilt on a bed, remember that the border will often be the first thing people see and choose more interesting patterns. Measure the height of the bed's mattress and make your border at least that wide.

Calculating the Length of Your Border Pieces

1. Add up all of the components of your quilt center, beginning with the sides. For example, if your quilt is comprised, length-wise, of three blocks that are 12-inches each and surrounded by four strips of sashing that are 1-inch wide each, your final measurement would be 40 inches. Measure your quilt to be sure of your calculations.

2. Add in a 1/4-inch seam allowance to all four sides of your side border pieces. If you've decided your border for this quilt will be 12 inches, for example, your final cutting measurements will be 12 and 1/2-inches wide by 40 and 1/2-inches long.

3. Next, move to the upper and lower borders of your quilt and repeat the process. Add up all components of your quilt, width-wise, remembering to include the side border pieces and the 1/4-inch seam allowance on all sides. So, if this same quilt is two-blocks wide, separated by three strips of sashing, the center measurement would be 27 inches. The side border pieces would add another 24 inches to the width, and the seam allowance would add another 1/2 inch, making for a total length of 51 and 1/2 inches.

Tips & Warnings

• If your quilt center isn't perfectly square, a good border can help you coax the quilt back into shape. Many quilters find a quilting design wall especially helpful when designing a border.

• Don't forget to add 1/4 inch seam allowance to your measurements when you're calculating how wide your border needs to be or you'll end up with border pieces that are too narrow and too short.

References

• Quilting Tidbits: Quilt Borders Unlimited in Style;