How to Determine the Width of the Outside Border on Quilts

The quilt border is constructed by the strips of fabric that frame the quilt top.

The “cutting” size of a quilt border is not the same as the “finished” size. The cutting size represents what the dimensions of the quilt borders need to be in order to achieve the finished size. By contrast, the finished size represents what the dimensions of the quilt borders are once the quilt is completely put together. To determine the cutting width of the outside border on quilts you must account for the amount of fabric that will be used when stitching the border to the quilt top. Determining the cutting width will help you achieve your preferred finished width.

Instructions

1. Decide how wide you want the finished size of the quilt borders to be. This figure is dependent upon your preference. You can, for example, elect to have a 5-inch-wide finished quilt border.

2. Add 1/2 inch to the measurement you selected in Step 1. This 1/2 inch represents your seam allowance, the area of the fabric that will be used for stitching.

3. Calculate the result. For example, five inches plus 1/2 inch equals 5 1/2 inches. This is the cutting width of the quilt's top, bottom and side borders.

Tips & Warnings

• The 1/2 inch seam allowance breaks down to 1/4 inch for each of the border's two sides.

• Once the borders are actually sewed onto the quilt top, the border width will measure whatever size you determined in Step 1, which in this example is five inches.

References

• Sudermancustomworks: Applying Borders
• Utah State University: Straight Grain Quilt Borders