How to Make Wavy Quilt Borders
Scallop-edged quilts are unusual and not seen every day. They are a little more difficult and take a little more time to make than a straight square border, but they definitely have a soft, old-fashioned look to them. The scallops will give you a wavy quilt border that curves around the edges. By taking your time and sewing by either machine or hand, you can make a scallop-edged quilt that will look lovely on your wall or bed.
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Things You'll Need
- Quilt
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Pins
- Pattern (optional)
- Plates (optional)
- Marking pen or pencil
- Paper
- Sewing needle
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Make sure you have pieced, sewn and quilted your quilt before you begin. The only thing remaining should be the border at this point.
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2
Using a pattern or stencil that you have bought, place it on the border of the quilt and trace the outline with your marking pen. You will need to move it around the quilt, tracing and marking your way until you get back to where you started.
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3
If you not using a pattern, use plates to trace your curving border. Pick a size that looks right for your quilt, and place the plate on a corner of the quilt. A dinner plate would look nice with a queen- or king-sized quilt, while a saucer or dessert plate would fit a lap or crib quilt.
Trace around the plate with your marking pen so that the corner gets fully rounded. Stop when it is in the middle of the border on either side of the corner.
Trace the curve of the plate onto a piece of paper and make matching hills and valleys. This will be your pattern for the border.
Trace the pattern around the quilt border using the marking pen, matching up with the corner you began with.
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4
Take your binding tape and place it on the top of the quilt, with the rough edge of the binding on the marked line.
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5
Sew the binding along the rough line, adjusting it as you go to curve around the quilt. Use a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Stop sewing about 10 inches from the starting point. Cut the binding with about 1/2-inch over the overlap.
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6
With right sides together, sew the end of the binding tape together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.
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7
Lay the binding on the marked line and sew down as before. Your binding should now be all sewn down on the quilt top. Trim the quilt along the seam line, right at the edge of the binding.
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8
Iron the binding back over the seam. This will make it easier to sew the binding to the back.
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9
Turn the quilt over, and hand stitch the binding to the back of the quilt.
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