Today our Bake Shop Basics series continues with Chef Anjeanette sharing the proper way to make and attach quilt borders.
Do you ever finish your quilt and wonder why your sides are wavy and won’t lay flat? You may not have put your borders on correctly.
Taking one border strip at a time, fold lengthwise in half and then again into fourths. Place a pin at the fold points. You will end up with three pins in the border. Fold your quilt in half and then fourths, and pin the fold points. With right sides together, pin the ends of the border to the ends of the quilt. Match the center pins from the border and quilt and pin together. Match the quarter marks from the border and quilt and pin together. I then fill in between the pins with at least one more pin for each fourth.
There often is a little bit of excess fullness or fabric on either the border side or the quilt top. Whichever side seems more full, place towards the feed dogs when sewing. The feed dogs will help ease any fullness out.
You may need to gently hold the fabric taught in front of the presser foot as you sew to help ease any fullness out.
If it seems like there isn’t any fullness or excess fabric on either the border, or the quilt top, place the quilt top towards the feed dogs when sewing.
- Using a walking foot for these long seams is helpful.
- It is okay if you have to piece or sew two strips together to make the total length measurement. Just make sure you are cutting your border to the correct measurement before sewing on.
A perfectly flat quilt with borders.
Anjeanette Klinder
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