Joining border fabric

Megwen, I'm sure there are others far more experienced than I that will weigh in with their thoughts, but I've just always used straight seams. Doesn't seem to have a negative impact and considering you have quantity issues as well as design issues, I'd go with straight. Besides, you're going to have your binding sewn onto the border to help keep those seams from moving.

Good luck.

Kim in NJ

Thanks, I've probably got just about enough fabric to do a diagonal seam, but I'd rather ahve a bit of fabric left to cut something completely different from!

Megwen

Megwen, I'm sure there are others far more experienced than I that will weigh in with their thoughts, but I've just always used straight seams. Doesn't seem to have a negative impact and considering you have quantity issues as well as design issues, I'd go with straight. Besides, you're going to have your binding sewn onto the border to help keep those seams from moving.

Good luck.

Kim in NJ

If you do a straight seam, Megwen, you are going to have an awful lot of bulk in just one place, when you put the binding on. A lot of the reason for any diagonal seaming (eg binding) is to spread the area of bulk. However, if you have a geometrical pattern, the ideal will be to join it as invisibly as possible. If the basic pattern lies at right angles to the edges, the a straight seam will have to be best - just be very careful that no binding join will coincide with the border join. If the pattern is neither at right angles, nor precisely diagonal, you can make the joining seam follow the line of the pattern, regardless what the angle is. You may well have to try every piece of binding, to see where the next join will lie. If you find that it is going to coincide, you should shorten one of the binding pieces - even if that means unpicking a seam and re-doing it further up!

Well, you didn't expect a one-word answer from me, now did you? >gg< . In message , Megwen writes

I was taught to use a diagonal seam to join as it would show less. However, I've found that it really doesn't matter. They show about the same and with both methods you can wiggle things a bit or cut in just the right spot to get an even better match.

marcella

I would do a straight one - you may even be able to match the pattern if you're lucky.

Sometimes on a plainish border I inset a few flying geese or similar so that it looks as though the join was planned. In the one I'm doing at the moment I have too little fabric (couldn't find any more and couldn't find a colour I liked as much so I have corners to match the quilt centre and pieced stripes in the colours of the centre to fill in the shortages. Hopefully it will look planned too!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Megwen wrote:

I've heard the same thing, but agree that it usually doesn't matter. You can fold your fabric to simulate both kinds of join and see which one seems less noticeable for your particular fabric. I also think the joins are less noticeable if the seams are pressed open rather than to one side.

Julia > I was taught to use a diagonal seam to join as it would show less.

Thanks for all the responses, the general consensus seems to be that in theory a diagonal seam is best, but in practice it doesn't really matter! When I manage to finish this quilt, I'll try to get some pictures up for you to see if you can tell which I decided to do!

Thanks Pat, I'm trying to cut corners and know that I shouldn't really!

Megwen

I don't understand why joining the border on the straight grain rather than the bias produces less bulk when binding. I understand the concept for binding, but it seems to me that you will still have one seam in the border at the edge no matter how the border sections are joined. How you press the seam will make a difference -- pressing the seam open will spread the bulk a bit.

Julia > If you do a straight seam, Megwen, you are going to have an awful lot of

You're quite right Julia - I was thinking of binding and transferring it to border. Then I mixed the two up. So sorry - blame it on the new air >g< . In message , Julia in MN writes

Ahh, binding I would sew on the diagonal to spread the seam, no problem. Can I sew a straight seam on my border then?

How is the new air?

Yes, Megwen. You can sew straight seams on your border. How to make that geometrical print match perfectly when pieced is the question. Press ¼" under on the end of the first strip cut. Then, slide it down the next piece until it is impossible to see when one stops and the other starts. Pin, baste, glue, staple or nail that rascal so Nobody Moves until you get it stitched. If Pat says it's the 'new air', and that's her story and she's sticking to it, who are we to question that? Polly

How would the quilt look if you put something different in the 4 corners? Would that then give you enough material for border? Just a thought.

Donna inWA

Follow the pattern lines as closely as possible, regardless of angle! (The caution as regards binding seam coinciding with border seam still applies). The air is fine - lovely in fact - and I'm now able to breathe it >gg< . In message , Megwen writes

I almost always put coordinating blocks or squares in the four corners for borders. I like the way it looks that way.

Donna in SW Idaho

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On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:13:03 -0500, Megwen wrote (in article ):

To be honest, every time I've pieced a border I've used straight seams. But most of the time the prints I use tend to be all-over random. I don't know if the geometerical print would make a difference or not.

Maureen