Years ago, I started what I expected to be a large wall hanging. This UFO colour study is 45 inches wide by 56 inches long. I would like to turn it into a decent sized lap quilt for my eldest child's dorm room. I know that I would like it to have two borders. I like the look of a thin border pai red with a wide border. I would like to have the option of mitre-ing both borders.
My questions to the group are as follows: what size borders should I put on this colour study not only to make it a decent sized lap quilt, but to hav e a proper sense of proportion for these borders? About how much yardage s hould I purchase for each of the two borders? About how much yardage shoul d I purchase for the backing? I know that I will add 1 yard to the amount of backing fabric in order to make bias binding. I'm not used to just wing ing it and hoping for the best. I prefer to follow patterns that list fini sh quilt size along with yardage requirements.
TIA for helping me finish yet another long-term UFO!
Hello again! I found six 6-inch cut strips of fabric and a just enough yar dage left to cut another strip so that the colour study centre could have a single 5.5 inch finished border. All I would need to purchase would be about 5.5 yards of fabric for the backing and binding. The finished size w ould be about 56 inches by 68 inches. Does this size sound reasonable for a teenager to curl up with whilst away at university?
Well, if you think about it, that size would go all the way round him/her! So it would be fine. Can I just mention that there is no need to make bias binding for a rectangular quilt (with straight sides I mean). You only need to use bias, if there are scalloped edges or any curved side. Straight binding would make things much easier for you. Well done on getting a UFO into use. I have a 'few' to do somehow!
I just looked up lap quilts in my quillow book and the size there is 44" x 62" so I agree with Pat that your size would be fine. In the first post you said you wanted two borders. Have you thought of putting a very thin strip between the main completed centre and the border. When I do that I cut strips in a contrasting colour about 1"wide and fold them in two and stitch (doubled like you would binding)to the main body of the quilt with a 1/4" seam, and then attach the borders (So it almost looks like piping). Then you can have an extra dividing contrast without adding more to the finished quilt size which can get bigger and bigger by adding borders if you aren't careful - been there, done that!
Can't offer advice about the backing as I tend to economize, and buy just a big more than the length of the quilt, cut it down the middle long ways and insert a pieced strip to make it the correct width; or use John Flynn's formula (on his website)or a combination of the two. I have used a sheet as I machine quilt. With fabric here at about £12 a yard ($18.5) you quickly learn some fabric-stretching tricks!! I found a good quality fleece is popular too and then you don't need any batting and fleece comes extra wide so no joins.
Miz Sairey from our group got me in the habit of doing a narrow red border on almost everything I do! It never fails to make the piece "pop"!
G> I just looked up lap quilts in my quillow book and the size there is 44"
h yardage left to cut another strip so that the colour study centre could h ave a single 5.5 inch finished border. All I would need to purchase woul d be about 5.5 yards of fabric for the backing and binding. The finished s ize would be about 56 inches by 68 inches. Does this size sound reasonable for a teenager to curl up with whilst away at university?
Thanks for the reminder that bias binding isn't necessary. When I looked a t the yardage that I currently have that matches the six strips cut for the border, apparently I had cut off the selvedge edges and then cut the fabri c in half so that I have two pieces of fabric that are about 20 inches wide by 72 inches long. I have absolutely no idea why I would have done that! In any event, I should still be able to figure out how to cut the fabric f or the 7th border strip and to make binding strips.
Sally - I *love* your idea for a really thin "piping" between the centre an d the border. Whilst I don't have any fabric remaining from the centre, I do have an extensive collection of FQ and half-yard cuts of Moda Marbles. In some cases, I actually have yardage. So, I can definitely make that hap pen. I've also decided that I will piece the back as you suggested. Since I'd like to make use of those Moda Marbles, I'm going to cut and piece cha rms and arrange them in colour wheel order in the pieced back. By followin g your suggestion, I will have an interesting quilt that is reversible. Th anks SO much for a great suggestion.
Ahhh, yes...I remember Miz Sairey and her sizzle strip! Thanks for the fon d memory. I'm already a huge fan of a thin border and a thick chunky borde r. So, I really love the idea of something more akin to piping because all I really want is to make the centre of my quilts pop.
- dlm.
r on almost everything I do! It never fails to make the piece "pop"!
For a really thin piping type border, this is by far the most easy and accu rate way to get one:
Trim and square up the quilt top. For a 1/8 inch width piping cut strips a t 3/4 inch. Sew the strips, right sides together, to the quilt top's edges
- stitch to top edge first, then the bottom edge, then each side- using a
3/8 in. seam allowance. Then fold the strip back even with the trimmed ed ge of the quilt top and press. For a 1/4 inch width piping, cut the piping strips at 1 inch, sew right sides together to the quilt top in the same rd er using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Fold back and press.
Add the next wide border in the usual way using a normal 1/4 inch seam allo wance- which allows the piping to peek out. Try it on some small scraps t o get the idea fixed in your mind and to double check your seam allowance w idths, etc. The piping is not mitered but will be so narrow that it still looks fine with mitered borders if that's what you prefer.
With this method the piping strip is attached to the quilt and doesn't misb ehave and bend back and forth on the finished quilt nor will it catch under your needle as you quilt. It's very accurate since the piping fabric isn' t inserted between the quilt top and wide border where it might 'wander' as you sew on the border.
I've made a 1/16 inch piping border on a mini quilt using this method- with perfect results. ;-)
You're welcome!
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.
O colour study is 45 inches wide by 56 inches long. I would like to turn i t into a decent sized lap quilt for my eldest child's dorm room. I know th at I would like it to have two borders. I like the look of a thin border p aired with a wide border. I would like to have the option of mitre-ing bot h borders.
on this colour study not only to make it a decent sized lap quilt, but to h ave a proper sense of proportion for these borders? About how much yardage should I purchase for each of the two borders? About how much yardage sho uld I purchase for the backing? I know that I will add 1 yard to the amoun t of backing fabric in order to make bias binding. I'm not used to just wi nging it and hoping for the best. I prefer to follow patterns that list fi nish quilt size along with yardage requirements.
Leslie - I can't wait to try out your method for adding a thin piping borde r. Thanks for the great explanation!
- dlm.
curate way to get one:
at 3/4 inch. Sew the strips, right sides together, to the quilt top's edg es- stitch to top edge first, then the bottom edge, then each side- using a 3/8 in. seam allowance. Then fold the strip back even with the trimmed edge of the quilt top and press. For a 1/4 inch width piping, cut the pipi ng strips at 1 inch, sew right sides together to the quilt top in the same rder using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Fold back and press.
lowance- which allows the piping to peek out. Try it on some small scraps to get the idea fixed in your mind and to double check your seam allowance widths, etc. The piping is not mitered but will be so narrow that it stil l looks fine with mitered borders if that's what you prefer.
sbehave and bend back and forth on the finished quilt nor will it catch und er your needle as you quilt. It's very accurate since the piping fabric is n't inserted between the quilt top and wide border where it might 'wander' as you sew on the border.
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