AboutConnie Hester Expertise Quilting and applique expert.Can advise on the following topics:quilting, art quilts, quilt design and construction, machine and hand quilting, paper foundation piecing, machine piecing, hand piecing, raw edge applique, turned-edge applique and fiber art.
Experience Winning awards in international fiber and art competitions since 1983; http://www.conniehester.com/
BS,MS
See my work and books at http://www.conniehester.com/
Expert: Connie Hester Date: 6/26/2006 Subject: adding a border
Question Connie my daughter bought a pre quilted block and she wants me to put on a wide border . Of course its already quilted. But there is no binding and the batting doesn't come out far enough. How do i go about adding a wide border.
thank you artgirl
Answer Hi, Judith,
If the quilting stitches have not extended into the 1/4" seam allowances envisioned around the perimeter, with right sides together, join border strips by sewing 1/4" seams, separately, to the top layer and the backing layer of fabric.
If the quilting stitches *have* extended all the way out to the raw edges, attach border strips, separately, to the top fabric and to the backing fabric by appliqueing them in place (turn under the raw edges of the border strips 1/4" and invisibly hand-stitch 1/4" inside raw edges of quilted block).
To add batting, butt strips of batting right up to the existing batting's edges. (Optional: you could also tack edges together by hand to hold them more securely.) Baste top layer of fabric, batting, and backing fabric into place to stabilize, and quilt into and across the border strips in a manner which will permanently hold them in place. Then remove basting.
My favorite method for joining pieces of batting is to overlap the edges 1/4" and machine-sew back and forth with a multi-stitch zigzag. This pattern stitch is built into many computerized sewing machines, but it can also be done with a free-motion foot and moving the batting back and forth under the needle. This pattern stitch holds the batting securely as well as flattens the bulk of 2 layers down to equate with 1 layer. It is then undetectible within the quilted piece.
When planning the borders, the easiest manner of joining border strips would be to cut the first pair of strips to equal the length of one pair of opposite sides of the existing block, raw edge to raw edge. Then cut border strips for the other pair of opposite sides to equal the length of the new rectangle created by the quilted block and the sewn-on opposite borders, raw edge to raw edge.
