Don’t be afraid to follow your instincts: There’s always an exception to the rule. It also helps you visually separate color values, since it obscures the details. This will help you see what the quilt will look like from a distance. Squint to blur (or as we call it, “fuzz”) your vision. Audition fabrics: If you’re able, lay a corner of your quilt over the top of the border fabric, so the border fabric frames the quilt as if it were sewn on. Decide how many borders you want: A skinny, solid-colored or simple border is a good way to break up busy prints. The larger the border, the larger the print can be. If it’s smaller, use a medium- to small-scale print. Consider the size: If your border is wider than 4″, you can usually carry a large-scale print with no problem. If it’s a continuation of the quilt, it should blend with the background or overall color, tone, and style of the quilt. Decide what you want the border to be: Is it a frame for the quilt, or a continuation of the overall quilt? If it’s a frame, you want it to have good contrast, while harmonizing with the overall quilt color scheme and style. So how do you choose the perfect quilt border? Even we make mistakes sometimes, but here are some guidelines to help you choose: The simple pattern is also a nice contrast against the busy playtime prints. The navy is almost the same color as the blue polka dots on white, and it’s a strong enough color to balance all the other prints. When we saw this navy blue print from Joel Dewberry’s Wander line, we were sure it was the perfect thing. We went to our favorite quilt shop in Logan to find something new, since nothing in our stock seemed like the perfect fit, either. The red of the stars in the sashing and the tiny blue polka dots of the white background fabric are strong colors that overpower the pink.
The background pink color of the fabric is just too soft to balance all the bright colors within the blocks. While we love this fabric and it matches colors individually, the overall look just wasn’t quite right for us. Our first choice for the border fabric was a print from the Sidewalks line that had many of the same colors. In this case, it was part of the pattern we used, so we liked the design from the start. Skinny borders can also make a nice statement. They are also a quick way to make a quilt bigger. Borders are good for quilts that need a frame to stop the overall pattern. Many of our quilts don’t have borders, but some quilt patterns are complimented nicely by the addition of a border. Now that both quilt tops are pieced, we are adding the final borders. First, we showed how the blocks go together, then the popular sashing with stars tutorial. Over the last couple of months, we have been working on our Little Playmates Quilts.