giquilt

My ? is should I do a diagonal pieceing or just straight across the border? The border needs to be 92 inches and I have 72 inches straight of grain.

I have never pieced a border before except when I was using multiple fabrics such as piano keys. I have always used straight of grain. This time I have put myself in a situation where I have enough fabric just not enough to use one piece straight of grain. It is a print but looks like a solid and I can probably match the print.

I do not want to buy more fabric, even if I could find it, because I already have enough. (Did I just say that!).

luvspaper

On borders I've always done straight across....I do diagonal on bindings though. I don't try to hard to match the print because one it is pressed and quilted, it is often very hard for me to find!

Tartan

If I have to piece a border, I determine a quilting design that will end up with a line of stitching right in the seam. It really makes it so you cannot readily see the join. If the quilting design is going to be straight across, then I do a straight join. If I want to do a diagonal quilting design then diagonal join.
Sometimes I put an element from the quilt top into the border so the design comes out to the quilt edge in a couple of spots that totally disguise a border join.

JackieQuilts

I've done diagonal piecing on borders, in fact my first quilt pattern called for diagonal piecing. The border was a print and you could not see the join at all.

quiltsRfun

I prefer a diagonal seam unless the design is one that I can match. Then I do a straight seam.

DogHouseMom

Agree with the above.

Jan in VA

Straight seam, abutting the seam of a block so that it is less discernable to the eye.

Jan in VA

k_jupiter

FOr show quilts I use a diagonal seam, for regular bed quilts, I use a straight across seam. Since I don't make show quilts, it has been an easy call. Bindings on the other hand are always diagonal. tim in san jose

giquilt

I always do continuous bias binding so those are diagonal seams. Thanks for the info I am learning a lot. Keep it coming.

Barb in Louisiana

I do straight across seams in borders. The only way I would do a diagonal seam would be if the design in the fabric was so obvious that I had to do a different seam to hide the joining. Most fabrics are printed fairly straight and matching is not that much of a problem or doesn't show up at all with a straight seam. You really lose a lot of fabric by making a diagonal in a wide border. But if that is how YOU want to do it, then go for it. Just because most of us don't doesn't make it right or wrong. Quilting is so much about personal choice.

I do try to keep the cut of the fabric for the border the same. Is I am cutting WOF, then all the border for that one fabric is cut WOF. If I am cutting with the grain, then the same applies. There is more stretch in WOF.

For bindings, I always sew it as a diagonal seam. It takes a lot of the bulk out of the joining when they end up offset with the diagonal seam. I also, iron my seams open in the binding. But not in the borders.