Thanks for your help and comments!
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
Thanks for your help and comments!
SoniSew
I am a beginner and took a class to learn how to quilt. The instructor had us measure both side edges as well as the
middle and average the 3 values. This number is the size to cut both side borders. She had us do this to square up our quilts, then add the top and bottom borders.
I generally add the sides then the top/bottom just because I like the line across the top not to be broken with a seam. I could miter the borders, but this is easier!
I add the borders to the side first because of the length is usually much longer for that than the top and bottom border. This saves on the amount of fabric needed to complete the project. Once that is figured out, it is an easy choice.
RedGarnet222
"Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern ... It will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that ...one stitch at a time, taken patiently."
*Oliver Wendell Holms
I miter the borders on almost all my quilts.
I tend to do top, bottom then sides. But honestly, it really does not matter in the long run.
There is no definite answer to this question. It depends on how you were taught. I keep taking classes because I really enjoy the socializing that goes with the teaching and learning. I've never taken a class from a teacher who hasn't said that you need to do the sides first and the top and bottom last. Everyone seems to think that the shorter lengths are easier to measure and handle. It also seems to lessen the chance of distorting the finished quilt top.
And thanks, Jan, for taking the spelling issue to heart. I tell people that I am probably one of two people in the world today who won't split an infinitive! I love to read paragraphs with good grammar and proper spelling.
Sometimes I try to act "normal," but it gets boring so I just go back to being myself.
The only time I did top and bottom first was when I was adding a pieced border and I did not have to adjust it if I did them first and then the sides. My quilter rolled her eyes when I explained my reasoning. I made the pattern up so I thought it made complete sense. I just don't think there are quilt police out there, even though some like to act like it. Do what works for you.
I do the sides first and then the top/bottom. Some patterns call for the other way around but I tend to stick with doing the same thing. I just like that topped off part I guess.
I just pick a side and have at it. Sometimes, if you do the longer ones first, it feels like you're closer to the finish.
Life is not a movie. No one is going to yell "CUT" when you make a mistake. - Anne L. Fulton
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