Originally Posted by
DawnFurlong
I was taught to measure the quilt across both ends and the middle - and then to cut the strips to match the measurement (and since my quilts are not perfectly square, usually one measurement is slightly off - so I take the average). So I've always done it that way, it has worked well so far.
I have a question about your handout. For the first 2 borders it says just to measure across the middle. Why only the middle? And why not just the middle when measuring for the last 2 borders? Always hard on the knees, measuring this on the floor. Would be happy to drop 2 measurements out from the first 2 borders. :-)
Dawn, I used to do the three measurements and take the average. But it was hard to get people to do that much extra work (grin), so now I suggest they just take the center measurement. That is usually truest to size. I thought I recommended the same measurement (center) for both the horizontal and vertical borders, but perhaps I need to make the handout clearer. I'll have to look at it when I get back from the long weekend I'm leaving on this morning
And the easiest way to do the borders, especially if you don't have a long tape measure, doesn't actually require any measureing. Just take two border strips, lay them across the center of the quilt (from top to bottom for the side borders) with one edge even with the top of the quilt. Cut them off even with the bottom edge. Now you have two border strips that are the same length and the same size as the center of the quilt. Pin the borders to the sides of the quilt at the center and each edge, then work in any fullness, pinning as necessary. Press those borders, then repeat the above steps for the top & bottom borders.