Border-phobia
02-12-2015, 04:49 AM
#41
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Central Indiana
Posts: 1,141
I think Katier 825 and NJ quilter covered border information quite well. I would call myself an early stage intermediate
quilter and agree with you that it is intimidating. After making several baby quilts, it has gotten easier to do the borders.
I think you will gain confidence as you do the first then the second....
quilter and agree with you that it is intimidating. After making several baby quilts, it has gotten easier to do the borders.
I think you will gain confidence as you do the first then the second....
02-12-2015, 06:06 AM
#42
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 15,938
Some of my squared up quilts have wavy borders and I made and sewed them the same way I made the borders that lay perfectly flat on other quilts. It doesn't bother me at all. One of my wavy border quilts won Viewer's Choice at a quilt show and the near perfect quilt got a nice job sticker. 
02-12-2015, 10:12 AM
#45
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,369
Originally Posted by ocydroma
My mentor does have hard core thoughts/opinions. Don't use poly batting. Don't let the longarmer use poly thread. That I need to upgrade my sewing machine which is only a year old and I am very comfortable with.
Sheilz- thinking about you said, I feel you are right. She is probably hindering more than helping. I really appreciate you being honest with your opinion of my mentor. Sometimes I just needed someone to confirm what I've been thinking I guess.
Sheilz- thinking about you said, I feel you are right. She is probably hindering more than helping. I really appreciate you being honest with your opinion of my mentor. Sometimes I just needed someone to confirm what I've been thinking I guess.
As for borders, other here have given you great advice on one-border-at-a-time, and borders with mitered corners. I can only add: measure correctly, and just sew that first border on!
I think I was glad of my ignorance when I first began making quilts because, self-taught, I had no idea what I might be doing wrong and consequently, had no fear. I was a long time garment sewer but had never made a quilt. I didn't know what I didn't know, so I watched a few youtube videos, read a book or two, and just plunged ahead. Your issue is that you've aligned yourself with an expert and as helpful as she's been, her knowledge and experience -- and opinions! -- have intimidated you.
Last edited by Friday1961; 02-12-2015 at 10:28 AM.
02-12-2015, 12:29 PM
#47
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
My, my, my, talk about the quilt border police. Your quilting friend may mean well, but obviously she is causing you to doubt your abilities, and that's not right. There are some great comments here on the QB and I suggest you read them, and then do what you feel right because that's the right thing to do. I had a quilt teacher who advised putting the inner and outer borders together to save time, as you have to sew them together eventually. Quilting should be FUN, not "work", so enjoy the process, do what you feel is right for you - that's the right answer to your question.
02-12-2015, 12:41 PM
#48
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Not Here
Posts: 3,817
First off, good for you for trying even in the presence of a lot of negativity. I doubt I would have ever gotten started with that sort of "guidance".
I am Brother certified and service their machines for a shop in the city. I also service all the other brands at home for my own business and some for that shop. Depending on the Brother machine, some are as good or better than their counterparts. The department store ones can often benefit from a look over because they sometimes could use some adjustments to make them more pliable. That said, that's not just a Brother thing, it's almost all department store machines. They're priced for a certain market and to get that extra bit of brand awareness. The only Brother machines I would avoid are the ones in the 60s - 70s range and that's only because they have a plastic cam gear and I haven't come across one that wasn't broken in the last few years I've been servicing.
Now - borders. I'm a Longarm quilter and a fairly new piecer. I am working on my 6th quilt this year. I piece so I can quilt. My first quilt was pieced and free motion quilted on a 1951 Singer 15-90. It had no borders and no plan whatsoever as to design. Binding was character building on this quilt. It still is. It's my kryptonite.
My second quilt was made for DH. It had straight borders. I had to remove one border while it was on the frame and remove about 2.5". I have no idea how I did that so wrong, but I did. For me, for some reason, it's always the shorter sides I have trouble with. The long ones are typically fine.
3rd was a bed quilt, straight borders. That one taught me to come up with a quilting plan before loading it. It was on the frame for almost 5 months while I decided how to quilt each portion as I went along. As a recovering perfectionist, I learned that this turns out to be the slowest way to quilt a quilt. This is also the quilt I ripped a seam 4 times on to try to get it to match better. I didn't stop until I finally stuck the seam ripper through the fabric. Now I try really hard to adhere to what the lady who taught me to sew and runs our sewing group says: "Can you live with it?" Sometimes I can, sometimes not. But the key (for me, it might not be exactly what she meant) is not "Do I love the way I stitched that" but "Is it the worst thing that happened to me today and what does it affect long term?"
4th and 5th quilts have mitred borders. The 4th is bed sized and uses one mitred border for the outside border and has 15 mitred squares. I have one corner that isn't perfect but I can "quilt that out" when it finally hits the longarm. The 5th is similar to the 4th top in a lap size but I modified it to practice mitres and to help me come up with a quilting plan for the 4th one. 14 of the 16 of the mitres are perfect. The last two I must have been asleep when I pieced them but now that it's quilted, I have to look hard to figure out which ones they are. The 4th quilt is the only one that remains unquilted at this point.
Lastly - thread and other myths. There are few facts and real truths in this industry. It's mostly opinion, preference and belief. Just look at all the shops who will tell people to only use X thread. Typically it's not because Pfaff, Bernina, Brother etc tells them that's all their machines will run - it's because they want the sales.
I have heard that museums are starting to recommend poly for surface design on quilts because the cotton rots and we lose the design. Today's poly is not the same as yesterday's poly. Many of the new polys break easier than their cotton counterparts.
It sounds like it's time for you to go out and develop your own opinions and preferences.
I am Brother certified and service their machines for a shop in the city. I also service all the other brands at home for my own business and some for that shop. Depending on the Brother machine, some are as good or better than their counterparts. The department store ones can often benefit from a look over because they sometimes could use some adjustments to make them more pliable. That said, that's not just a Brother thing, it's almost all department store machines. They're priced for a certain market and to get that extra bit of brand awareness. The only Brother machines I would avoid are the ones in the 60s - 70s range and that's only because they have a plastic cam gear and I haven't come across one that wasn't broken in the last few years I've been servicing.
Now - borders. I'm a Longarm quilter and a fairly new piecer. I am working on my 6th quilt this year. I piece so I can quilt. My first quilt was pieced and free motion quilted on a 1951 Singer 15-90. It had no borders and no plan whatsoever as to design. Binding was character building on this quilt. It still is. It's my kryptonite.
My second quilt was made for DH. It had straight borders. I had to remove one border while it was on the frame and remove about 2.5". I have no idea how I did that so wrong, but I did. For me, for some reason, it's always the shorter sides I have trouble with. The long ones are typically fine.
3rd was a bed quilt, straight borders. That one taught me to come up with a quilting plan before loading it. It was on the frame for almost 5 months while I decided how to quilt each portion as I went along. As a recovering perfectionist, I learned that this turns out to be the slowest way to quilt a quilt. This is also the quilt I ripped a seam 4 times on to try to get it to match better. I didn't stop until I finally stuck the seam ripper through the fabric. Now I try really hard to adhere to what the lady who taught me to sew and runs our sewing group says: "Can you live with it?" Sometimes I can, sometimes not. But the key (for me, it might not be exactly what she meant) is not "Do I love the way I stitched that" but "Is it the worst thing that happened to me today and what does it affect long term?"
4th and 5th quilts have mitred borders. The 4th is bed sized and uses one mitred border for the outside border and has 15 mitred squares. I have one corner that isn't perfect but I can "quilt that out" when it finally hits the longarm. The 5th is similar to the 4th top in a lap size but I modified it to practice mitres and to help me come up with a quilting plan for the 4th one. 14 of the 16 of the mitres are perfect. The last two I must have been asleep when I pieced them but now that it's quilted, I have to look hard to figure out which ones they are. The 4th quilt is the only one that remains unquilted at this point.
Lastly - thread and other myths. There are few facts and real truths in this industry. It's mostly opinion, preference and belief. Just look at all the shops who will tell people to only use X thread. Typically it's not because Pfaff, Bernina, Brother etc tells them that's all their machines will run - it's because they want the sales.
I have heard that museums are starting to recommend poly for surface design on quilts because the cotton rots and we lose the design. Today's poly is not the same as yesterday's poly. Many of the new polys break easier than their cotton counterparts.
It sounds like it's time for you to go out and develop your own opinions and preferences.
Last edited by ArchaicArcane; 02-12-2015 at 12:45 PM.
02-12-2015, 02:56 PM
#49
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
Posts: 6,003
Hugggggggs to you and everyone else who has been intimidated by someone who KNOWS the ONLY RIGHT WAY to get your quilt made. Bless your heart for realizing that you are ready to move out on your own and have a little flexibility. So many rules can be binding for sure, rather than reassuring.
You are definitely in the right place, you will get lots of help here on the QB for any questions you might have.
I wish you very good luck with your new adventures in bordering; can't wait to see photos of your projects!!
You are definitely in the right place, you will get lots of help here on the QB for any questions you might have.
I wish you very good luck with your new adventures in bordering; can't wait to see photos of your projects!!
02-12-2015, 03:09 PM
#50
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Upstate NY, north of Syracuse Area
Posts: 6,003
Originally Posted by Onebyone
Some of my squared up quilts have wavy borders and I made and sewed them the same way I made the borders that lay perfectly flat on other quilts. It doesn't bother me at all. One of my wavy border quilts won Viewer's Choice at a quilt show and the near perfect quilt got a nice job sticker.
I just take it in stride and say it's the way I was holding my mouth.
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