Hi. I a almost finished with a quilt top for my daughter's Girl Scout leader. However, I want to make the quilt a little bit larger by adding another border (@3-4 inches).

I've included two pictures, the whole quilt and a closeup. The fabric in the upper right hand corner of the quilt in both pictures is the fabric I originally planned to use for the outermost border.... the colors match well. However, I am second guessing that plan now that the rest of the top is finished. The colors work, but I'm not sure if the pattern works with the rest of the quilt.

As an alternative, I have enough fabric left from the other fabrics in the quilt (a little of some, and a lot of a few others). So, I can make a border out of one of the other more solid colors (or a combination of them) as well.

Any thoughts on the fabric I originally planned on using or other ideas using the more solid fabrics I have already used in the quilt?

Thanks in advance!

First of all, wonderful quilt! I see what you mean about the border fabric. If you have enough scraps, I think I would go for a piano key border. This way, you could also incorporate some of the fabric you auditioned for the border without overwhelming it.

i agree with paper princess

i like the border fabric

I think you should make the border pieced with leftover fabric used in the quilt. I am not sure why, but the proposed purple border fabric just doesn't seem quite right to me on this cute quilt--maybe because I don't see much other purple in the quilt or the purple is just a little too bright??? She will love it!!

Thank you for the feedback. I think I'm going to piece a border with a variety of the quilt fabrics and see how it looks.

I agree - a Piano Border with the left over scraps would look great. Then, I might then add another small strip of black to frame it.

I would make a pieced border on this one ..... but OOOOOH! that is a pretty batik!

I agree with your first instinct that the purple somehow overwhelms it. Is purple her favorite color? If so definitely use it in a pieced border but I'm not sure piano key is the way to go on this one. I think something a bit less colorful using something from this site would work well, like Rick Rack done with that purple and the white, or tipped bricks using the purple and one of the other colors and white or the Entwined one. http://www.quilterscache.com/B/Borders.html

If you do go with piano keys make sure you put a few white ones in there too or alternate every other colored one with the white. What is going in the big white squares?

I do not know if purple is her favorite color. I originally used purple in the middle to pull that color into the quilt (given the fabric I was originally planning to use for the border). At this point, I do have enough purple to use for the border, but am not wedded to it.

I really like the Rick Rack border you pointed out. I just saw that last night on another quiltingboard member's quilt, and have been thinking about it since then.

As for the big white squares... I was originally going to have the Girl Scout troop members sign their name and/or write a message to the leader. But, I am reconsidering that in favor of putting the signatures/messages on the back. So, at the moment, I don't have specific plans for the white squares on the front. I'm not sure if I want to do more applique... too busy? I am considering the possibility of quilting the Girl Scout symbol (the one in the center of the quilt) in those blocks with smaller free motion quilting around it. Do you (or anyone reading this) have suggestions? I'd really like this to be a Wow quilt for the leader!