baste outer edge before quilting border?
 

Hi all of you wonderful quilting experts. Once again I need your advice. I'm new to quilting (only 4 years) and even newer to finishing a quilt. I'm almost finished quilting a rather large (for me) quilt. I quilted it in sections using a walking foot and anchored the blocks in the ditch before doing anything inside the blocks, but now I'm getting ready to quilt the border. I may even get up the courage to do some FMQ in it. My dilemma is whether I should baste the outer edge all around before starting to quilt the border, or just leave it pinned and quilt it first. I feel like I should baste it to anchor it down first, but then I'm afraid that the quilting will bunch it up if it's fixed in place. I'd appreciate your expert advice, and thank you in advance for your help. You guys have never let me down yet! :)

I would baste it in place - but then I've never done quilt as you go.

I always baste the edges. I learned alot from Ann Peterson's craftsy class.

I've made several quilts and for my current lap quilt I had just heard about basting. I believe the borders came out flatter by basting than ever before. They didn't stretch out of square. The walking foot really eased the fabric so I did not get any puckers. Also this quilt I only had to trim 1/8 inch just in some places. The best that has been with any other quilt. I'm sold on basting.

Like you, I stitch in the ditch around all my blocks before doing FMQ inside the blocks. I do baste my borders before quilting them. Best wishes with your border. I know it will be lovely!

Basting all around the outside makes the borders stay flatter for me. It also prevents the edge from accidentally folding under your FMQ in the borders.,

I always baste the sides.

If you don't ensure they are basted you will end up with a mess when quilting. Guess how I know and it took ages to undo. Now if a long border I begin in the middle then mirror on opposite side.it smoothes out.
Oh I use this method and I always join border to quilt before quilting.