Borders
 

When doing a solid color border, do you piece it or buy enough fabric to make the border in one piece?

Your choice!
There are no rules.

I've done both ..... usually dependent on what fabric I have.

Piecing the border is usually the most frugal way, as very often to go LOF, there is a lot of excess fabric to what you need for the borders .... or for the earlier piecing.

I've always pieced a lengthy border using a diagonal seam. It seems to disappear in the quilting and doesn't jump out at you.

Yes to all of the above. Your choice. I know that a lot of patterns are now telling you to cut the borders first out of the length of the fabric, but that never works for me because I always seem to put my own spin on the pattern, which often changes the border size.

ideally, a singe piece. mostly, though, i piece them

I do one LOF piece if I possibly can. Especially on solids - usually there's enough for at least 2 quilts worth of borders. And if not, there's usually at least enough left to get some LOF binding strips - I love loooong binding strips.

I'm a scrappy quilter though, so leftovers are always welcome.

If I'm thinking I may want to put it in a show, I'll buy enough fabric to do the border in one piece. Otherwise, I'll piece it. After it's quilted the seam really show.

Watson

If I have enough to cut a single piece AND I remember to do so, I will use a continuous border. Otherwise I piece it straight across.

I also do it both ways.

I have done both. Over the years I've gotten used to piecing and it does not bother me like it used to.

I will piece the inner border; but cut my outer border by the length of fabric. I would especially do this with solids because you can't hide the seam.

If I can, it's good to cut the first long borders before you cut anything else. That won't work if you need WOF strips, but most times it works fine. If you really need to piece a border, be sure to press the seam open. Then it will be less likely to show, especially on solid colors.

I piece them with the diagonal seam to reduce bulk. I also do them 'off', meaning I do not piece them halfway down the side. I like to offset them, one side maybe a third the way high and the other side a third up from the bottom. I think they are less visible if not in a line. This might just be the way I see it. Biggest thing is that it is your decision - your quilt, your rules!

This is how I do a solid and some prints.

I cut my borders on the LOF so it lays better with no ruffles.

If I have to piece my borders, I piece them so it appears that it was planned. Gives a neater finish I think.

I just had to make that same decision. It is for my la Pass quilt- so after spending over a year and a half piecing it by
hand, I thought it earned a solid inner and outer border. any other quilt- I would definitely consider piecing, especially since I like heavy quilting!

I always use WOF and piece with diagonal seam. Only exception is when doing a kid quilt. Sometimes the end borders are small enough for a single WOF.