Ditto to that. I hate to see a beautiful quilt ruined by the addition of a wide piece of fabric or two tacked on to add dimension. It shows the quilter's loss of interest. IMO

I agree a variety in the borders and binding offset your hard work.

Borders do frame the quilt. I have done some different borders but it depends on the quilt. Each person has their own idea and I don't want a border to take away from the quilt.

I think if a border is well done it is part of the quilt, not something that takes away from it.

I am really enjoying this thread.

My borders vary with:
-how i feel when I get there
-how much material I have left that coordinates with what I have already done.
-what the purpose of the quilt is - gift vs charity
-if a resting strip would be better then a pieced border.
-will a particular border improve t he overall end effect I desire
-how much time I have to finish it
- and ... does it really even need a border.

I am fickle and know it is OK to change my mind as I go.

Hey, I even love pieced bindings and pieced backings.

ali

at that point in the game i am ready to get it done and move on so yes i do some plain borders

Isn't wonderful that we can look at our work and decide what looks good and more important what we like. I am just learning to quilt and having a great time experimenting with color and style.

Go ahead, experiment. Just remember to post the results. I haven't yet done the thin, then thick border so I can't wait to see what you come up with.

I use this combination so much. It looks really good and adds some size to a quilt that is a little smaller than I wanted. The first border is 2 1/2 inches, the second one is 1 1/2 inches, and the outer border is 5 1/2 inches. It finishes up 8 inches. This was the border on the very first quilt that I made and I have used it many times since, using three different fabrics. Save this to try. It works nicely on all sizes.

You have a point there.

Me too or three!!!!! I have been making a lot more pieced borders lately and really like them. But do sometimes have that narrow border between the two

I think this was a great question and I enjoyed reading all the replies...Thanks for asking it:)

No, you are not the only one that think plain borders are boring. I do think that a lot of people get tired by the time they get the blocks pieced that they don't want to piece the border also. They just want to get the quilt finished. I know I have felt that way. But I do enjoy the pieced borders. I've done a few quilts without borders, just made extra blocks and have thought they have looked great. I have also done a couple of quilts that have had scrappy borders, and some wall hangings that have had pieced borders. Sally Schneider has a book that is all about pieced borders and how to plan them, because they have to be the right size to fit the center. Also Judy L. at Patchwork Pieces blog (I think that is the right name) makes a lot of her quilts with pieced borders and they are beautiful.

I love pieced boarders and appliqué too. I am not a lover of plain but do sometimes use them. Most of the time my problem is making a pieced boarder that fits. If the pattern doesn't include a pieced boarder in the pattern it is not alwayS easy to make to fit, especially for beginners. I think I am gaining experience am might be able to start tackling them more.

Whatever you do, try not to use stripes in your borders, especially thin ones. Too hard to keep the stripes in the border fabric even with the edges of the body of your quilt. IMHO.

Dana

probably because a pieced border around the quilt make take as much, or more, time than the quilt .

When I first started quilting (last November), the book I read said that the border was the frame to the quilt and only discussed plain borders (with different methods of doing the corners).

Only recently, I've become aware that they could be pieced.

So, are borders the frame (or matting and frame if you use a double border) or are they part of the design or a complementary design? How did you know if you need a border or what type of border to use?

The more I learn about quilting, the less I seem to know.

I think the border is like a picture frame. Some don't need a frame some do. I usually hang the finished quilt on the wall and look at it sometimes for several days. It usually "tells" me what is needed. I try not to have the attitude to "just get 'er done". You notice that I said TRY. Rarely successful.
Sue