Which comes first...
 

The sides or the top and bottom. I have finally gotten to the point of doing borders on several quilt tops. A lady I met at guild has "taken me under her wing". I am very much a newbie so the help is much appreciated. I know there's no quilt police but my friend has told me several times the when doing borders, do the sides first then the top and bottom last. She said it would be easier for me to do since I'm basically clueless. I prefer the look of the top and bottom to extend the over the sides rather than the sides extending. I'm not doing cornerstones, just borders. I'm sure this is a stupid question but would like to know. Is it easier for a beginner to do the sides first and extend them past the top and bottom border? I want my quilts to look their best. I don't mind being challenged but I don't want to screw up all the work I put into the tops only to have it look rushed or tacky. I hope this makes sense. And to prepare you guys, I will soon have questions about getting my quilts prepared to go to the longarmer. Thanks!!

I will be interested in what others say. I don't do it one way or the other, just whatever I feel like at the moment. On the one I just did, I did the sides first. As far as one being easier than the other, I don't think there is a difference. I have only been quilting 4 years, so I am certainly no expert. I did just finish my 83rd quilt though...so I call myself an experienced beginner. :)

I know how many quilts I have made because my sister, who has been quilting for 20 years, told me she wished she had kept count of how many quilts she had made, and she suggested I keep count of mine. So I simply mark it on the calendar. If you are relatively new, you might want to know the same thing. I usually just keep the number to myself, but I am a "counter," so I like knowing how many I have made. The 83 is fresh in my mind because I wrote it on my calendar last night. :)

Dina

I always do the sides first, then the top and bottom. I like the look of the borders that way. I have seen some done with the top and bottom first, but it doesn't look right to me.

I prefer to do the sides first, mostly because I don't like pieced borders, and this saves on a little bit of fabric length.

I'm confused about your statement "Is it easier for a beginner to do the sides first and extend them past the top and bottom border". If you do the sides first, the top and bottom will extend over the sides.

I think it's more important to measure your borders carefully, so that you don't get wavy borders. If you friend hasn't discussed this with you, come back and ask!

Good Luck with you quilting journey. It's a wonderful trip.

Generally speaking you do the sides first so you are getting the best use of your yardage. Lots of quilts are rectangular and longer than they are wider. So if you put your side borders on first, you are using less fabric on the sides than if you put the top/bottom on first. Otherwise, in my opinion, it makes no difference.

I normally attach the side borders because they are the longest. I never hear any wise talel as to one way or another. I prefer the top and bottom to extend over the side borders because I agree with it looking better too. You won't have this problem if you miter the border corners.

By sewing the longer sides first, the borders require less yardage (assuming you aren't piecing them). I can't think of any reason why it should matter, whether the top is done before the bottom or vice-versa.

That is what I do to for the same reason. It just doesn't look right the other way.

Oh wow, 83 quilts. I have to think that makes you much more than a beginner. I don't have a count of the quilts I have made over the past ten years or so (a guess really) but nowhere near that number. Congratulations!

I don't think it's any harder to do the tops & bottoms first. It's mostly a matter of preference.

If you do the side borders first they would not extend past the top & bottom. You put both sides on Then measure and add the top & bottom

The Pa. Amish quilters do the sides first then the top and bottom. But I think the judges at the big shows prefer to have them mitered which is hard for beginners but it is something you can get used to. I don't really care if any of my quilts get into a quilt show or not. To each his own.

Me too, it just looks better to me, with the sides done first.

After reading all the comments, I agree with the fabric saving. However I thought that one item was left out. I sew sides on first then top and bottom borders. The reasoning that I have is that you pull the quilt up under your chin by pulling on the top border of the quilt. By one piece construction, the border is more durable. I also longarm quilt the border a little more densely for the same reason.

Like most others here I do the sides first but I suppose it a personal choice. The more important point is to take measurements, not just sew a border on and hope for the best.
Divide both the quilt top and the border into 1/4s and match up the marks. Do this and you'll always have flat borders providing you have measured properly. Measure twice(three times if you need to) cut once.

I always do the sides because I like the look of the finished border better. I always measure top to bottom in the center and if it is a larger quilt I'll also measure quarter way top to bottom and take an average. Once the side borders are on I repeat the process for the top one.

I don't understand the comment of being easier. To me they are both the same process and one is as easy as the other.

Same here.

For almost all my quilts, I sew the sides as the first borders and then do the top and bottom. I am like most others, I just like the look better. If you are using cornerstones, it doesn't matter, neither does it matter if you are mitering your corners.

If I am doing a folk art type, then putting on the top & bottom first just adds to the charm.

I think the sides first and then the top and bottom looks best. However if it is a problem for you, make a corner square and then no one knows which came first.

I've always been told that if you want you're quilt to look longer sew the top and bottom on first if you want it to look wider sew the sides on frist

I have always seen the sides done first, then the top and bottom; however, it' shout quilt. Do it however you want to do it.

I usually do the sides first. To the eye it sort of balances the quilt. Putting the sides last just elongates the look of the quilt. Of coarse after it is quilted you will probably never know the difference unless it is directional or striped fabric. Then there are times that I just sew boarders around as you do a log cabin block, top, right, bottom and then left. Just a personal preference. Do whatever you are comfortable with or what fits the quilt you are working on.

Your decision will also be affected by whether you wish to give a perception of greater length or width. A quilt will look longer if the top and bottom are put on first and wider if they're put on last. Unless of course you're doing mitred corners in which case it's irrelevant

I am really new, only made 2 rag quilts so far LOL but I am curious, how did you ever get 83 quilts done in 4 years? I am trying to start making pieced quilts for all of my grandchildren and thinking it will take me 5-6 years to get 11 done LOL Another question, if you have done 83 quilts, why are you questioning how you do the border now? What did you do with the other 83? I only ask because I will sew something and be fine with it until someone else makes a comment and then I question myself so much that I don't know if I am even doing it right. I love to read all these "threads" because I learn from them. I am trying to learn before I start a pieced quilt. Rag Quilts are easy way for me to start, but I only have one more to make for granddaughter's bday and then I am free to start my first pieced quilt. Probably lots of sobbing going to happen when I start. LOL Well, just curious to learn. Have a super day.

A lot of my patterns tell me to do the sides then the top and bottom. Also from several teachers at my local quilt store use the same order for borders. I don't know if it's a rule or not, but I like the way mine turn out.

Susan

Dina was the one who had completed 83 quilts in 4 years and she stated she was just curious. The OP is the one asking the question.

I totally agree. This is what I do and why.

When I am hopeful that I can do an edge without having to piece, I will do the longest side first. This is adding length to the shorter side. I have been pretty successful with this approach.

No one ever told me the right way so I just started with the sides first and never gave it a thought. That is how I have always done it and it works well for me.

If you miter the corners, who is to know which border was done first? I personally don't think it makes any difference which side you did first.

Assuming you don't miter corners, putting the side borders on first does tend to save some yardage. But either way works and you can do which ever you like best. But whichever way you choose, the key thing is to measure top,middle, bottom and average (or square the top) and make that the length of the borders (do the same going the other direction, too). That way your borders will be square and not "wave" when the long armer works on it.

Putting the side borders on first makes the best use of your fabric, then do the top and bottom. Although there are no quilt police who will arrest you if you do the top and bottom first; just be sure to measure through the middle of the quilt, length and width so that your border won't go wonky.

When I first began to make quilts I read -- somewhere, either online or in a book -- to do the sides first, simply because it looks better. It frames the quilt better when the top and bottom borders "sit" on top of the side borders.

Thanks for the idea of keeping count of how many finished quilts you have made. I'm worried I'll be at 0 for a while lol!!

My friend told me that say you do the top and bottom borders first they should extend 6" past what the side border width is. I'm not sure what the purpose of it is. She has been quilting for 25+ years but things she tells me and things I've read about here and in books are totally different

If your quilt is rectangular, adding the sides first may feel a bit more balanced visually, but I can't imagine why doing one side first would be harder than the other to do.

hugs,
Charlotte

Thanks for the replies!! I prefer the look of the sides being on first. It makes my eye follow the pattern differently than the too and bottom being placed first. I love this board!! I have learned so much. I have several tops almost finished and ready to prepare for the longarmer. So if anyone has any great links to getting a quilt top ready to send to be quilted please send them my way!!

Because that is the effect that it it has. You can see it easily how it looks using EQ

Long horizontal (put sides on first):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]502901[/ATTACH]

long vertical (put top and bottom on first):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]502903[/ATTACH]

Neither is actually harder to sew than the other. In fact, on occasion, I have gotten mixed up and done the long vertical when I wanted to do the long horizontal (the first one) just because it is somewhat easy to do if the quilt is similar in size.

But in truth, if the border is a print, it is hard to see where the seams are and the end just looks like this:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]502904[/ATTACH]

I do sides first as they are the longest at this stage. Then top and bottom which become. Longest.

I usually do sides first Then top and bottom. Also, I like to use straight of grain running length of quilt on sides and the opposite on tops and bottoms. My thinking is that it may prevent unwanted fullness in the borders. Does that make sense to anyone? There have been times when I didn't have enough fabric to do this but I prefer to do it this way.