How wide should my border be?
 

Just pulled out my long finished (I thought) Allietare flimsy to prepare for quilting and realized I'd stopped at the narrow inner border. I've already tossed the instructions so don't know how wide that last outer border was supposed to be. Can anyone tell me? Don't know if its okay to even ask since the instructions are now in book form. I was thinking six or eight inches. Thanks for any help. Trying to finish up all my ufo's and not have to keep hauling them around when we move!

I always let my eyes tell me how wide to make the borders. Are you needing it a certain size, or are you just wanting to frame up the main body of the top?

Right on!




WishfulThinking ... remember? there are no rules!!!
What is "right" for you and your quilt .... is all that matters.
What Boston1954 or myself or others think is appealing may be gawd-awful to your.

As Boston asked, is there a size you want the finished quilt to be?? ...
... then that may help determine the border size.
Sometimes mine is determined by how much fabric I have left.
Sometimes a quilt does not need a border.
More so, I audition some possibilities and then pick what speaks to me as being "right".

Just because you have used a designer's pattern, does not mean you MUST border it up the way that they planned. Take a look at others completions online for inspiration. Yes, Mr. Google can help you with that!

So go with your ♥ and you will get what you want.

Thanks for your replies! I'm not interested in a particular size. I really just want to get this thing finished and out of my life! I don't particularly care for it. But it does need another border to look finished and while I know I can do whatever I want, I've been known to make a mistake or two when left to my own devices, so thats why I was asking for help. Thanks again!

I understand your rationale.

However, consider this ... I have no idea what the quilt is like!
Plus even the same quilt made with different fabrics, can have a totally different look.

Consider what you didn't like from your past experiences ...
... and use that to help you with this one.
Experience really is a great teacher.

Like I suggested earlier ... ask Mr. Google.
He is a pretty good helper!

Do you have a picture you can show us? Is there enough fabric to make the border any size you want? I am a visual person and can help better if I can see it.

Why are you finishing it if you don’t like it?

9 1/2”, looking nice!

You could check the Quiltville site & post your question there. I'm sure someone who has done it would be able to answer.

I don't know what the quilt looks like either but generally speaking, I try my outer borders at about 1/2 of the block size. For example if the blocks are 6" finished I would see what a 3" finished border looked like with the quilt. Fold up some test fabric and lay along the quilt edge and see if that appeals to you. That ratio is generally most appealing to me.

I just saw one online that was red, gold, black, and white. It looked as though the inner border was about one inch, and the outer border was about 3 or so. It seemed fine to me. Try searching what others have done and see if anything jumps out at you.

I have the pattern for Allietare. The small gold border is 1.5" unfinished and the black border is 5" unfinished .

Thanks for all the helpful info! I made my quilt in Bonnie Hunter's suggested colors of red, gold, black and neutrals. I think I'll stick with a 5 or 6 inch border in black from my stash. Will try to post a finished pic eventually.

I personally like a 3" finished outer border. Years ago I put 1-1/2" - 2-1/2" - 3-1/2" Finished borders. Most of my older quilt books suggested those sizes. Noe I at least try to do one border to make it the size I want the quilt to be.

If you click the "home" button on the top left of this page, you will find a list of topics. The second one is "Quilting Board Challenges." Click on that and scroll down. You will find Allietare; click on that and there will be over 1500 comments, many with pictures. I found that many of our friends on Quilting Board created some magnificent new borders (because they needed a larger quilt) or, alternatively, used very different color ways. If you scroll through the comments, you may find an inspiration for a border that will make your heart sing.

It can be whatever width you want, like or need. Lay it out on the bed and audition different widths. When you get too big, it will look odd. And, I do not think I have ever seen one with an outer border more narrow than an inner border. But, having said that, trust your judgement and try not to overthink it.

Lay out your border fabric, now lay the quilt on top and try leaving various different widths of the border showing - even take pictures if you like - what looks good up close may not from a distance and a pic can help with that. I usually base my choice on a measurement compatible with the block size.