How would you attach this set of borders?
 

I am making a quilt that has 3 borders to it.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/08/...-in-curio.html

My problem is the body of the quilt (the jacob's ladder blocks) ended up 56 3/4 inches instead of 56 1/2 inches (I downsized my blocks so it is smaller than the bake shop one). I am wondering if I should make the first white border 56 1/2 inches and ease in the 56 3/4 inch quilt body or if I should just reduce the width of the first white border by the 1/4 inch I am over in the quilt body.

I believe that either of those options will hopefully get me to the size it should be after the first white border so that my second border of small squares will fit correctly. If I don't do anything that second border will not fit by the 1/4 inch. Maybe it won't be very noticeable to slice down the 2 outer squares by 1/8 inch either and not worry about resizing the white border or easing in the quilt body?

What do you think would be the most successful option?

Make the white border fit the measurement of your quilt -56 and 3/4.. Measure your quilt in three places to be sure that is right and use the average measurement for your white borders. Then measure again for your pieced border. No one will notice if your pieced border is 1/8 inch shorter or longer on each end. See the links section for a tutorial on borders.

1/4 " is not very much to be off, so I think you have done a very good job. I would cut the white border to the measurement that it is supposed to be and ease the interior of the quilt to fit. That way the next border should fit perfectly. Your border won't be wavy because (1) it is smaller than the interior by just a bit and (2) it isn't the outside border.

I would measure your quilt and attach the first white border to fit your quilt - but make the border a little wider. Then remeasure after the white border has been attached and trim it to the size needed to fit the next pieced border.

Your top is 1/4" larger than what you wanted? Are you using two solid color borders....red, then white?

Have you measured the quilt in three places...top, bottom and middle? Is the difference the same on all three measurements? If not average it out...then I would sew both borders together to that measurement, then add to top, making sure to center and pin down, mitering the corners...less change of getting waves between 1 st and 2 nd border...just my thoughts on subject

Yes, this will work. Good Luck !!

I was going to ask if the quilt had to be one specific size for any reason. But I see that the center border is squares. So, you can adjust the size using the first (most inside) white border. Are you sure you've adjusted th size of the quilt so that the squares will come out evenly? You can always place the squares border along side the inner white border, and if it doesn't fit quite right, make a few seams between the squares a little smaller, too.

Bonnie Hunter says to measure thru the middle and that's the length of your border. Try that measurement. 1/4" doesn't seem like a deal breaker to me, you done good! lol. Whatever you do it will be gorgeous.

That is a beautiful quilt pattern! (You already have enough help on the border question, just wanted to say I can't wait to see a picture!!)

Dina

In answer to some of the comments regarding the measurement, I did take the middle and both outside edge measurements both horizontally and vertically and they are essentially all 56 3/4. So, it is consistent. Before attaching the first border (the white strip), I prepared the scrappy block border (the second border) for both sides and compared that to the length of the sides of the quilt body and it is a match.

I have slid a ruler around the outside blocks and they all come up with the measurement they are suppose to be--some exactly and some just a thread or two off so all those tiny differences are making my 1/4 inch variance. I am thinking about cutting the white border the size of 56 1/2 and then marking it every 1.75 inches and matching those marks up to each seam on my quilt edge and that way the fabric will be equally distributed and I will only have minor thread width differences spread across the entire length. Then, when I attached the scrappy block border to that white first border, I will match up those seams to the same marks so that the seam lines from the quilt body will be even with the seam lines with the scrappy border.

This sounds like a good plan, but you know how that goes sometimes!!! I have to press more white fabric today before I can cut the borders and I think I have just enough to cut it LOF so I will be able to do each border side with one continuous piece of fabric. Thank you for everyone's input. It is very helpful to hear suggestions and other view points. I am self taught and still learning.