Lessons learned
 

Had a real moment today - but learned two things.

#1 - When making a double border around a quilt top - add one border at a time. I thought it would be easier to sew both my borders together, then sew them to the quilt - did NOT like that look at all. Lesson Learned

#2 - When decided how big to make your borders always remember to divide by two. My baby quilt block was 31" square and I wanted the quilt to be at least 41". So I added a 10 inch border, made up of two colors (see #1). Well, that was a brain fart on my part - I should have added a 5" border all the way around instead of 10 inches all the way around. That quilt top with borders attached was huge! Lesson Learned - always divide the amount of border you want by two because you want it on two sides, not just one!

If I can't laugh at my own mistakes (and learn from them), then I'll be doing a lot of crying!

Most of us have learned a lot from our duh moments.

How kind you are to share your lessons learned. For sure some folks will learn from you.

I have a One Block Wonder quilt I made that has wide borders. I'm trying to work up the energy to redo them.

Yayyyy, mistake made! Now you can cross that one off the list of mistakes you'll and we all will make in our lifetimes! Feels like an accomplishment, doesn't it?

Welcome to the Been There, Done That Club! Would you like a club jacket or a club pin? :D

Ha! I'm a charter member :D
Glad you mentioned the first one though. I've thought of doing multiple borders that way. I won't now!

It seems every quilt (project) offers one or more 'lessons to be learned' - I've come to expect them! Doesn't mean I always like 'em but I know they're coming. Some are simple oversights, that are bound to happen, others have been great (and expensive) learning opportunities :D Actually, I think it's all part of the enjoyment I get from quilting as I love to learn!

I am laughing. Some of my bright ideas are really Duh moments and. Learned your first lesson all by myself!��

Sewing two strips for borders together before putting them on the body of the quilt-

If one is using cornerstones for the corners - I think that would work out fine.

It also works out well if one is going to miter the corners.

I'm always learning and I'm always surprised by the relearning... just this summer I was working with some 6" precut squares. Great, I thought, a 2" border will make an 8" square. Well no, it made a 10" square (2 inches both sides!) and suddenly my project was a lot larger than I had envisioned.

Great minds think alike Bear!

We all have those A-ha moments when we look at what we have done and thought "What the heck was I thinking??". Learning to laugh at those times is important. Also what is important is learning to know when to walk away - lol - and come back the next day.

Welcome to the club - :p

Oh dear! You are well on your way in your quilting journey.

I wanted the borders to count on a Christmas panel so cut them 5 inches. Great idea until it came to quilting ITH. It was not the greatest plan after all.

Hey, it's ok. I have made a few mistakes like that. If you miter the corners, you can sew the borders together before you put them on.

How about cutting about half of the wide border off on all sides, then inserting a thin accent strip, and then joining the rest of the border (might require just a little bit more fabric)? You could also simply applique an accent strip onto the too-wide border.

My learning experience with the double sewed borders is currently a UFO. I've tried it again and only managed to rip it all out.

Cut them down to the size you want? I always make my borders a little wider so I can trim them down. Sometimes the quilt looks better with a narrow border then a wide one.

I think we all have done a few errors in quilting and learned from our mistakes.

You are not alone!

Welcome to the "Ah-ha" moment club. I've made a ton of mistakes in my quilting journey. Some that I am not willing to tell about. :D

I'm with you... I tried the same thing once, a long time ago. Funny, but I got the same results that you did. LOL

I used to have a little poster that had a picture of a sheepish-looking dog...the inscription at the top in large letters said, “I seldom make the same mistake twice!” And in small letters at the bottom it said, “Generally, it’s three times or more!”

sigh.....

Oh my gosh, great ideas, thank you. The applique approach might be the easier fix. I want to think on this a bit before I plunge in. I'll post before and after photos. Thank you.

Here's my blunder. The borders are 12 inches wide. And I knew they were too wide once I added the cornerstones and finished binding the quilt. Which has been hidden in a box for 3 years now.

I am going to applique a skinny strip down the middle of each border which should have the affect of cutting the wide expanse.

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Pudge, I'm not having the problem with the border you are, I'm usually feeling my borders are a tad too small. But I think that is a genius solution to fixing a top you aren't happy with. There's many ways of making the strips, I'm a fan of bias tubes but on something like this I'd probably stitch down the long seam by machine, flip it over and tuck down/hand stitch the other side.

If I am extra tired and have a dead line for something made, I am more prone to an error. Christmas stocking didn't reverse the back side. Quilted both sides beautifully and then when I went to put it together. UGG Up the next night making a new back and had to pay overnight mail to get it their by Christmas.