it needs something....suggestions?
 

I've made a quilt for a friend, and it needs....something. :D

I'm thinking it needs an interesting border. Maybe just on the left and right side for added interest.

Ideas? Thoughts? links to ideas would be even better! :) I'm very new to quilting, so spelling it out would be great.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...hoto/002-2.jpg

You have highlighted the beautiful batiks well with black, now how about repeating some of the batik around the outside in a border? If you don't have enough of one of the fabrics for a border, you could do a pieced border, like piano keys or just square blocks. Sometimes the border really "makes" the quilt.

How are you planning on quilting it ? it looks good to me - love the way the black frames the batiks, I would worry about too much on the edge pulling the eyes away from the inside- does that make sense ?

I would make a scrappy binding using all the fabrics that you used in the quilt except the black. I did a quilt similiar with different rectangles and used white as sashing and borders. I then used the fabrics and pieced them together for my binding and I felt that it really finished the quilt nicely.

Just playing around. Love to do applique but I really love your quilt as it is.

Love both the applique and the scrappy border/binding ideas. Lovely fabrics btw.

I'd like a scrappy border with that, re-using the batiks. As long as the border pieces are smaller than the 'main' then I don't think it would compete and detract, I think it would enhance.

And what you've done so far is lovely :)

I think that a piano keys border with the batiks would look just great. Any way to get some of that colored out to the outside would help bring the black kind of into the quilt rather than being the "outside". Looks great though.

I agree!!!!!!!

I think flying geese for the border would be nice black with the batkins as the flying geese.

I would keep about a 2" black border; then make a 2nd border by piecing 2" squares 1 batik-1 black- 1 batik - 1 black - alternating all around the quilt; then add about a 4" black border & bind it in scraps of the batik.

You could also use some bright thread in the sashing when you have this quilted.

ali

It is very pretty. I think a scrappy border would finish it nicely.

Quilt it and if when you are done you still don't like it bailey mentioned applique` ?

I agree with sewbizgirl. Your quilt would pop by bringing the colors of the batik blocks into a surrounding border.

It could make it more interesting if you changed the scale and direction of the batiks when putting them into the border. Another idea might be to alternate thin strips of batik and black stripes around the border?

Fun quilting with a cool motif will definitely fit the bill! I would make a piano key border with scraps from the fabrics used in the quilt.

I love the applique on the quilt, and then use the piano key border with scraps from the quilt fabrics would really finish it off nicely.

Maybe quilting swirls and curls in varigated thread in the black would soften the black.

My thoughts would be to reduce the outside border to the same width as the black between the rows, add a piano key border, and then use the black again for the outside, and bind with the black.

If you don't have enough for a border, how about at least prairie points of the various colors-or others-they will look like they belong

A lime green border would make this pop. TKs. GiGi

I like the idea of a piano keys border, in 1 1/2" slices,about 5" wide. I wonder how it would look if you trimmed that outside black
down a bit, like to 1 1/2", then bordered it. if you keep the wide outside border, applique' vine would look nice.

I like the applique - you could also applique big, tall flowers - they seem to be popular these days.

I think making borders with the colors of the
blocks would bring it right out. Love the colors!

I wondered about geese...I've never done them before. :) As you can see, I'm kind of a big block, quick finish, instant results type quilter. But I was thinking it could be a neat addition.

the applique is cool but i like the idea of using all of your scraps and make a square in a square block around the entire quilt or do like you did with the fabric around the black and put black squares in the corners with applique.. the piano keys is a great idea also.. but you are right it does need something else... you could also strip your extra fabrics cut them up and have them horizonal and vertical around the quilt, that makes it interesting...

I agree too :)

Ok, I'm thinking piano keys. I like the idea of applique vines too. ah, this was "supposed" to be a fast quilt. :D hmm, we'll see what I come up with.

ooh, what about this?
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=block...42&tx=23&ty=74
with black and batiks?

I love bailey's appliqued flowers! Wow, that would really make the quilt. I have an embroidery machine, so I would embroider the flowers.

I agree, use the colors you have on the blocks and make a strip border, blocks or triangles. I too like the use of the black color.

How about piecing together all your different fabrics and use that to make a narrow flange or a skinny piping. Put it right next to the binding, which I'd think would be black. That will pull those colors out to the edge and make a nice frame for the quilt, with the black binding.

I agree with coldquilter, piano keys really set off a no. of quilt patterns.

I would put a border on all sides of the quilt. I would use one or more of the frabics in the quilt to make the border. Your quilt will be beautiful when finished.

How about quilting it with variegated threads of some of those beautiful brilliant colors? I am thinking of the quilting on the black just to tie in the colors and to create a continuous thought of color.

Ditto. I like the piano keys idea for bringing the batiks to the edge.

I totaly agree with southernmema. Reduce the outside border to the same width as the sashing.

To keep it quick, how about after trimming the current black border to the size of the sashing, then add miniatures of the batik blocks, perhaps 1/4 or 1/8 size in matching and coordinating batiks, end to end in a strip around the outside. Bind in black or border again in black, depending on the size quilt you want to end up with.