Not Boring Borders
 

What kind of designs do you come up with to make your borders more interesting?
Things I've tried:
Scalloped borders (won't do that again)
Random, single block insets
Double row of 2.5" squares
Piano Keys
Multiple, thin borders

What have you tried?

~ C

I really like working my blocks into my borders, often using partial blocks or reversing the color or in other ways.

Since I typically press my seams open, I do like to seal up everything with a solid strip if I can. If not, I stay stitch within the seam allowance to keep the seams from opening up until I get around to quilting them (which can be years, sad to say).

I like to make the pattern "spill over" into the border. I also like to break the lines of the border with applique bits. I once made a few extra blocks and appliqued them on top of the quilt like floating escapees...they crossed into the borders too. That was fun.
I also like to use piping or a strip of lace sometimes, between the top and the border(s)

C, I used the QIAD ruler for scallops and it turned out well. However, scallops aren't for every quilt. I love that look.

Here's one where I reversed colors in a half block border and then used a plain strip of the fabric...

It was quite simple to do this way, I didn't have to do a layout until after I had made the individual blocks, but it fools your eye to think the blocks are made up of the light background and you have to carefully match the dark corners instead of the other way around.

I have a book called "The Border Workbook" by Janet Kime, 10th Anniversary Edition. It was printed in 2011 by That Patchwork Place and has lots of creative ideas. One of my friends did a French Braid border with three rows and cornerstones. It was gorgeous and simple, and added a great look to her quilt.

I make a lot of piano key borders because I can use up some of the scraps from the blocks in the quilt.

The half hexie border that is a new Jenny Doan video this week is simple to make but looks intricate. I like to make more blocks to make the quilt as big as I want then I use a narrow border to keep the binding from touching the blocks. I like extra wide binding so it looks like a border but not one.

sounds awesome! Pictures please!

I have brought the backing to the front for binding. I usually turn the front to the back. Or I have had no border at all.

Sorry Rff1010 - I don't have pics of most of the quilts I've made.

I love the look of piano keys mentioned by Jordan, and I love prairie point borders too, but have never done them myself yet.

Iceblossom, that is a great idea and a really pretty quilt too.

I really like your t shirt quilt, aashley!

Mindless...I love the spill over borders too. It looks like the blocks are just floating off the quilt in a puff of wind. I've never made one but plan to do that on my One Block Wonder quilt that I'm working on. I never thought to use lace in a border.

IceBlossom...I love that look! It looks like the main part of the quilt is just floating on a background.

I've never done prairie points. I've yet to have the appropriate quilt to put them on, but I like them.

SallyS...thanks for the border workbook suggestion. I've been adding to my quilting library lately, so I'll have to look it up.

~ C

There is a fun round robin going on right now on this board. It is all about adding rounds/borders to a center large block. Each participant starts by making a center block. Then they mailed that center to the next person on the list who adds a border to the original center and then passes the piece on to the next person, etc. They have really been creative with each new border/round. It's amazing what these wonderful quilters have come up with. I have gotten several good ideas from this and think you might too.https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...n-t311231.html

I really like tessellating patterns where there are equal and exact amounts of fabric... The first one I showed was Houndstooth and is one I'm keeping for myself. This is very much the same concept and it doesn't have a home or a finish yet. The "bed" of the quilt is assorted purples, the border is a half block that finishes the white part of the design and is all both the same dark purple as well as the same white.

A picture of the completed top is in my album over here:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...14-621649.html

I like the borders in quilterscache. I've done the braid, the pyramid, tipped bricks, flying geese, etc. My favorite was the curling ribbon once I figured out the pieces could only be placed in one direction. https://www.quilterscache.com/B/Borders.html

I just saw a cute idea for a border from Rob Appell for Michael Miller fabrics. It’s a zig zag look with a stripe that turned out cute. https://youtu.be/A2QI6ImXeDM

I thought I had bordered the outer border here with a braid. However, looking back I enlarged my quilt with this border and came back with a solid. Braid was made using the small half hexie from Missouri Star Quilt Co.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...55-622108.html

Let's see -- I think I like the piano keys that I make using fabric that is in the quilt. I do a plain inner border and them add the piano keys. I have also done a braid, triangles and appliqued. I am working on a quilt now that I think would work with a spill over - should be fun.

So since we're all here talking about borders anyway....
I'm making for my nephew and am in tje process of putting together the top .... And its only 66" long at this point. I generally like my twins 70x90.

Increasing the width is easy but adding an additional.24 " of length might require some creativity. I was thinking about piano keys or a braid just on the top and bottom. (I think I like the straight piano keys better but am open to outside thoughts)

Has anyone actually done this? Am I crazy? Should I just give up and keep it a throw size? Tyke is 10 now and I'd like it to be something he can take to college in the future ... If he wants.

I use striped border fabrics frequently to make a border. If I find one while out I will usually grab it for future use. I find I can usually quilt around the patterns of these fabrics. I like piano keys too. and do that often.

I like them both, but I think that I prefer the piano keys for the contrasting element. The whole quilt is really pretty!

~ C

I really like the piano keys you have laid out but I am partial to piano key borders. Looks like it is going to be a very nice quilt. I don't like square quilts and made one for my son's girlfriend and just added a border at the top and bottom. It turned out nice and I was happy with it.

This guy does art quilts and his borders are interesting...lots of spill overs.

https://bruceseeds.com

~ C

Sometimes the quilting can take the borders to the next level. Sometimes I'll use cutoffs and make 4-patch or a HST block and add it in various places along the borders, even add them to the backing if so desired. Here's what I did for a little boy's quilt using the leftover/cutoffs from his blocks. I even made him a stuffed elephant with the leftover scraps as elephants was the theme for his quilt.

To lengthen a project or when I have to change fabrics either because I've run out or because I want to make a statement, I've used variations on what I call the Zipper. You take two fabrics, typically used in the top already or close enough. Sew a strip and cut into rectangles and then into a long pieced 4-patch. You then sew a strip on either side of the four-patch unit.

You can be using pieces to go in and out of the Zipper, that is scraps for one side and a consistent fabric for the others. You can take cornerstones from sashing and lead them out to the borders. When you are out of one fabric, you use the consistent one next to what you already have and then add the close/different fabric on the outside so it doesn't touch so much... All sorts of ways to play with them.

With 2.5" cut strips, it adds 8" each side, or you can do all sorts of modifications from no side borders to smaller ones.

Rff1010, the quilt is so bright and lovely. The Piano keys really make it pop, I think. However, both are lovely!

When I was a fairly new quilter, I misread the cutting instructions for half square triangles, and ended up with a ton of them..so I made a diamond border for the quilt out of them. It really looked nice..lesson learned! Read the directions !!