Quilt Border Sizes
 

Until fairly recently, I rarely used borders on my quilts, but I have been adding one border recently. I now want to expand to adding two and up to three borders of varying sizes (e.g., 3"/2"/3"). I am a bit (well, a lot) confused about what the Total width (one border, two borders combined, or three borders) of the borders should be. I read that a border should be no larger than the largest block in one's quilt, and preferably smaller. Is this correct? (To be specific, I have a quilt top that I want to add an inner border of 3", a middle border of 2", and the outer border of 3", (finished) but this comes to 8 inches, and the largest block is only 6 inches finished.

I hope this question isn't too confusing; I'm confused enough myself!

Thanks for any advice you may offer!

Well , there are widths that would be more pleasing to the eye in any quilt but since it is your quilt I think you can do what you want to do. What you describe that you are planning sounds like a pieced border and I think it would look great. Happy planning.

I'm one of those people who have trouble looking at a quilt as finished without a border. But I'm trying. The las two have been borderless. As to width,I use what I have t to get the size I want or to make it look "finished" I never heard of a 'rule' as such but I am not as experienced a most people on here.

I had heard that at one time also. But I have used larger borders on wall hangings and they look fine. Think of your border as a frame on a painting. Is it to finish it off and contain the art. Or is it part of there art used to enhance it. Now with more negative space modern guilts it could be used as either. I usually audition my border fabric and just use what I think looks good to my eye.

I think whatever looks good/nice/appropriate to you is okay.

I have seen tiny pictures with huge mats around them and it seems to work.

I never heard of that but it does seem that a total of 8 inches may overwhelm 6 inch blocks.
Maybe you could try putting some fabrics those widths next to it before you cut and see how it looks.
I love borders- it's a fun way to enlarge a quilt and also do some pretty quilting in them.

I didn't find your post confusing at all and I get confused easily :D

I only follow my own rules for border size. For me, if it is a couch throw, I use either no border, or very narrow borders if the pattern needs it to look complete. For most bed quilts, I make the center that just covers the mattress, then the borders are how much drop I want on the sides. Some patterns still look best with no border though. So no set in stone rules for me. Wall hangings, anything goes as long as it looks good.

I put borders on most of my quilts. Normally the inside border is the smallest and the outside the largest.
I use an App by Robert Kaufman Fabrics to help with the lengths etc...
Mike

I'm struggling with this too. I think what pleases my eye is a dark border framing the piecing, then a light border, but twice the framing border and then a substantial border. If the innermost dark border is 1 3/4 inches cut and finish at 1 1/4 inch, then the lighter border next should be 3 1/2 inches cut and 3 inches finished, then the outermost one would be between 6 and 8 depending on how big the quilt is supposed to be.

But that's my opinion.