To splice or not splice a border?
 

I'm making a throw for a friend who is starting chemo in a couple weeks. Originally last week I purchased a yard of beautiful teal fabric and then cut border pieces. It cost more than I like to pay, but is the most gorgeous fabric I've ever laid eyes on.

For lack of a continuous length of fabric, I had to cut a total of 6 pcs --2 pcs for each long side, and just one piece each for top and bottom.

I have only joined (diagonally) the border pieces on one side so far. (Been working in short segments of time due to back pain.)

i loved that fabric so much that i returned to my LQS for the remaining 2.33 yds on the bolt. My debate, now that i COULD make a continuos 70 inch border for each long side, is whether I SHOULD. Granted, the 70 inches would not be from the WOF but the LOF. And that is not the strongest grain.

The teal fabric is the inner border. I will have an outer gold border which definitely has to be spliced.


Your thoughts? I still consider myself new at this after 10 months of only making very small quilts.

I always join pieces to make a border. I would just go with what you have already cut.

I would keep the pieces I had already cut. I always join the long borders, as i always cut everything width of fabric no matter how much yardage i have. On the diagonal I find its barely noticeable too.

I wouldn't worry about it. I normally piece my borders too with a straight seam and not doing them diagonally because that is a waste a whole lot of fabric. She is going to be delighted that you took the time and effort to make her a quilt !!

Actually the LOF is the strongest grain in that it is less stretchy than the WOF. But I would not worry at all about piecing the borders. I do it all the time. Also once it is quilted the seam will be even less noticeable.

If this quilt were to be entered in a contest where it would be judged, I'd say, use the longer fabric. But for an everyday quilt that's main job is to be loved and used, I'd go with what you've already cut.

What a blessing you are to your friend. She'll love it either way.

Once the quilt has been quilted and washed, you would be hard pressed to see the seams....I do it that way all the time.

I prefer no seams in my borders but if I were in your shoes and already had short pieces cut I'd just use those and save the intact yardage for something else. I do put seams in borders sometimes and they're really not all that noticeable. I'm probably the only one who knows they're there!

The length of fabric is the strongest... Not the width... But it is not really an issue here. Since you have already cut your borders I would use them-unless you have a use in mind for them already. That way you still have the whole large piece to use in another project.

Use what you have. I made a small calculation error on a quilt I just started & had to seam the border. Honestly, it's no big deal & I think it looks kind of nice. :D That said, I get how nerve-wracking it can be to make decisions outside of one's comfort zone. I got all panicky about how things would look on my little dresses quilt, but now it's all coming together nicely & I'm realizing that some of the things I got all worried about aren't even noticeable.