I really respect your opinions - so please feel free to comment.
Somehow my last post got lost, so will try again. I am trying to figure out how to do the border on this quilt....
Which do you prefer, the blue piano key with 2 blue borders, or with one blue border then the piano key in blues, or the one blue then beige border? I will be using the blue as the binding so it matches the backing fabric. After putting the 3 choices up, I am seriously considering the third choice.
I will of course give the gal I am commissioned to make it for the final say, but want to know what you all think.
Love this board - you are all so honest and helpful!!! :)

Choice number one is lovely...however, I would never commit someone else to have to do a piano key border when I swore I would NEVER do one again myself!
:)

I have to agree with RatherB Quilting... I really like the first one, but have never done a piano key border, just seems like it would take forever!

Love the patterns and the fabrics you've chosen. And that blue is absolutely stunning.

I agree, choice number one is lovely. Granted, I haven't ever done a piano border.

:D

I like picture No#3 but I am a newbee to quilting so what do I know. Nothing!!! But I like what I like.

No. 1 is my favourite.

I like #2. I think #1 is a bit too much of the blue on the borders. Just my opinion and many will disagree, but that is okay.

I like choice #2

#2 is my favorite!

#1 :thumbup:

I like number 1.

My first choice is #3 and second choice is #2. I tend to like more simple borders.

And I like #3. Too blue on the first, not enough going on in the second. Just my opinion! And I really do like number 3. What I wanna know is how do you have enough fabric of each to have three choices? Lucky girl. I never find myself in that situation.

#3 looks the best with the pattern chosen....#2 is cute....#1 is a little too busy for these but i like them all anyways!

I really LOVE the first one! But choice #3 is nice as well.

I like the 3rd one also. I think its yellow.

all good but I like #1 the best.

I like #1.

I like 3

3 - like the simpler border when it is so close to the main design - don't want the border to take away from the quilt - would like 1 if there was a large light border first to separate border from quilt but using blue (as in 2) is too much blue

I vote 3. My eye is distracted by the fact that the definite lines in the main quilt are not continued into the border. The fact that the border keys do not (and are not supposed to) line up, and are so close to the feature blocks, create discord for me. I love your colour combos, by the way- beautiful work!

How about adding another border of beige print next to the pieced quilt top and then a narrow blue border and then the piano keys with the narrow blue binding on the outer edge? That would create more of a frame for the blocks and keep the piano keys a bit farther away from the blocks.

ok, she chose option #3 with the blue strip then the beige border then the blue binding. I had originally designed the quilt like this, don't know why I changed it to the piano key border. Seam ripping, here I come - tomorrow. LOL
Thanks all for your opinions - just LOVE this board!

I love number one. IMHO

#2 calming to the eye

I like choice #2. The double blue border is too much blue. Nice looking quilt. It will be lovely when you are finished.

How about a 4th option? Sometimes I will just do a wide fab w/o piecing and do a binding that matches the border. Some quilts don't need a "fancy" border. Just a thought.

This quilt will be lovely with whatever you choose!

I really like #3. The piano key border, although quite beautiful, seems a little out of scale/busy for the rest of the quilt for my taste. And border #3 is just calling for some nice border quilting stitch pattern.

Looks Good to me!

I like #1. It looks as though you already have it sewn on.I wouldn't change it.
The piano key border is pretty easy to do. When I do a piano key border I sew all three borders together, press the seams out to the plain border and then sew it on to the quilt as one border.

I vote for No. 2.

"Choice number one is lovely...however, I would never commit someone else to have to do a piano key border when I swore I would NEVER do one again myself!"

Actually, a 4-1/2 inch piano key border on a queen size quilt is about 400 inches long. If you use 2-1/2 inch strips by WOF and make four strip sets of 6 strips each, you can get eight 5 inch by 12 inch sections out of each strip set.

I sometimes use 3 inch strips, which takes even fewer strips and looks really nice.

My votes for #1. I really like the piano key borders.

Number one for me!

I like #2.I agree with Sadiemae. There is too much blue on the border of #1. Then, again if you don't wish to do the piano border, I would stick with #3.

I choose #1.

#1

Number 1 is my favorite!

I like # 1 but would use the #3 outside border fabric as the outside border.

No 1 for me too. but it also depends on how much you want to put into it