when do you add borders
 

I just finished making the top of a quilt to fit a double/full size bed. It covers only the top of the bed. When should I add the borders? Should I put together and quilt the top and then add more batting around it when I add the borders? Or should I sew the entire quilt including the top and borders before adding the batting and backing? Thanks. Even though I have been sewing over 50 years, I never had lessons or learned the proper way to do it. I just muddle through and usually get lucky with the finished product.

I add all the borders before doing my quilt "sandwich"...meaning adding the batting and backing in preparation for quilting. I will put some links at the end of my post about borders, as if you don't measure out and do them right, it can be such a headache...I know from experience...lol...Also, you can do more than one border, and make them different widths to make the quilt larger for your bed...I will put some links for that as well...
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...ul-border.html
http://quiltbug.com/articles/borders.htm
http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransso...-sandwich.html
http://www.creativequiltgirl.com/wp-...02-11-pic2.jpg
http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/201...-knocking.html
http://www.quiltville.com/borderhints.shtml
Good luck to you,
Kif

Ditto what gigi says. That is what I have been doing this week. I added two borders each to two quilts and four borders to another. My DIL LOVES borders. So, hers has four. Hopefully I will be quilting all of them this week.

The answer (as usual) is... it depends. Usually the entire top is finished before any quilting is done. However, if you are planning to do the quilting on your domestic sewing machine, and if you would have trouble putting the entire quilt through that narrow opening, you might choose to quilt in sections. In this case, you might choose to add the borders after quilting the center. I recommend getting Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections, which explains several different ways of doing this.

Well, I'll be the voice of difference, LOL!

I just finished a large 36 block log cabin quilt the I had to quilt on my home sewing machine. To avoid *some* of the bulk, I waited to add my borders, batting for the borders, and backing for the borders, until I had finished doing the quilting -- leaving about an inch of fabric free of quilting at each side.

This I then turned back, butted and joined the batting (in my case a 14" strip per side) to the batting that was already in the quilt; then joined the borders as if I were regularly applying them; then added the backing strips (again about 14" wide). I then quilted the borders easily by maneuvering just the outside edges of the quilt under the needle rather than fighting the whole bulk of the thing.

A bit more effort at the work table, a lot less fighting at the machine for me.:thumbup:

Jan in VA

Since I hand quilt, I don't have the problem with "bulk" when quilting on a standard sewing machine. So, I add all borders before sandwiching. I'm in the process now of adding a large border to a quilt top that just isn't quite wide enough or long enough for our bed.

me too; although I rarely put borders on my quilts

I add borders to top before sandwiching/quilting. If you want the top bigger to hang over sides of bed you can do this by adding several borders or by making borders bigger. Adjust size oif quilt to size you want by adujusting borders.

All excellent suggestions.

Now, another thing to think about. If the quilt top just fits the top of the bed, why not just put borders along the sides and bottom of the quilt? That way it will also serve as a bedspread. And no one has to remember where the top is. Plus no one will really see the top edge of the quilt anyway. You could make some pretty pillowcases out of the border fabric so you can place them at the top of the quilt when the bed is made.

I made my oldest boy a flannel brick quilt and used leftover fabric to make several pillowcases. Bed looks nice - when it's made - which isn't very often - kids!