Fabric not long enough for borders
 

Hi All,

I haven't made a quilt for about 10 years I followed the pattern for measurements of required material but when cutting strips as per pattern the fabric isn't long enough it is about 2 inches short.

What have I done wrong when buying the fabric and how can I fix this problem?

That's hard to tell where you "went wrong" without actually looking at the fabric, pattern, and quilt top, there are so many possibilities:
* The pattern could be wrong. Sometimes the designer will post errata to their website (if they have one), can you check?
* If you prewashed the fabric, it may have shrunk
* Your cutting or your rulers may be off, especially if you're measuring your cuts with your cutting mat and not your ruler
* Your seams may be inaccurate
* A combination of these factors, or others I can't think of at the moment....

How experienced a quilter are you? Can you post a picture of the quilt, and also the name of the pattern, or a link to the pattern?

Hi Peggi,

I haven't quilted for about 5 or so years, I am just cutting out now with a clear ruler and rotary cutter. Here is the pattern I bought from etsy https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4775...search_click=1

What fabric are you using for the borders? There are a couple of options for you.

Split the border and use a contrasting square or length in the middle section. This can add extra interest to the quilt. It can be done with pinwheel blocks, four patch, et.

For small prints, you can piece the border. I would use a straight seam and match the prints across the seam.

Of course, if the fabric is still available, you can purchase more.

Good luck!

You could also use that fabric for a narrow inner border and another fabric as an additional border.

Put in cornerstones on all four corners. That would be the easiest fix. But I would put aside the borders for the moment, and finish the center of the quilt before carefully measuring and then cutting or adjusting the borders.

I was thinking the same thing that hopefully you have a piece or two left over from making the quilt that you could split the border and put a 2 1/2" piece in the middle. They don't have to be the same colors for the top and bottom. Lovely quilt btw.

A fast simple fix would be to add squares in the corners (cornerstones) as GingerK suggested. Solid squares would look great.

Whatever the reason for being short there are options to finish your quilt. As someone mentioned add a block in the center of each border or at each corner, I've had to do that. Add something unique in the border at certain locations to make it your own version.

Nothing says you have to follow the pattern completely.