Where Was My Brain!
11-10-2025, 10:07 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 769
Where Was My Brain!
I need help. Let’s skip the mistakes I made and go right to the solutions. How can I add to a TOO small quilt once it has been finished to make it wider and longer?
TIA
Linda
TIA
Linda
11-10-2025, 10:09 AM
#2
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
Posts: 9,301
how finished? have you done the binding?
even if you have, once you take the binding back off it's entirely do-able.
can we see a photo?
even if you have, once you take the binding back off it's entirely do-able.
can we see a photo?
__________________
- necessity is the mother of invention. lazy is the crazy aunt.
11-10-2025, 10:30 AM
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 25,186
After binding has been removed - if there was one -
You might consider looking at "quilt as you go" methods for adding on - which is what I would consider. I would try a couple of little sample/test runs on scrap just to get an idea of how to do it. (I have read about it, but not actually done it.)
Or if you really wanted to beat youself up - take the quilting out and then you have the three separate layers - and then you could add to the top - add to the backing - or get a larger one - and a larger batting - and then relayer, quilt, and bind.
If you have enough materials to just make another quilt, that's what I would do.
After trying to do remodeling of various things - usually it is so much easier to start over..
Sometimes a small quilt is "just the right size" for napping on top of the bed, or a couch quilt, or a lap quilt, or a child's quilt.
PS - depemding on your design/ pattern - it might be necessary to add to all four sides, instead of just two sides to make it look right.
You might consider looking at "quilt as you go" methods for adding on - which is what I would consider. I would try a couple of little sample/test runs on scrap just to get an idea of how to do it. (I have read about it, but not actually done it.)
Or if you really wanted to beat youself up - take the quilting out and then you have the three separate layers - and then you could add to the top - add to the backing - or get a larger one - and a larger batting - and then relayer, quilt, and bind.
If you have enough materials to just make another quilt, that's what I would do.
After trying to do remodeling of various things - usually it is so much easier to start over..
Sometimes a small quilt is "just the right size" for napping on top of the bed, or a couch quilt, or a lap quilt, or a child's quilt.
PS - depemding on your design/ pattern - it might be necessary to add to all four sides, instead of just two sides to make it look right.
Last edited by bearisgray; 11-10-2025 at 10:33 AM.
11-10-2025, 12:36 PM
#4
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,670
I recently quilted a quilt top I had made. I was going to just bind it without any borders. When I got the quilting done, I decided that it really needed borders. I have enough backing and batting all around that I just added the borders with stitch and flip, qullted them and then squared it up and put the binding one. I wasn't hard and came out really nice. I post pics when I have time to take them
11-11-2025, 06:02 AM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,980
What I like to do to make the quilt larger is use up the scraps for sashings, borders or just to make it longer, I make small blocks of 4-patches or diamonds, flying geese, etc, then add a sash or 2, then the border. I make a lot of oversized lap quilts, especially making them longer to fit the person it's going to by adding those smaller blocks at the top and bottom before the sash and border.
