Tutorial/QAYG #6/ Adding Borders

Adding borders to a quilt, using one of the QAYG methods is nothing new.  I first saw this method about twenty years ago, on the sewing video,  Creative Strip Quilting by Nancy Zieman. When you see the simplicity of this method, you might be asking yourself.....WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS???.

I made this center  in March using the "Stitch 'n Flip" QAYG method shown here.

Here is the back.....some of it was quilted before the back was added and some after.  By doing it this way, some of the starts and stops that are characteristic of the "Stitch 'n Flip" method are hidden, under the backing. My sample is approximately 27" x 23" in size. It's important to remember to square up your center block. As with all the other QAYG tutorials I have put together I like to use a walking foot on my machine.

At this point, I am wanting to ADD SOME BORDERS, using the QAYG METHOD. Cut the fabrics, for the borders you want to add to your quilt, about 2" longer, than the edge you are adding to. For my quilt, I have cut a 6" wide strip, of each of the following:

• Fabric for the front of the quilt (black fabric)
• Fabric for the back of the quilt (white striped fabric)
• batting (warm and natural)

Lay the fabric for the front of the quilt (black fabric), on top of the right side, of the quilt, along the edge, right sides together.

Next, lay the fabric for the back of the quilt (white striped fabric), on top of the back of the quilt, along the same edge, right sides together.

Be careful not to stretch your fabric....I like to use a fair number of pins for this step. Sew all the layers together using a generous 1/4 inch seam allowance

In the original instructions, the batting was added during this step.....DOING IT THAT WAY results in THREE LAYERS OF BATTING  in the SEAMS. That's just far to much bulk for me. In the original video, polyester fiberfill was used for batting and the bulk was not near as noticeable, as it is, for the Warm and Natural batting that I love to use. I DO NOT add the batting until this step is completed.

Here we see the three layers sewn together with a generous 1/4 inch seam allowance:

• black strip (right side of quilt)
• quilt that border is being added to
• white striped strip (back of quilt)

NOW IS THE TIME TO ADD THE BATTING. Just butt the edge of the batting strip, to the edge that you have just sewn, using a wide zig zag stitch.

You are stitching, in the seam allowance, so nothing will show on the front or the back of the quilt.

Quilt Front.....detail of the zig zag stitching. 

Quilt Back

Now just flip the fabric strips, toward the batting, on the front and the back of the quilt and press. There is now only one layer of batting in the join.

Quilt Back

At this point, I put some basting spray between the layers to keep them from shifting, during quilting.

The next step is to quilt the border as desired. The major advantage is that you are always quilting at the edge of the quilt. No more wrangling a huge quilt, under the arm of your sewing machine.

Quilt Back

Once the border is quilted, I square up the border and start the process over again for the next  border.  

Every method has pros and cons and this one is no different.

Pros:

• You are always quilting at the edge of the quilt, which gives you so much more control.
• You are joining as you go along...nothing to put together later
• You are quilting as you go along...nothing to quilt later
• You can make a quilt larger after it is already quilted by just adding a few borders
• You can make individual QAYG blocks larger this way as well
• All machine sewing
• No strips to sew on later to hide seams

Cons:

• As the quilt grows, the borders have a tendency to be a bit wavy, if you aren't careful.
• I would only recommend this for lap size quilts or smaller.