Do you have issues with wavy borders? Do you want to make your longarmer’s life easier?
If your borders don’t lie flat, a lot of effort is required to make them behave during quilting, and the result can include some rippling of the fabric. There is only so much that can be “quilted out” when it comes to excess fabric in your quilt borders.
First, always measure your borders. Don’t assume that your quilt has ended up the exact size that the pattern calls for. Remember, even minor variances add up over the length of a quilt. For example, if your block is simple 1/8″ too small, it may go together perfectly – if all your blocks are the same amount too small, because you are consistent if not competely accurate, the quilt center will be perfect and flat. But it will not measure the same as what the pattern says it does. 1/8″ variance on each block, in a quilt with 8 blocks along the length, will be 1″ shorter than the pattern calls for. More seams increase the variance.
But all is not impossible. You just need to take a few steps to make sure that your borders fit your quilt correctly. Rather than relying on the pattern measurements, measure your quilt in quilt both directions. Take at least 3 measurements – one about 6-10″ in from each edge, and one down the middle. Now, some people say average those numbers and use that. I tend to disagree. In particular, if you quilt is set on-point and/or has a lot of bias edges, your outside measurements may be a fair bit larger than your center measurement, due to the bias stretching. So I prefer to use the center measurement in those cases. But that’s also why I say go in 6-10″ from the edge – that moves away from the worst of the stretch.
Cut your border to the length of your center measurement (if the center is longer than the edge measurements, use the average of the two edge measurements instead). It is always best to ease your fabric, rather than try to stretch it. Carefully mark the center of quilt & border, and the quarters. Match those marks and pin your borders in 5 places – the outer edges, the center, and each quarter. Now lay your border down, and fill in pins, easing the quilt top if necessary to distribute any excess fabric along the length of the section. When you sew, you are going to sew with the quilt top down against the top of your machine, and the border piece up. This makes it easier to ease the fabric of the quilt top to match the border measurement.
Working one section (between pins) at a time, encourage the fabric to fit – without stretching the border fabric. Carefully work any fullness towards the needle, and you will be amazed at how much you can cleanly shrink your quilt edges without any pleats, to match the border length you measured. Press the border seam (using some steam if necessary to complete the “shrinkage” of the quilt center), and move on to the next section using the same method. Once 2 borders are attached, lay out your quilt and measure & attach the next two sides, using the same methods.
