Border Matters 02

The final stage of a partially pieced border setting

When I haven't got enough fabric for a mitred border I often resort to a partially pieced border. The length is calculated as the finished edge length of the quilt plus the finished border width plus half an inch though I usually add a bit extra. 

The first border length is only partially attached leaving the end unsewn. Then the remaining three sides are added (the second at the bottom of the above picture). Finally the first strip is completed. This becomes especially clear with striped fabric as in my cushion top piece below.

First and second pieces added

Rounds complete

Final borders laid out

Border Matters 01

At Christmas I swap the everyday cushion covers in our living room for seasonal ones. When our group taught a block or technique I would often make a Christmas version and make it into a cushion cover. Now I have Christmas covers without a suitable size cushion and larger cushions without a matching  Christmas cover. I do have some orphan 12" blocks from a wonderful applique class taught by Inger Milburn and I am killing two birds with one stone, adding borders to upsize them and illustrate different border strategies to the U3A class.
I was surprised by how good my 20+ years ago applique technique was, both machine and but especially by hand. I'm not sure I do it so nicely now. I think I mastered needleturn in Inger's class; perhaps I  need to relearn it. We learnt a different technique with a different block every class and I always tried my very best.
Anyway a basic technique for borders is to add a strip to two opposite sides and then longer strips to the remaining sides. I don't do this very often. The busy prints hide the joins.

I added 4" x 12.5" strips top and bottom of the block and 4" x 19.5" strips to the sides. Quilting will reduce the size which I shall trim to 18.5" to make an 18" finished size cushion.

Here is my basic sample with the longer strips at the top and bottom. I should have taken assembly pictures.