Quilt in a Day Forums

Requesting your input on whether to cut borders on the crosswise grain or lengthwise grain. It I cut on the crosswise, there is some stretching of the border when sewing. On the lengthwise grain, sometimes I cannot get it to lay flat. I do a lot of pining, but still having some trouble. Thanks for your help.

If you cut the way the selvages go, it doesn't stretch as much. I learned this at my guild a couple weeks ago. If you pull on the fabric, you can see the difference.

Yes zfatcat is correct on that, and if you have enough fabric length, you don't have to piece them either!! I usually don't remember to cut them first though Make sure you measure your quilt in the length and width and then cut your border pieces to those measurements allowing for a corner treatment if that is what you have planned. Pin the ends to the corners of your quilt top and then fit the quilt within the border measurements. The quilt will usually lay pretty flat if you do it that way.

I fold the fabric selvage to selvage for the borders. I did make one that wouldn't have looked good if I had pieced the border, so I cut it lengthwise and it quilted ok,

How are you measuring for your borders? You should measure across the center of the quilt (maybe in a couple of places) and use this measurement. Do not just measure the end and cut your border that measurement. When you pin, pin in the center and the quarter way points and then in between, working very hard to keep from stretching any fabric. If you just have a long piece of border fabric and sew it on as you go, you will often have a problem with wavy borders that won'r lay flat.

qltsbme explains it very well

Those of you who cut your borders lengthwise, how, more precisely, do you do the cutting when you are using a "full length" piece of fabric for a full size quilt?

I don't know if that made sense... I mean, if you have say a 3 yard length of fabric, and want to cut 3" border stips along the selvage, can you do that with a rotary cutter, and how? Do you fold the fabric a multitude of times and then cut the strips (risking that it may be a bit zig-zaggy where some of the folds have been) or do you mark the 3 1/2 inches by hand all along the length of the fabric, and then use a ruler and rotary cutter? Or, do you do it the way they must have did it in the pre-rotary cutter days, by marking and using a good pair of scissors?

I can hear the screams from here but I rip or tear mine. A bit wider than what is needed and adjust the width when I'm binding .Works for me!

Ha, ha, Kadie, I too can hear the screams! None is coming from this part of the world, though. Only a tiny little whispering question: doesn't ripping it distort the fabric and make the borders a bit "wobbly" even if you try to adjust it when binding the quilt...?

HomespunMary

Honestly I have never had the problem of warping.It does waste a little material but not that much.When you think about it, how did they do it way back when there were no rotary cutters or when there was no access to scissors.
I know it's probably "against the rules" in the quilting world but I have always been a bit of a rebel. Good Luck whichever way you decide'