How to Quilt>Use Blocks as Borders for Your Quilt

Quilt Too Small? Use Blocks as Borders

Adding Blocks as Borders on Your Quilt as You Go Project is Simple

Now You Can Travel and Not Give Up Any Quilting Time

Have you ever taken a long car trip, gone on a cruise, or had a bunch of appointments and wished that you had a portable quilting project?

Now you can learn how to make a quilt one block at a time while you are traveling, waiting, or just because you want to make it that way.

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It's an age-old question - what should I do when I discover that my quilt is too small?

As with all things quilting, there are options:

You could just finish it, and make a different quilt that is bigger
You could add more rows and columns of the blocks in your quilt
You could add a bunch of borders
You could add one big border
There are probably others as well.....

In a different article, we explore one of the options which is to add blocks around the outside of your quilt using the same block only in a contrasting or different color. In this design, the row of contrasting blocks is placed right next to the center blocks, as shown below.

The outside blocks on this quilt are the same design but a different color combination. Click on the picture for a larger image.

The center blocks in this quilt are made using warm colors (orange, red, yellow) and the outside blocks are exactly the same design, however they are made using cool colors (blue, green and purple).

The distinction is somewhat blurred in that some of the same fabrics are used in both sets of blocks.

That is, you see the green fabric with dots used in both the warm blocks in the center and the cool blocks on the outside.

Likewise, the multi-colored fabric with the orange, red and blue is used in both the warm colored blocks and the cool colored blocks on the outside of the quilt.

A somewhat different problem presents itself when you think you have finished a quilt, and then you realize that it is too small.

Of course, better planning might prevent this, but planning too far ahead on a quilt is not really my style (although maybe it should be, but that's a whole different conversation).

This quilt was designed to end with the sawtooth border. It was too small for my bed, so I decided to add Bear Paw quilt blocks around the outside. Click on the picture for a larger image.

Regardless, in the quilt shown below, the sawtooth strips were supposed to be the outside border. I thought I had made it large enough for my queen size bed.

And, in one sense I had. The quilt covered just the top of my bed.

However, I wanted it to hang down the sides of the bed. Thus the problem.

To solve the problem, adding Bear Paw blocks seemed like a good idea. They are quite large.

These are 12" square which goes a long way toward making a drop down the side of the bed.

Before I added the Bear Paw blocks, I added a small brown border (1 1/4" wide). That provides a separation between the sawtooth and the Bear Paws.

When I got tired of making Bear Paw blocks, I substituted a house block (in the lower corner) that was left over from a different project.

This quilt still needs a border on the top, and I will probably sew a dark blue final border on, to give it a more finished look.

Discover more creative ideas for borders:

Use Flying Geese for Borders
Try Broken Geese for Borders
Measure your Borders Accurately
Use Blocks as Borders
Use Simple Strips as Borders
Change the Colors of Your Blocks for Borders

Happy Quilting!

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www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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