rubbecca
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Date: 1/24/13 2:58 PM In my haste to finish a baby quilt (my second ever quilt), I cut my border strips on the lengthwise grain. Then I just sewed them to the sides and trimmed off. The borders are wavy. Then I remembered my quilt teacher back last summer telling me I can't just sew borders like this! Now, I know why. So I'm going to rip out the borders and redo them again following the right directions. Live and learn. ------
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Franksdottir
 
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Date: 1/24/13 4:11 PM I am sorry about the borders. It happens to everyone occasionally, and trust me, there are far worse things which could have happened. ------
Barb |
CM_Sews
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 3 members like this. Bonnie Hunter's Quiltlville Border Hints
I've been there and done that, too. Once. The bright side: You will never do this again, so you'll never have to deal with wavy borders again.
Bonnie Hunter's Border Hints web page is packed full of practical information about sewing borders. I've used her "No Measuring, lay the border down the center of the quilt on the floor" method many times and it's worked perfectly for me every time.
Happy Quilting,
CMC |
Franksdottir
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4 members like this.
Date: 1/24/13 4:32 PM Yeah, see, I can get DOWN on the floor, it is the GETTING UP AGAIN I have trouble with!    ------
Barb |
TessKwiltz
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TX USA
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In reply to Franksdottir << 2 members like this.
Date: 1/24/13 4:50 PM
Funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing!  ------
Tess
On threadpainting flowers: "How many colors are in a flower? ... How many do you have?" - Ellen Anne Eddy |
Julkane
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PA USA
Member since 9/14/07
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Date: 1/24/13 5:52 PM Oh I have ripped out so many seams........join the club! It doesn't matter how long we have been sewing, we still get crazy, try to take shortcuts and have disasters. I just keep living and learning. I usually have to sleep on it and start over the next day; things look so much brighter after a good night's sleep. ------
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CM_Sews
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In reply to TessKwiltz << 1 member likes this.
Date: 1/24/13 5:56 PM Ah, yes, getting UP again. I hear you!
I've managed to do this without too much actual on-the-floor time. You could probably do this on a table top with a baby quilt.
It really does work well, though, laying the borders down the middle of the quilt to determine how long to cut them.
I've got hardwood floors, so I take a flat sheet that is larger than my quilt top, and use blue painters tape to tape it to the floor to get a good stable fabric surface to work on. I sort of flip the quilt top (like you might do with a sheet when you make a bed) to get it mostly spread the way I want it before I get on the floor. I put on clean socks to I can walk on the quilt as I lay out the borders, if I need to. Once I have the two side borders on, I do it all over again for the top and bottom borders.
If you use the old "measure-every-which-way-and-do-some-math" method, you still have to spread out the quilt someplace to do the measuring.
As always, YMMV (your mileage may vary). I can understand the reluctance to spend a lot of time getting up and down on the floor, though.
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Learn To Sew
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WA USA
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In reply to Franksdottir << 1 member likes this.
Date: 1/24/13 6:00 PM Gee, we missed your sense of humor while you were ill. I never know what you will come up with next.
When I get down on the floor with a quilt, I have to close the sewing room door or I have 2 "helpers" wanting to stand on it or move it around and lay down on it. Our 2 Dachshunds are entirely too helpful at times. ------
Quilting is relaxing to me. I love to play with fabrics, patterns and colors.
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SouthernStitch
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Date: 1/24/13 8:49 PM Thanks for the link. I read that, and she says to sew the border or the quilt top against the feed dogs depending on which needs to be eased in. Jenny Doan from Missouri Quilts says to always sew the borders on top and quilt top against the feed dogs to avoid waviness.
I still don't understand the why. Why does the border wave if you just sew it on and then trim? But I guess I just need to know it does and do it right. ------
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Franksdottir
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In reply to Learn To Sew << 2 members like this.
Date: 1/24/13 9:28 PM Quote: Learn To Sew
Gee, we missed your sense of humor while you were ill. I never know what you will come up with next.
When I get down on the floor with a quilt, I have to close the sewing room door or I have 2 "helpers" wanting to stand on it or move it around and lay down on it. Our 2 Dachshunds are entirely too helpful at times.
I knew you had two small dogs, but I didn't know you had Dachshunds. Are they both brown ones? I love Dachshunds, I think they are just so cute.------
Barb |
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